The Help

I put off reading The Help for a long time, thinking my book club would eventually choose it, but since they didn't I went ahead and read it anyway. I loved it, even though I was reading it with somewhat of a jaundiced eye after reading about the lawsuit that is being brought against Kathryn Stockett by the nanny who works for Stockett's brother. It may be that Stockett crossed the line in writing a character that closely resembles a real person who did not give permission to be characterized in the book, but that doesn't detract from the fact that this is a beautifully written book with strong memorable characters. The basic plot itself is compelling -- about black maids working for white women in the South in the 1960s -- but there is so so much more to this book than that. I was sorry to see it end because now I'll never know what happened next to all the great characters that I had come to know and love.