Tuesday, November 1, 2011

The Help: 75% as Compelling as Twilight!

Believe it or not, I do occasionally read something that is on the shelves of the bookstore outside of the teen section. Or the "Mature" fanfic pages... It's rare, admittedly, but it happens.

Getting me to read "The Help" did require some coercing on the part of Sister Snarky (but I coerced her into reading Twilight, so she admittedly has some leverage there). I mean, it's only been on the best-seller list for 104 weeks or so (and is still the #1 trade paperback ), so how good could it be? And I hate being the last person on the bandwagon... But what really got me interested was when she declared it to be "75% as engrossing as Twilight." That was it - I had to read it. I actually brought it to Forks and back, but didn't even crack the spine. Not sure when I thought I was going to sit around and read with this crowd!

Plus, it's got the obligatory Twilight tie-in, even if Bryce Dallas Howard playing Victoria in Eclipse STILL sticks in my craw (note: I love her in everything else I've seen her in and don't hold a grudge, but it was a mistake of semi-epic proportions imho).

 This chick can't catch a break when it comes her hairstyles on film.
(Although this is miles better than those asinine Shirley Temple ringlets she sported in Eclipse.)

And Sister Snarky was right. The Help is an amazingly good read, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. It might not have been the ga-ga, inexplicable and sometimes frustrating head-over-heels infatuation I had when I read Twilight (what is, really?), but it was a good solid "I have serious affection for you" kinda feeling.

To further compare:

Things I didn't do after reading The Help -

Start a blog about it.

Run out to see the movie five times (but only because it's not really playing around here anymore).

Plan a trip for me and 100 or so of my besties to meet up in Alabama.

What I DID do when I was reading The Help:

Totally dragged that book with me 24/7 so I could read every waking moment. I'd offer to lend it to you, but for the sake of full disclosure, it's spent major time in my bathroom.

Intentionally showed up early for a doctor appointment with someone who has a reputation for running very very late (he was, and I didn't care).

Worked from home so that I could find an acceptable work/reading balance that would have possibly been frowned upon had I been in the office and not hiding in the restroom (probably). I think that 50-50 seemed reasonable.

Made plans to coerce anyone who lives under a rock and/or only reads Y/A stuff or fanfic and hasn't already read it to read this book STAT.




P. S. I am aware that this book - and its author - has generated some controversy, but this is a Twilight/humor blog, dammit, and I am not going there.

15 comments:

  1. I forced myself to put away my fanfics & read The Help over Labor Day weekend. It was fantastic! Loved it!

    There is no Robward or reasonable facsimile, in the book, but it is a truly beautiful, heart-wrenching story. I enjoyed reading it, then promptly went back to my Twilight-smut.

    I just got home from Twilight Tuesday. Watching that first kiss on the big screen really made me tingle all over again! I'm glad I went!

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  2. The Help is on my list. Right now I'm reading Breathless by Dean Koontz. I went to Twilight Tuesday as well & loved it!

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  3. I went to see The Help with two of my girlfriends. LOVED the movie! It made me laugh and it made me cry. And my anger about Eclipse Victoria only added to my dislike of that ginger Hilly Holbrook! [Bryce did a good job but Jessica Chastain and Emma Stone rocked it!]

    My girlfriends had read the book and told me that it was so much better/more than the movie.

    And although I have a copy of the book sitting right here next to the lappy, school is enough reading right now. Unfortunately too much school reading equals not enough fan fiction reading, and that makes me grouchy!

    That and thrustward being cut by Summit to keep a PG-13 rating!

    Love you twat waffles! Jen

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  4. I've emerged from the depths of non-commenting status to... occassional, once in a lonnng-time commenting.

    I LURVED The Help. Being the (slightly) over-emotional woman (who never gets any lovin' since baby #2 arrived in 2010), I fell for this book, and hard (but not Hard as in, well, erm- any of the FanFiction Edwards out there).

    I too thought this was an amazing read STY, and I too, dragged it around w/ me everywhere - but for once, Not hiding the cover under my arm, or removing the shiny cover so as not to be recognized by others.

    And even though I saw The Help movie before finishing the book, I still bawled my eyes out both close to, and at the end - during both the movie and the book.

    I'm a sucker for anything emotional it seems... couldn't pick New Moon up off the floor for 2 days to get past that damned breakup!

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  5. I bought my copy at Costco with @norcaltwitard and @alltwiedup. So I think of them when I think of this story. Then, when I was done with it, I paid it forward to @starlitviolets. So I think of her too. As much as it would have been a good addition to my bookshelf, my suitcase was heavy enough on my travels!

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  6. I have the book, the hubs gifted it to me for Christmas last year. I have yet to sit down and read it or see the movie, though its on the "to do list" sigh
    I have been reading the "black dagger brotherhood" due to it being recommended here on this blog and I picked up the latest book -just last night.
    I plan to read the Help, but I have to reread BD before the movie opens and time is running out.
    I also want to reread twi since I have seen Forks for myself and want to match it to the forks in the book.

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  7. I didn't read the book but, I saw the movie and it's fantastic. I live in the South, so it was particulary interesting to me...laughed my ass off at some of the stuff. Yeah, I'm still really pissed that Summit screwed over Rachelle Levevre and gave the part of Howard. I think they could have worked around any scheduling problems she had, if she actually had any.

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  8. I agree, an awesome book. I look forward to seeing the movie. What else are you ladies reading these days? I highly recommend the Kate Shugak series by Dana Stabenow.

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  9. My Mom & Sis saw the movie and said it was fantastic & fun. I definitely look forward to reading the book first.

    xo J

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  10. I read it. I liked it. It wasn't Twilight! I had a hard time plodding through some of the language - I get why it was written that way, given the narrator, but it was still slow going figuring out the "voice" so to speak.

    NOW. *steps onto soapboax* People bitch about the writing in Twilight - but they forget that the narrator of the Twilight books is a 17yo girl. That's how they talk. The Help is my go-to reference for this one. No one complains about the author's writing quality in this book, because everyone GETS why it's written the way it is. Why people can't look at Twilight the same way is beyond me. And, don't compare the writing to the HP books - those have a third person (omniscent?) narrator - NOT the same thing! /endrant

    So the movie was good? I need to rent it!

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  11. So weird that I'm just reading it and you brought it up. I wanted a change to all the vampires for a while and this book brings exactly that and so much more! I love it and hate that I have to go to work and not be able to read it all the time. The Help keeps me occupied perfectly so I can go back to Twilight-land when BD FINALLY comes in two weeks. =D

    -Suvi

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  12. MyHeartGoesPitterPattinsonNovember 3, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    The Help is on my to read/see list. I just finished One Day by David Nicholls. I heard the movie was terrible but I still can't wait to see it after having read the book which I really liked. I'm already calling it. I will want Jim Sturgess' balls in or around my mouth only second to Rob's after seeing it. I guess it's official. I have a thing for the tall, dark and British.

    Fact: I put off reading The Help in my "book club" b/c I had too many fanfic stories going at the time. "Book club" is in quotes b/c half the girls don't read the books and just show up to the meetings to drink wine and bitch about their s.o.'s. Which is fine. I don't do well with feeling obligated.

    Also don't let anyone talk you into reading Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. Fucking terrible. She may have some other good books. I'll never know. I was so turned off by her phoning it in on this p.o.s. I will likely never pick up another one of her books.

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  13. *hangs head in shame*

    I'd never heard of this book. Nor the movie. But having watched the trailer now, I can see that it's the kind of thing that is right up my street.

    This is one of the things I love about Twitarded. I get to learn about so many new things out there--and not just Twi-related stuff.

    Thanks for the rec!

    CC x

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  14. I normally don't read books like this (then again, I normally didn't read crap like Twilight either) but I think I will check it out. And I will definitely watch the movie!!

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  15. Missing a month of blogs is crazy but that is exactly what has happened to me. I hope I can catch up.

    This book and movie are on my lists but who knows when I will get to them. Anyone have the winning lottery ticket so I can just stay home then and do all the things I want to do instead of working??

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