Not looking forward to reading "The Help"

[WaltD4Me]

I read The Help after I saw the movie. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't run around telling people they HAVE to read it.

I agree that if you don't enjoy, there isn't anything wrong with putting it down and moving on to another book. I've done it with more than a couple "it" books. I don't have alot of time to read, so I really want to read something I enjoy or that really engages me.

Have to agree about Twilight....I tried, but I wasn't even able to slog through the first one, I think I made it a little over half way. I felt like I was reading a teenager's first attempt at a novel and she started it right after her boyfriend dumped her. Loved Stephen King's quote about Harry Potter and Twilight.

Harry Potter...love those books. They got me through after September 11th. They were the only thing that distracted me in the weeks after in those times when I had to turn the TV off for awhile.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Still not reading The Help, but decided last night to download a sample of Pillars of the Earth to my Kindle. I saw the word "intrigue" in the discription so thought it would be worth a try. Also pleased to see the price is under $10 if I decide to buy it.

Here's my other book confession: Someone gave me the Twilight series and I thought a teenage love story would not be interesting to me. I'm embarressed to say I ended up reading right through. It was a nice, easy, fluffy, summer read and I didn't have to think too hard. I'm not a die-hard fan, but the action kept me interested.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

I liked The Help but I agree with the OP, if someone hypes something up too much, I will rebel too! The Twilight series is a good example of this for me. I listened to the masses and read the first book. The teenaged angst was just too much for me and I didn't continue with the other books. I don't feel slighted, I don't feel like I'm missing anything, I'm very content to say that I have no idea what happens to poor little ... erm ... whatshername.

Life is too short to waste time on a book you're not enjoying

 

[sayhello]

Have to agree about Twilight....I tried, but I wasn't even able to slog through the first one, I think I made it a little over half way. I felt like I was reading a teenager's first attempt at a novel and she started it right after her boyfriend dumped her. Loved Stephen King's quote about Harry Potter and Twilight.

Harry Potter...love those books. They got me through after September 11th. They were the only thing that distracted me in the weeks after in those times when I had to turn the TV off for awhile.

I *LOVE* that description of "Twilight"!!! I totally agree with that!

And Harry Potter really helped me through 9/11, also. I was reading Goblet of Fire at that point, which was when Harry really and truly confronts Evil. And the fact that he stood up to Voldemort, and triumphed even a little was very cathartic.

Sayhello

 

[TMcDwyer]

I used to finish reading a book I wasn't enjoying simply because I felt like I must be missing something and maybe the book will start getting better soon. Thank goodness I gave that up! I do at least read half the book before I choose not to continue with it and I have learned to deal with people's surprise that I didn't enjoy or finish books like Interview With a Vampire or Pillars of the Earth.

This is me. I am convinced that I must be missing SOMETHING so I keep reading.

 

[parrotheadlois]

I "read" The Help when it first came out. But I don't "read" books, because of my long commutes, I listen to audio books. The Help was a fabulous audio book. I also recommended to my Mom (she's in her 80s, I don't think she liked it, she wouldn't tell me that). My Mom also "reads" a lot of audio books, but in this case she actually read it, she might have liked the audio version better. My daughter liked it once she got into the dialect of the book.

 

[hockeymomNS]

Another fan here.......loved the movie and the book.

We all have different tastes, so you probably have a better idea than anyone on whether or not you will like it. My guess is that people's intentions are genuine and given the popularity of novel, just want to give you the "heads up".

I am a 48 yr. old mom here and didn't read/watch either the Harry Potter nor the Twilight series til curiousity got the best of me.....btw loved em both.

 

[willowsnn3]

I'm a huge Diana Galbadon fan. Even the audio books were outstanding. I just picked up her last book, Echo in the Bone. I read "The Help" for my bookclub and I did enjoy it. I read the Twilight series because everyone said to and the writing was atrocious. I love to quote Stephen King who said that Harry Potter books were about finding your inner strength and the Twilight books were about getting a boyfriend. Only you can decide what books you want to read. I felt that way about all the Nicholas Spark books. Meh...

I could have almost wrote the same, lol. Wish Diana would get another Outlander book out. Missing Jamie & Claire, lol..

 

[mom2knk]

I could have almost wrote the same, lol. Wish Diana would get another Outlander book out. Missing Jamie & Claire, lol..

Count me in as another fan of the Outlander series! I just discovered this series last fall (after getting a kindle-I got the first book for free!) and while I'm only as far as the third book, I absolutely love them! I'm torn whether to devour the series or take it slowly so I can spend more time with Jamie and Claire!

I did take a break from the Outlander books and read both The Help and Sarah's Key and enjoyed them both! (I also saw the movie of The Help and while it was very good, I enjoyed the book more.)

~Lori

 

[SamSam]

And for the record, I was afraid of the hype for "The Help", too, but I read it anyway, and loved it. The movie, however, was only "OK". I imagine it's probably much better for someone who doesn't have the book to compare it to. JMHO YMMV.

Sayhello

I try to never read a book BEFORE seeing a movie because the book is always better. However, if if see the movie first I enjoy reading the book.

 

[sayhello]

I try to never read a book BEFORE seeing a movie because the book is always better. However, if if see the movie first I enjoy reading the book.

Interesting, I'm usually the opposite. I try to read the book first if I possibly can, because I don't want to be influenced by the imagery of the movie. If I see a movie I like, I'll totally turn around & read the book, but, again, I *try* to read the book first (I deliberately did that with "The Help".)

Sayhello

 

[SnackyStacky]

Oy... I slogged through the first Twilight book. It was pretty painful, and awkwardly written. I think someone in the throes of their "teen angst" period might overlook the bad writing, but I just kept hoping it would get better. (It didn't.) I felt a little like a teacher, wanting to rewrite dialogue and mark up the book to help the poor author.

On the other hand, the Hunger Games trilogy is aimed at that same teen/young adult audience, and I really enjoyed that series.

There is nothing remotely poor about the Twilight author. I think I read somewhere she blows her nose with $50 bills.

I'm a 32 year old yankee and I LOVED the movie version of The Help. I started reading the book while I work out on the stationery bike at the gym just last week - and I'm loving that too. I think The Help is one of those books that can transcend a lot geographic and demographic boundaries because it's so well written.

My wife is a black woman, whose grandmother was born and raised in Bessemer, AL not too long before everything is happening in The Help. Count me in with the crew that can't wrap my mind around how anybody could think the way some of the characters do in the Help.

Anyway - OP, I hope you're enjoying it. I am.

 

[elemusing]

I loved The Help. I read the book last summer and then just rented the movie a couple of days ago and I loved it too. But to each his own.

Loved Sarah's Key too BTW!

I got my husband the Kindle Fire for Christmas so I inherited his first generation Kindle. I am enjoying it as well.

I bought We Bought a Zoo for my Kindle, and I am having a terrible time getting through it. I don't really like it. Pretty sure I won't see the movie now.

 

[PeterPan09]

Oy... I slogged through the first Twilight book. It was pretty painful, and awkwardly written. I think someone in the throes of their "teen angst" period might overlook the bad writing, but I just kept hoping it would get better. (It didn't.) I felt a little like a teacher, wanting to rewrite dialogue and mark up the book to help the poor author.

On the other hand, the Hunger Games trilogy is aimed at that same teen/young adult audience, and I really enjoyed that series.

I had the exact same experience with those two books. I still want the time I spent reading Twilight back and I can't wait to see the Hunger Games movie because I loved the series.

 

[Susan R]

Day 2 of reading The Help update: I drove my Mum to a doctor's appointment this morning and I brought my Kindle with me to read while I waited for her. I was able to get further along into the book (mostly because her doctor made her wait over an hour past her appointment time while he talked to a pharmaceutical rep in the other room...his disrespect for his patients drives me nuts, but that's another discussion for another day)

A few of the characters are starting to grab my attention. The mystery of why Constantine left is helping me get more interested in the book. I'm also finding Skeeter is an interesting person so I want to know more about her. Still not reading it on my lunch and breaks...I think part of it is because I get so mad at the characters...so the book is affecting me to some extent LOL

mom2knk - I tend to devour the Outlander books when they come out for the story and to find out what's happening with the characters...then I go back and start reading the series over again so that I can read what's going on under the surface and connect the different storylines...what can I say...I'm a dork that way

samsam & sayhello - I like to see the movie first before I read the book but that doesn't happen often since I read so much I end up having read the book before the movie is made. I find if I see the movie first, I am not dissapointed in what the filmmakers left out. I remember reading "The Power of One" and seeing the movie and getting so mad that the film makers cut out major characters and pieces of the book. I understand they had to do it so the movie wasn't 24 hours long but, ugg...it was terrible. Maybe if I had seen the movie first I would have thought different.

Susan

 

[connie1042]

I did not read the book, but I saw the movie. I was born in 1952, lived in the cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul), so this was all around me, but I never noticed it. I am the youngest of divorced parents and went to a catholic school. How my mom paid for that, I will never know. But boy did that movie make me think. I feel bad for being that blind. I don't thing we were ever told not to play or be friends with a black person, they just were never in our environment. Now I know why. I lived in Calif after I got married, and we had friends that were black. Best friends. I never considered myself better than anyone, regardless of color. When we moved back to Minnesota we moved to a small town, so not much diversity here either. If nothing else this move and book can open the eyes of people that this stuff went on. I am glad I saw the movie and i might just read the book, even though I am NOT a reader.

 

[TMcDwyer]

...I can't wait to see the Hunger Games movie because I loved the series.

Me too! When I heard what the books were about I thought there was no way I was going to like them, but I decided to give them a try after I saw the movie trailer. They were AMAZING!!! I read all three in less than a week.

 

[kahblue]

Hi all! I enjoyed the book. I only read it because I'm in my neighborhood book club. I often end up reading books I would never have read otherwise. When I can't get through a book I skip through it and read the last chapter (lol!) so I at least know what it was about so we can discuss it. Some of our best discussions are when many of us didn't like the book or couldn't get past the first few chapters.

Our next book club meeting is Thursday at my house and I chose Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. I hadn't read it but it's about a neighborhood book club. I enjoyed it. Although we aren't angry housewives, we do like to eat, drink and have fun at our meetings like the characters do I can't wait to hear what my fellow bookies felt about the book.

 

[THE3jsmom]

I HATED this book!!!! It was more personal for me being an young african american female it was just hard to read those things. I took it kind of personally. I do know some other AA people that loved the book,though.

 

[Michele]

I was the same way!!! Everyone was saying read it! read it!


I don't like to be told what to read, I have a certain genre of books I like and this didn't seem like one of them. (is that the right way to use that word?, genre, oh well)

Anyway, I tried to find some really in depth synposis' of the book to learn what it was really about and finally decided to read it just before Christmas.

Bottom line....I liked it and would now like to see the movie. But I don't even want to tell people that I've read it