I'm usually a proponent of reading the book before I see a movie, but this was not one of those times. I was comparing the movie to the book and pointing out to myself "Hollywood got this wrong, and this wrong". It's amazing to me how much they'll change and makes me wonder what their rationale is for doing so. But this isn't about the ideas of the movie creators.
The story is told through the perspective of two maids and a journalist: Aibileen, Minny and Miss Skeeter. I usually have a harder time reading a book written this way, as it takes time for my brain to recall who was saying what the last time they talked. Luckily, this book was written all in the same time (present versus switching between present and past), so even though the narrator was changing, the storyline kept progressing. Each character's perspective was riveting and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I knew the general finish line for the story, but the details were entertaining and page turners.
The book was quite enjoyable and one I will definitely recommend. It was far better than the movie (as most books are) because there is much more detail and information an author can fit in the pages than a director (or writer/producer; I'm not sure who ends up putting the movie in order) can in a movie. Some details were changed from book to movie, but one of my favorite lines from Skeeter was in both places, "Were you dropped on your head as an infant?!"
Aibileen was a maid who played by the rules and had many words of wisdom. She was described to be the oldest of the three narrators at the age of 50+ (if I do recall correctly). If she were around today, I'd want her as a mentor I could take my problems to. Minny was the spunky, quirky, tell it like it is maid. She didn't really care what others thought of her, but cared about her own family and wanted to protect and have the best for them. If I were in the south during this time, I'd want a maid like Minny. In this day and age, I'd want her as a partner in crime friend. And finally, Miss Skeeter was the youngest narrator who wanted to see change in the world, and help give a voice to the unheard. I could see her and I writing together to make those changes. She actually reminds me a lot of my friend Kristina: real pure of heart and wants to see more good in the world.
This book was a happy read, despite the theme of racism in the south. I read this book between two Gillian Flynn novels which were far darker in content. It was definitely a good choice to break up the dark with the light.
Overall this book kicked it's movie counterpart's behind and blew it out of the water. If it came down to seeing the movie again or re-reading the book, I'd pick the book, hands down. If you haven't had a chance to read it, make it the next book you read.
Until next post,
-Samantha
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