The Help

Hostess: Jennifer

Book: The Help

Food: Cucumber Salad, Pesto Tortellini, Cheese Dip, cupcakes and cookies, cheese and crackers, garlic and herb dip

Wine of the Night: Malbec

Month: September

I am so behind on my book club blogs. We are about to have our November book club, and here I am talking about September's!

The Help is one of my favorite books of 2010. I devoured this book from start to finish, I was totally involved with the characters lives and the journey they were all on. More than the central plotline of racism and feminism that ran through the book, I was drawn to the smaller story within the story of Aibleen, Elizabeth and Mae Mobley. Mae Mobley broke my heart- I hated Elizabeth for being a cold, intolerant mother.

I think I cried my way through the last part of this book - for the women, for the children, for the injustice. I waited for Elizabeth to wake up and start taking care of Mae Mobley, to wake up and stop listening to Hilly- but it never happened. I cheered for Minny, loving her attitude and her relationship with Celia, although I was terrified for her as well. I cried when Skeeter's mom gave her good advice about Stuart- and cried when I learned what she did to Constantine. I think this book was terrifically written, and while it is written about prejudice and intolerance in the 1960s, it could apply just as well to life today.

At book club, those of us who read it, read it in a flash. This was definitely a great book- I loaned it to my mother, knowing she would love it just as much. She read it, and immediately started reading it again a second time.

It is just that good.