1) I actually don’t mind flying if I can sit first class and drink Bloody Marys at the speed of light until my motor skills are severely impaired.
2) The Help is the most amazing book, ever.
3) New husbands will feel totally neglected and ignored if you read this book on your honeymoon.
Here we were on a breathtaking beach in Anguilla, and I couldn’t get my nose out of that book. Regardless of being steps away from sparkling blue water and reggae bars, I might as well have been in Jackson, Mississippi. If you haven’t read The Help, I suggest you get your booty to a book store immediately. In a nutshell, first-time novelist Kathryn Stockett weaves together an eye-opening story about conflicted relationships between black housekeepers and their white employers in a pre-Civil-Rights-era Mississippi.
While it doesn’t sound like the type of read that pairs best with a frozen Caribbean cocktail … it most certainly was. Every morning, I would beeline it to the beach at the crack of dawn to pick up where I left off. I even said no to a few romantic strolls in the sand so I could continue reading. Sometimes my husband would tap me on the shoulder and wave, just to remind me that he was there. Once, he asked me if I liked the book better than him.
Luckily I breezed through it in three days and my magazines about celebrity break-ups didn’t suck up my attention in the same way. While I was truly sad I reached the end of the novel, I knew it was time to give my fellow travel companion the same consideration. He didn’t deserve to feel 2nd best to a book … it was his honeymoon too.
Now several months later, I heard the great news that they’re making this book into a movie. (Thank you, Steven Spielberg!) I would imagine my husband still has some hard feelings, so I’ll probably see it with friends.
How did The Help take over your life?
I actually downloaded it onto my ipod, which was awesome because it had all the southern accents. I started listening on a bus ride to Boston that was too bumpy to actually read- I figured I'd listen to rest on the way back but found myself putting one earbud in at night while I was in Boston to listen while I tried to fall asleep instead of reading something else! I woke up with some very sore inner ears and kind of tangled in the cord! :)
ReplyDeletehahah that is too funny! This book makes people do some crazy things!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read this special book!!
ReplyDeleteSo funny I just bought this book last week! can't wait to read
ReplyDeleteI finished this book a few weeks ago and I agree, it was the best novel I've read in a LONG time. And I read pretty voraciously. I am so, so excited they're making it into a movie!
ReplyDeleteMichelle - definitely pass along any good book recs you have. I need a new one!
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