Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This book is about a town in the 60's Mississippi. It tells the story of the black women who work in the town for the white families, and one women who decides she wants to change how the women are treated. Throught out the book the focus changes between a few main characters. Two maids: Minny an outspoken and strong willed woman and Aibileen a quiet but brave maid who loves the children she watches. Then Skeeter, the white women who wants to help them.

The book follows the life of these three women and how different each of their experiences are with in the same community. Skeeter's story tells how hard it is for her to express her feelings in a world that is so judgmental. In order to fit in you have to be just like everyone else. Surround by opinions that she does not share she feels trapped and is determined to find a way out and hopefully give a side of the story no one wants to hear.

Minny on the other hand is not afraid to express her thoughts but finds that every time she does she is punished. She has unfortunately learned that in order to survive she must keep her feelings inside.

Aibileen is a sweet older women who loves children. She has worked for several families and seen how children are influenced by their parents prejudice. The children she works with love her back, and it was sad to hear how much she cared for them knowing that when they grew up they would begin to 'see colour' and treat her differently.

This was a wonderfully read, I felt for each of the women in this book and how hard it was for them living in that time. This book really shows how it takes one strong person to lead and most people follow. It makes you think about how it so much easier to go with the crowd then stand up and try to speak your mind. 5/5

Ease of Reading:4
I was very invested in what was going to happen next that I never put it down. It was weird at first getting used to the way some of the women talked, but that added to the character of the book.

Lasting Effect: 4
I thought about what this book was trying to tell me a lot after reading it. It really made me think about racism and how glad I am that I have never seen it first hand.

Amusement: 4
I was amused by the characters thoughts and how they dealt with the situations around them. The women were all witty and funny in their own ways.

Plot: 5
I wanted so bad to see everything work out perfectly for the women in this story. The plot flowed well and there always seemed to be something interesting happening.

Creativity: 4
This was a very creative story, even if the premise is true. Kathryn did such a wonderful job of creating a believable town that I wasnt surprised that she grew up in a similar place, becuase it felt so real to me while reading it.

Length: 4

Characters: 5
I loved each of the characters and how different they were from each other but how well they worked together. They had genuine reactions to the world around them. Their choices in life were believable and not exaggerated or extreme in order to build excitement in the storyline.

Once again, great read. Perfect for a summer by the water.

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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Eve by Iris Johansen

I choose this book because I had previously read other books by Iris and remembered I had like them. Not until I looked back to see which ones I read did I realize that one of the book I read years ago was another story about Eve. I wish now that I remembered that book better considering its the same character.

So since I didn't realize at the time, I started this book meeting Eve for the first time. I was surprised at the start of this book. I was expecting an action suspense story, but the first half of this story reads more like a romance. I have nothing against romances, I like them just as much as I do suspense and action, and I admit that the book wouldn't have been the same if this portion of it didn't exist. The first half really establishes the characters and I became really attached to them. So when the second part started, the story I expected going in, I had a hard time with the jump forward and how the characters had changed.

When we came back to the present I could not accept Jim as Eve's husband. As you know, the author has written other stories about Eve. So you would already know she was married to Jim. I dont remember Jim from previous book I read, but I did not like his character at all. I found that he kept putting himself where he wasn't wanted. No matter how many times he was told to stay away, he was intent of saving the day. I found this very dis-respectful of Eve's wishes. Why couldn't he just trust that she could handle the situations on her own, instead of trying to be the hero, and making everything worse?

This book focused on the relationship between the main characters. The story line involving Eve's search for her daughter I found a little weak. I wasn't interested in it, and was solely focused on what was going to happen between the characters. This is quite possible the author's intentions, and the search for the daughter was always a secondary storyline.

John was the most compelling character of them all. The book constantly keeps you guessing as to his motives, and if he is a good or a bad character. While reading I wished I could go deeper into his thoughts so I could better understand what was going on, and if Eve could trust him or not.

In the end, this book finishes wide open, with no questions answered. I must warn you it finishes to be continued, with the second part titled 'Jim.' Bad luck for me, because now if I want to find out what happens I need to read a whole book from Jim's perspective. Lucky for Iris I must know the ending of a story, and I will read it. Maybe I'm just blinded by my crush on John.

Overall, good read. The first part was good and really got me attached to the characters. Second part I cant complain since I couldn't put it down, but I feel the beginning was stronger. I was really hoping for better ending but am still confident it is coming in the next installment.  4/5

Ease of Reading: 4/5
Lasting Effect: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Creativity: 4/5
Length: 4/5
Characters: 5/5

Buy it at Amazon
Buy it at Chapters/Indigo  34% off now!

Room by Emma Donoghue

I choose this book because it was one of Heather's Picks. I'm not 100% sure who Heather is, I think she may be the CEO of Indigo, or someone important, but she usually has pretty good taste.
First the book has a really interesting concept. The originality of the idea caught my attention.  After reading the back I learned it's about a boy who had lived his whole life in a single room, I was excited to learn the mother's story and how she got into the situation. It does mention on the back that the book is from the view of five year old Jack, but this really didn't register with me until I began to read it. At first it was weird reading everything from a five year old's perspective of the world, or lack of. Once you get used to it, you really appreciate the authors ability to picture what the world is like to a little kid. She did a amazing job capturing Jack's innocence. There were several funny moments relating to the way Jack sees things and some of the observations he makes. He made me smile many times. Lots of times after closing the book, I was still thinking about some of the things he said afterwords.One of the things that stayed with me the most is when Jack observes that a lot of the world is just the same thing repeated. (I'm sorry I don't have an exact quote for that, Ill try to find it) Jack is a amazing character that you both sympathize with, and learn to understand. He is wise for his age, and helps you see the world in simple terms, for what it really is.

The story starts off a little slow, but after finishing I looked back and realized that this was necessary to develop a full understanding of the daily life of Jack and his mother. Once the plot got going I could not put the book down. I read in before I went to work, when I should have been sleeping to go to work, and may have even sneaked a few paragraphs at work when no one was looking. I almost missed my subway stop a few times because I was so focused.

The main point Donoghue got across to me is that children do not need a lot the make them happy. They definable don't need a room full of toys to play with. She made me think about how uncomplicated life can be. And also how different adults and children are; sometimes we may forget that what makes us happy may not interest a child at all. Their needs are simple and if we provide those they can flourish in any circumstance.

Rating this book I definably give it a 5/5.

Ease of Reading: 4/5
Lasting Effect: 5/5
Amusement: 5/5
Creativity: 4/5
Length: 3/5 (Because I wanted more)
Characters: 4/5

Finally thoughts. Awesome book. Must read it. 
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