Description

***The phenomenal international bestseller that inspired the Oscar-nominated film***

Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren’t trusted not to steal the silver . . .

There’s Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son’s tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared.

Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they’d be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell…

‘The other side of Gone with the Wind – and just as unputdownable’ The Sunday Times

‘A big, warm girlfriend of a book’ The Times

‘Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird has changed lives. Its direct descendent The Help has the same potential . . . an astonishing feat of accomplishment’ Daily Express

Publisher Review

Lush, original and poignant. A wondrous novel set in the deep south told through the authentic voices of Aibileen, Minnie and Skeeter, three unforgettable women whose lives and points of view intersect vividly against a landscape of hopeful change in America. You will be swept away as they work, play and love during a time when possibilities for women were few but their dreams of the future were limitless. A glorious read. * Adriana Trigiani * A wise, poignant novel. You'll catch yourself cheering out loud * People * An exciting and atmospheric story -- Rachel Cooke * Observer Books of the Year * A brisk, involving read * Metro * A winning story of courage and truth * Woman & Home * A compelling, great first novel, with soaring highs, poignant side stories and laugh-out-loud anecdotes. You'll be sorry to finish it * Psychologies * Wonderfully engaging dialogue * Good Housekeeping * Remarkable, shocking, brave, brilliant * Easy Living * Utterly brilliant * She * Touching, disgraceful, funny. Highly recommended * Daily Mail * A laugh-out-loud, vociferously angry must-read * Marie Claire * Daring, vitally important and very courageous, I loved and admired The Help. Fantastic -- Marian Keyes Immensely readable * Observer * Outstanding, immensely funny, very compelling, brilliant * Daily Telegraph * Harper Lee's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird has changed lives. It's direct descendent The Help has the same potential . . . an astonishing feat of accomplishment * Daily Express * A big, warm girlfriend of a book * The Times * The other side of Gone with the Wind - and just as unputdownable * The Sunday Times *