Portsmouth, NH Book Club January Pick - The Help

In our last meeting we discussed The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

First, I would like to openly admit that I did not finish the book, although I am the meeting founder and coordinator. This usually does not happen. But what can I say? A) I'm human. B) I'm a full time real estate agent slash mom. And I had an extremely busy month. So let's leave it at that.

This is one of the reasons I started my book club. There are many reasons, but one is the fact that I love to read but often lack the time. Book club forces me to find the time.

We had an interesting discussion on The Book Thief. It was seemed to be evenly divided in a male/female disagreement. For some reason, the women loved it and the men did not. It wasn't as cut, clean and concise as this, but close enough. Wonder why?

For the most part, the women loved the prose. The descriptions given by the narrator (who was "death" by the way) were beautiful, somber and very "Edgar Allen Poe-ish". Many of them didn't even make sense and were made up of abstract analogies which painted beautiful pictures, even if you didn't understand them. If you enjoy poetic literature, you will enjoy this book. Although not in comparison to 18th century prose or Jane Austin types of writing style, this is a whole new style which will capture your attention and satisfy your craving for good words.

But, if you are more obsessed with character development and story line, this may not be your next book choice. This seemed to be the main problem for the guys. They just couldn't get into it. But since I did not finish this novel, I can't say anymore!

Our next pick for book club is The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

Here is a brief synopsis from Barnes and Noble of The Help:

Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women: Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town...

Portsmouth Book Club

7pm. The Rosa

Downtown Portsmouth

January 12, 2010