Book # 13: The Help (Kathryn Stockett)

Reading time: 3 weeks
Pages: 464
Genre: Fiction

I caught on the train a little late of this popular book, but it's popular for a reason. Skeeter Phelan (Eugenia) comes home from college, without a husband, to discover her family's help and the woman who basically raised her, has been fired but no one will tell her why. Skeeter gets to know Aibileen in order to write a cleaning column in the newspaper when she begins to realize the injustices taking place around her.

Stockett I think did an excellent job getting into the shoes of these women. I found I suddenly had time to read a book during my busy life! HUGE PLUS.

Aibileen is a great character from the start, having the experience and wisdom the other maids may not have gained, but Minnie has the spunk you want from the underdog. Their parts were almost more entertaining than Skeeter's. And, let's not forget Miss Hilly Hilbrook. Hilly is that girl of girl each of us knows, the popular and loved, but loved because she's feared. Hilly will ruin you like the mob, ruin  your reputation, your social life, without laying a finger on you. However, Hilly does get some come-upance and drives the book in a sort of blackmail.

Overall: A
+GREAT characters
+Had a hard time putting it down...
+Although fictional, it does give a good picture of a time not too long ago, but long ago in that I hope we have come a long way since then.
-IS THERE A SEQUEL BECAUSE I WANT ANOTHER ONE.

OH. And the film was pretty darn good when compared to the novel. The only difference I felt was strong was the fact that the book takes longer while the movie makes time go by way faster.

Book # 12: Vanity (Jane Feather)

Reading time: ~3 months
Pages: 432
Genre: Romance

I started reading this on my week off in the summer and got to the last 50 pages and just had a hard time going the rest of the way. Vanity's main theme of the same title, gets it from the antagonist Philip. At a young age, Cullum is blamed for his elder brother's death by his twin brother Philip, eventually flees their home and becomes a famously feared highway man until he can get his revenge. His leading lady, Octavia, had her estate swindled away under her father's nose by greedy investment schemes. Cullum uses this to entwine Octavia in his plan--she will seduce Philip to obtain his family signet ring while he swindles the investors. She gets her estate back, he gets his his revenge.

Of course the plan goes awry, and they fall for each other. He's definitely got the bad boy thing, and she's got a rebellious streak for a lady. Enough said.

Grade: C

I'm still mad I haven't read a good Jane Feather novel since "Virtue," GAH. I thought a lot felt forced drama, like Feather was trying to hard to make dialogue or a scene happen a certain way. PROBABLY why I couldn't bring myself to finish the last chapters. Bleh. Big sign it ain't so goood.

+Misunderstood bad boy, aw
-Convient situations, over and over and... really?
+somewhat entertaining? Meh
-somewhat entertaining.

Probably could pass, go for Virtue instead.