Movie Mondays: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Welcome to:

Mondays here at Found in the Fiction are devoted to comparing books and the movies that were based on them! We are going to be looking at which was better, and why I thought so!!! So stick around, comment and let me know which you liked better, and enjoy!

Lets get started!!

Aibileen Clark is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, raising her seventeenth white child. She's always taken orders quietly, but lately it leaves her with a bitterness she can no longer bite back. Her friend Minny Jackson has certainly never held her tongue, or held on to a job for very long, but now she's working for a newcomer with secrets that leave her speechless. And white socialite Skeeter Phelan has just returned from college with ambition and a degree but, to her mother's lament, no husband. Normally Skeeter would find solace in Constantine, the beloved maid who raiser her, but Constantine has inexplicably disappeared.

Together, these seemingly different women join to work on a project that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a smal town - to write, in secret, a tell-all book about what it's relaly like to work as a black maid in the white homes of the South. Despite the terrible risks they will have to take, and teh sometimes humorous boundaries they will have to cross, these three women unite with one intention; hope for a better day.

Buy this book here: The Help

Title: The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett

Pages: 522

Publisher: The Penguin Group 

This book is amazing. If you haven't read it, STOP! Stop right now!! Whatever you are doing at this very minute, cut it out! And then run as fast as you can to your nearest bookstore and buy it! I'm not kidding, this book was an amazing evaluation of human morals and social structures. 

The book is set in 1960's Mississippi and examines the relationships of black maids and their white female bosses. It definitely pulls at the heartstrings as it looks at the daily struggles that the black women go through while being looked down upon by much of society. Despite the fact that they clean the homes, raise the children, and cook the meals, the white women look at them as if they were from another planet.

Kathryn Stockett really hit a home run with this book. I can not recommend it enough. Stockett's style of writing is sophisticated yet simple to read. The book flows smoothly from page to page. She masterfully intertwines humor and joy into what otherwise could have been an overly serious storyline. The characters in the book are lovable and Stockett effortlessly transports the reader back into a different time and place. 

As I turned the pages of The Help I was totally sucked into the world that Stockett created. It was so much fun to read and I'm sure I will read it again and again! This is the first book that I can firmly give 5 arrows to. Not only did I enjoy reading it, but I feel like it changed me in the process.

And now, time for the movie comparison, which you can by here if you'd like: The Help  

First things first, I will always love the book version of The Help better than the movie. But the reason why is pretty simple. Both were absolutely amazing in my opinion. When there is that close of a tie, the book will win by default in my books. Its just the way I tick. I guess thats why Found in the Fiction is a book review blog, not a movie blog :)

The movie version of The Help was a wonderful follow-up to a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. With these types of books I always get nervous to watch the movie. A book so full of raw human emotion and drama like this one is can sometimes get lost on the big screen. However, I felt like they did an amazing job. This was the first movie I saw Emma Stone in that I absolutely loved her!

When it comes to The Help I would strongly recommend seeing both the movie and reading the book! Read the book first, that way you get to enjoy all the surprises and twists in the book that are revealed too quickly in a movie format!!

After you've read this one (or if you already have) please come back and tell me what you thought and which you liked better!! Your comments are appreciated!

Movie:                     Book:                      Kindle Edition: 

Book Review: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destoryed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons - their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A sweeping story of family, love and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic.

Get this book here: The Kite Runner

Title: The Kite Runner

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Pages: 384

Publisher: Riverhead Books

I really enjoyed this book because it made me think, and it made me think hard. About who I am, the choices I make everyday, and the people those choices affect. That is probably why I loved this book. When you find a book that alters the way you think, than you know its a good one!

The Kite Runner is a book set in tumultuous Afghanistan. It follows the stories of young boys Amir and Hassan. Hosseini develops the political turmoil very well as he examines the life of Amir, son of a wealthy businessman, and Hassan, the son of a servant. While best friends in the beginning, when Amir stands by as other boys beat and harass Hassan, their friendship is changed forever.

Amir and his father escape to America, while Hassan remains in Afghanistan as the Taliban takes over. While the novel has political undertones, when all is said and done it is a book about people and their human emotions. After Amir acts cowardly in the streets of Kabul as a young boy, he spends the rest of the book trying to atone for that mistake. 

Hosseini's writing style is honest and compelling. He does not leave out the unpleasant details, instead he lays them out for all to read. This honesty makes the book that much more heart-wrenching and painful, yet beautiful at the same time.

I would easily recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Read it. It is an amazing examination on the human soul. What is forgiveness, and how do we obtain it? I, hands down, give this book 5 arrows. It should be read by everyone!