Bonjour a tous! These are my comments to the beginning of the book:
I like quite a lot how the plot is developing so far; I like the characters, (Minny's sharpness, miss Skeeter's independence and will) and the overall story.
I also find this book quite feminine (something that is neither bad nor good). I guess that is normal, being the author a woman, and being, as it seems, somehow an autobiographic book. I find male characters mostly absent but, when they appear they are… let's say, rude. Examples of these are Stuart, Ms Skeeters' date that was drunk after a night talking about sports and other boring things with the other boy, and all the husbands of the ladies that write letters to the newspaper (they are mostly interested in how to get rid of them or how to make them sober). It seems to me that the only positive comment of a male in the book so far, is when Ms Skeeter talks about his father, that she finds him honest.
I think that all these things are interesting as I am seeing the story from a completely different angle that I would expect. As some of you have already said, this is one more reason to join a reading club: you read things that probably you'd never pick yourself.
As many of you have also said, I also find quite shocking to learn that these things were happening just a few decades ago. What I wonder is how the situation is now in Jackson, how these "colored" people are treated now compared to other states or countries. And I ask some questions: Do they still have different toilets in a big, traditional southern house? More generally: Is this a book written to denounce something that happened years ago, or is it a book to denounce something that is still happening?
It is a pleasure to share my thoughts with such an interesting and diverse reading club!
Looking forward to read you too,
Jorge
I guess things have changed regarding the use of toilets. At least, I would like to think nowadays there is no discussion around the "colored diseases".
ReplyDeleteIf there were only men voices we wouldn't say it's masculine. The problem is that we are not used to have first person female narrators. Its true that so far male characters are not very nicely depicted, but I think it imitates the Afroamerican women writers which have been accused of giving a bad image of black men.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like of the book is that the author lets each narrator express with their own words. It's more realistic. Aibileen seems to be doing some improvements since the first chapter!
And humor! Although the story is a drama, it is mixed with quite a lot of funny situations and comments.
I am really enjoying the book.