Who was your favorite character? Why?

Aibileen was the character I found the most sympathetic. I could identify with her and cared the most what happened to her.

To tell you the absolute truth I have no favorite character in the book because I was quite bored with the book. My boredom stems from the continuous effort to be the same as one's relatives, neighbors, everyone. It was all quite predictable.

Guntak - I agree that there is a quite a bit of "trying to keep up" in the novel but that is from the social pressure. Don't you think Skeeter's efforts to write "The Help" with the black maids was an example of someone stepping around conformity to pursue a different kind of life?

As for favorite character, I loved Minnie. She's so spunky, and she doesn't completely conform to the expectations of her employers though she does play along because she has to for the money. She fights back, in subtle and not so subtle ways. She's a good counterpoint to Abileen.

I will also go with Minne. I loved this book because it so effectively showcases the terror these characters lived with each and every day. I know I have absolutely no reference point for this kind of a life. And Skeeter was, in one way, just trying to save her own life. What a journey

I like both Minnie and Abileen, but I also liked Celia. IMO, she showed a lot of spunk, refusing to give in to Hilly and her cronies. We used to move a lot with my husband's job, so I was frequently "the new girl in town" who had to try to find a way to fit in. Celia simply didn't realize she was trying to fit in with the wrong group of women.

I liked Aibileen for her wisdom, courage, sense of humor, and her compassion for Mae Mobley. She didn't like the way she and her fellow maids were treated, nor the behavior of her employer, but she didn't let that affect the way she treated the child or performed her job.

It would be hard for me to pick a favorite character as I loved each one of the "maids" for their own uniqueness and bravery. I also liked Skeeter very much.

I cannot pick one favorite character. All the maids were very interesting. One of my favorite relationships was the one between Minnie and Celia. For some reason Celia just stuck a chord with me; I truly wanted her to find happiness. She was sweet and touching and Minnie got to show a different side of herself in this relationship.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who liked Celia

I kind of enjoyed Johnny Foote, Raleigh Leefolt and Senator Whitworth. Johnny was very supportive of Celia. Raleigh had the good sense to correct Mae Mobley when she started playing her racist "games." Senator Whitworth was a good parent to worry about his son.

I really liked Celia and Johnny too. They were caring characters, as well as the young one in Hilly's circle, I forget her name, but she gave her maid paid time off to attend to her grandson, and brought her casseroles. What she said to Skeeter about her always having work with her was very touching. It also shows that color was not a hinderance for them, but rather the person who worked for them-meaning that the characters found their soul-mates, so to speak. I loved them all, except for Hilly- I wanted to wring her neck, but she was a necessary feature for the novel... I know... I love them all.

I liked all the characters but I think I loved Minnie and Skeeter the best.

Mae Mobley's father - Raleigh, at the end, when he asked his daughter, where she learned to play the games...I finished the book yesterday...Fathers Day...he gave her a gift...a sense of something she can't place her finger on just yet..but she'll figure it out...she played with mud and spread it all over herself for a reason.