Can we start yet?

So I have a lot to say about "The Help," but I want to hear what ya'll have to say about it before I just shoot off a massive post with all my feelings. I'm shooting for a more detailed post instead of an overall review if you will. So two things I want to say:

A- Celia Foote was my favorite character to read.

B- I absolutely adored Aibileen continually telling Mae Mobley she was good, kind and smart.

Okay concerning Celia: It may seem odd that she was totally my favorite character when you compare her to ... say... Aibileen, but I just couldn't help but love her! I felt totally sympathetic towards the one person in the book who didn't get the rules. I loved how hard she tried and how very natural she was (okay I know the oober-blonde hair and all wasn't exactly "natural,"but the point is that she was who she was!) I guess she was trying to live by the rules, but she didn't get them, and she put so much of her own natural inclinations into things. And even though you knew she was always going to fail I wanted so badly for her not to! (I thought all the lead up to the big ball, which name is escaping me at the moment, was truly hillarious. The author did such a great job at building and building up to it. I was mortified for her and it was kind of a "I want to look away but I just CAN'T," kind of feeling for me.)

I was so grateful that she had such a sweet and adoring husband who didn't care what anyone else thought. If he hadn't have been in the picture or if he had turned out to be a jerk it would have been too much for me.

I also loved her for the way she was able to love Minny, and I loved watching their relationship develop. I loved how Minny professed she was a "crazy fool," but how her actions spoke louder than words and you knew she was starting to love her in spite of herself. How could you not? Celia is so pathetically loveable.

Now concerning Aibileen telling Mae Mobley she was good. Oh! I appreciated this so much! I have long felt that in ANY relationship, but especially relationships with children it is SO important to tell people they are good! I really believe that we all have such a power within us to help people become who it is they are going to become (did that confuse you how I said that?!?). I just think that if you continually hear that you are bad- you start to believe it and then act it. But the opposite is also true- if you continually hear you are good you believe it- or if you don't believe if you at least WANT to believe it and try and make your actions consistent with what you are being told.

As a child my mother always expressed so much confidence in me. Always, always I was being told in one way or another the same thing that Aibileen told Mae... that I was good, that I was smart, and that I was kind. As a young child I just accepted it and it gave me confidence, as a youth when I screwed up but she kept telling me anyway, I wanted so much to make it the truth so I tried hard to live up to it.

Reading it from Aibileen was really touching, especially where Elizabeth was telling her daughter the exact opposite. I loved her trying to offset her mom's influence. Sad! That she had to do it, but good that she did.

Any thoughts?

ps- I'm sorry I can't just say something short and simply. I have yet to learn that skill.