The sacrifice of doing what's right

So my review is going to have a lot of comparisons to the movie since I did see that first.  I would still recommend the movie for those who have not seen it.  There are a lot of minor differences/details left out but overall I think the movie captured the characters from the book.  For whoever has not seen it yet, I would like to know your opinion of the movie once you see it.

I loved the book and I think the book demonstrates more of the sacrifice and danger that Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny went through.  In writing the book, Skeeter sacrificed her friendships with Elizabeth and Hilly and became a social outcast.  Also in writing the book, it opened her eyes about the mindset of her friends and how she could have ever been friends with them (especially Hilly).  My heart especially broke for Skeeter when she lost Stuart for the second time.  There was more to Skeeter and Stuart's relationship in the book than the movie so it was more heartbreaking to read.  It also seems like a blessing in disguise because Skeeter realizes she wasn't meant to get married and settle down just yet.  While there is not a sequel to this book, I imagine Skeeter went to New York and lived her dream of a writer/editor and probably found a man that had the same views as her. 

One thing I liked about the movie better than the book was Skeeter's mom.  There is redemption for her in the movie and I think I would have liked to seen it in the book as well.  In the movie, her mom figures out Skeeter wrote the book and when Hilly drives over in a rage, her mom puts Hilly in her place.  Then later she tells Skeeter how proud she is of her.  I felt it provided that mother-daughter bond for Skeeter and her mom which used to be between Skeeter and Constantine.  

I think the only redeeming quality Hilly has is that she loves her children.  I don't remember any scenes with her showing affection to her kids and I wish it would have been included.  I could understand Hilly having this misconception about the help having diseases and her coming up with the initiative to protect her children but Hilly is drunk on power.  She just wants to ruin people who get in her way like Minny and Skeeter.  I think its ironic though that if Hilly and the other ladies are concerned about diseases then why have the help at all?  Oh yeah, that means they would have to do actual work.