Yes, yoyobon, I have read it. I think the similarities to "The Help" are superficial - both are about women and how they react to things in their lives that just ought not to be happening and whether "things around the edges" can ever be told. Other than that the time and place settings are very different and the characters and plots are treated differently.

I found "The Postmistress" very hard to get into because of the author's style. In the beginning she drops you into the story rather than leading you and she is terse to the point of confusing the reader (this reader and others I have discussed it with). I was about ready to abandon it when she suddenly opened up the story. Thereafter I became engaged, and the ending is the best part of the book, I think. It is an uneven effort, in my opinion, that ultimately pays off. I think it is better than "The Help" but I doubt that it will achieve The Help's popularity - it does not seem as accessible.