Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" - A Captivating Novel

J. Michael Kirchberg: Because of the juxtaposition of letters between two devoted sisters, readers grow to appreciate two dramatically different sets of circumstances. The sisters’ differences are overridden by their remarkable love for one another and determination in the face of loss, betrayal and distance. I was simply overwhelmed through the winning ending. Such an inspiring, fine book.

United States on Oct 21, 2023

Elizabeth Kelley: I had seen the movie The Color Purple and loved it. But I wasn’t prepared for how beautiful and thought-provoking the book turned out to be. The characters are so likable, even Mr._______! Alice Walker painted a vivid portrait of this resilient, strong and beautiful woman. I think Celie will stay with me for a long time. One of the best books I’ve ever read.

United States on Sep 28, 2023

RachelRachel: To start, I really hate how some of you don't know what you're being asked to be reviewed. Before purchashing this book, I had to skim through an entire page or two of reviews of people reviewing the actual book itself, i.e. the plot, the societal themes, etc. This is not GoodReads! Review the quality of the copy that you recieved! Future buyers are not trying to hear about how you thought that this was inappropriate for your teenager, or if you simply did not enjoy reading the book or not. Join a bookclub, and stop being a helicopter parent, for the sake of all of us, please! I just wanted to know if the copy would come intact! Needless to say, it did, and my! What a gorgeous cover. I could write an essay on just the stunningness of the usage of its art, alone.

The binding was perfect, all pages felt as snug as a bug, no writing, missing pages, ink splatters, or grammatical errors(besides the ones that are purposeful by the author, of course). The book didn't come damaged at all. Pretty great price for this copy, too! My local Barnes & Noble had this listed for the typical, average price of $18.99, while I got it for like $10! A steal, especially if you already pay for...

United States on Sep 25, 2023

jesica love: This is another banned book that I hadn't read. And I was not ready for it.
I thought this book was about racism. I did not know it was about rape and incest and domestic abuse. And about overcoming.
The first half of this book is so bleak that I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get through it. I watched the movie trailers to see if it got better and they were enough to help me keep going. And I'm so glad that I did.
In the end, it is a beautiful story about love and women and getting back the love that you put in to the world. I understand why it has been banned, but more than that, I get why it is beloved. It really is a powerful book and everyone should read it.

United States on Sep 13, 2023

Lillian Smith: I had been so afraid to start reading this book because I cry every time I watch the original film. Finally got it done because it has been on my reading bucket list since high school. With the movie musical coming out, I wanted to have read the book first so that I can compare and really take in the story in all its forms. One day I'd love to see it on Broadway as well.

This is such an important and well-told piece of Black American classic literature by Miss Walker. If you have not already, I highly recomment a book she brought back into mainstream decades ago, if you enjoyed this one. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Nora Zeale Hurston (I think that's how you spell her name). It's one of my favorites by a Black woman author, and I can see why Miss Walker also thought it an important story to keep in circulation.

Now I am excited to see what characters and events will be adapted on-screen once again. They dynamics in the book are much more complicated and it made me love the story even more. Got me through several quiet shifts at work.

United States on Aug 26, 2023

Yamini SharmaYamini Sharma: The book quality is nice . The cover page looks amazing in matte colors.

India on Aug 23, 2023

Bethany Knight: It took me a short while to get used to the writing style and language, but once I got into it, I found it an endearing and sweet book. It was nice to read a realistic account of a same sex relationship during a ‘less expected’ time period. It addressed relevant and important historical experiences for people of a different race and culture. Overall an enjoyable read.

United Kingdom on Jun 20, 2023

Anuradha GuptaAnuradha Gupta: There is a way that men speak to women that reminds me too much of Pa. They listen just long enough to issue instructions. They don’t even look at women when women are speaking. They look at the ground and bend their heads toward the ground. The women also do not ‘look in a man’s face’ as they say. To ‘look in a man’s face’ is a brazen thing to do. They look instead at his feet or knees. And what can I say to this?

The first time I came across the book, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, was in the metro. I was going to my workplace and gazing around, the cover of the book caught my eye. What a strange name, and stranger cover. In the first look, I couldn’t manage to decipher the design, so I inched closer to the girl who was reading it. I asked her if I could click a picture of the cover, I found it best rather than staring at her book. With the picture now on my phone, I kept staring and working out what the cover and the title meant. Naturally, I googled and found myself intrigued by the synopsis. For the next few years, I remembered the book anytime I went to a bookstore and looked for it but I only bought it a few months ago as a birthday gift to...

India on Jan 05, 2021

Casey WilliamsCasey Williams: Trigger warnings for graphic sexual content and situations of violence and abuse.

I struggled with this book at the start because our main protagonist is very uneducated so her use of language and punctuation in the letters she writes wasn’t the easiest to read, however I got used to it pretty quickly.

This is a very heavy read, with very hard hitting topics that may leave you feeling uncomfortable, but it’s these types of topics that always needs to be addressed. However, besides from this it’s also about strong badass women, who stand up for themselves through the hard times they are put through, which I enjoyed reading.

This book mainly follows Celie; but you also hear from her sister Nettie. I loved hearing from Nettie and her stories from Africa. You get to hear what it was like for people living in Olinka, in the slumps, and their native families traditions. Celie life is a whole lot different.

Celie is a young black girl growing up in poverty, in the early 1900s. At the age of 14 she was raped and impregnated by her stepfather. This book follows her life throughout the next 30 years of living in a horrible forced marriage to finding love...

United Kingdom on Jul 01, 2020

The Bibliophile Girl: I have been meaning to read this book for so so so long... I mean, it's a classic so obviously, I have seen it absolutely everywhere and loads of people have been telling me to read it - but with my already-massive TBR pile, I knew it would be a while until I got to it. BUT THEN... I had to read it for university, so The Color Purple got bumped up to the very top of my reading list. And because it was for university, that's why there are all of the different coloured tabs in my book. Each coloured tab represents a different theme throughout the book. Anyway! Let's get into the review!

Set in rural Georgia, The Color Purple focuses on the life of women of color in the southern United States in the 1930s, addressing numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture. Fourteen-year-old Celie is being abused by her father; she is impregnated and then her babies are stolen away from her. Her sister, Nettie is the only support that Celie has in her miserable life, but she would never dream of standing up for herself because of the consequences.

Then, one day she is sent off to marry Mr. _______, who beats her into doing what he says....

United Kingdom on Jun 19, 2017