The Color Purple

Jul 31, 2011

Patrizia Oddo rated it

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Shelves: contemporanei-usa, storie-di-donne

La vicenda narrata in questo libro racchiude diversi temi, ciascuno dei quali racchiude una possibile chiave di lettura. La storia della protagonista, Celie, ha luogo nel profondo sud degli Stati Uniti, in un arco temporale che, più o meno, dalla fine del 1800 giunge sino agli anni '40.
E' però riduttivo individuare un'unica protagonista; in realtà la storia di Celie si intreccia con quella di molti altri personaggi, ciascuno dei quali svolge un ruolo essenziale nell'economia del romanzo.

...more

La vicenda narrata in questo libro racchiude diversi temi, ciascuno dei quali racchiude una possibile chiave di lettura. La storia della protagonista, Celie, ha luogo nel profondo sud degli Stati Uniti, in un arco temporale che, più o meno, dalla fine del 1800 giunge sino agli anni '40.
E' però riduttivo individuare un'unica protagonista; in realtà la storia di Celie si intreccia con quella di molti altri personaggi, ciascuno dei quali svolge un ruolo essenziale nell'economia del romanzo.
Senza dubbio è una storia di donne che, grazie al sostegno e all'aiuto di altre donne, imparano il rispetto per se stesse.

Ma guardati. Sei nera, sei povera, sei brutta e sei donna. All'inferno, ha detto, non sei niente e nessuno, tu.

Queste sono le parole con cui Mr., il marito di Celie (di cui la donna non conosce nemmeno il nome) reagisce alla decisione della moglie di lasciarlo. Ma Celie, grazie al sostegno e all'amore di Shug, l'amante di Albert (è questo il nome di Mr.), impara a camminare sulle sue gambe.

Si tratta per Celie di un lungo percorso di riscatto ed emancipazione per niente scontato: la sua vita non è mai stata facile ed impara presto che l'unico modo per sopravvivere è la sottomissione, l'assenza di ogni emozione. Riesce così a tollerare prima gli abusi del padre e poi quelli del marito. La convivenza con Sofia (l'indipendente moglie di Harpo, il maggiore dei figli di Mr.) e poi la relazione con Shug le fanno conoscere modi diversi di essere donna e le danno il coraggio di ribellarsi.
E' una storia sull'amore (tra uomo e donna o tra donna e donna poco importa ai protagonisti) che può superare le convenzioni sociali, i tradimenti e le differenze personali. L'amore crea un legame profondo tra le persone: ci si separa ma poi, in un modo o in altro, ci si ritrova.
E' naturalmente una storia sulle barriere culturali e sulla discriminazione razziale , non solo tra bianchi e neri (come è ovvio immaginare) ma anche tra i neri civilizzati degli Stati Uniti e gli africani (che non riconoscono nei primi i loro fratelli venduti schiavi da altri neri), tra i nativi americani e tutti gli altri (bianchi o neri non fa differenza).
E' soprattutto una storia sulla difficile ricerca di Dio in se stessi e in tutte le cose che ci circondano. Shug dichiara a Celie che Dio è in tutte le cose che ci circondano ed è intorno a noi che bisogna trovarlo, non certo in chiesa dove dimora un vecchio con la barba bianca, fatto a immagine e somiglianza dei bianchi. Bisogna togliersi l'uomo dagli occhi per vedere tutto il resto : le spighe di grano, il colore viola, i fiorellini di campo.

La maggior parte della gente pensa che [Dio] debba avere le sembianze di qualcosa o qualcuno – dell'albero della foglia o di Cristo – noi invece no. E, privi del problema delle sembianze di Dio, ci sentiamo più liberi.

E' una storia sul significato della vita , come dice uno dei protagonisti:

Ho cominciato a chiedermi perché abbiamo bisogno di amore. Perché soffriamo. Perché siamo neri. Perché siamo uomini e donne. Da dove vengono veramente i bambini. E non mi ci è voluto molto per accorgermi che non sapevo praticamente niente. E che chiedersi perché si è neri o uomini o donne o cespugli non serve a niente, se non ci si chiede anche perché si è su questa terra.
E cosa hai concluso, gli ho chiesto.
Che siamo qui per farci domande,almeno per quanto riguarda me.

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Jul 13, 2007

Russ rated it

Recommends it for: Women, students, anyone who is not prudish

Shelves: 2007, novel

I first read this in high school, and really enjoyed it. I re-read it in 2007, and enjoyed it just as much the second time.

First thing I should mention: This is not the book for you if you object to blunt language about sexuality, and strong language in general. The themes in this one are very real, and very shocking. However, if you can get past that, the story does offer some very touching moments.

The story, in a nutshell: Celie, a poor black girl living in Georgia...more

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Aug 05, 2011

Angus rated it

Shelves: pulitzer-prize, radcliffes-rival-100, blogged, national-book-award

Disclaimer: This is not a review. This may have spoilers. Read at your own risk. Visit original post at Book Rhapsody.

***

Intro

I am the only reader in our family. I might sound a little condescending, but it really is true. I am the only person in the most recent generation of our family tree who would spend a lot on books. A few of my cousins show some interest in reading, but they do not read as voraciously as I do.

So it really is rewarding when I...more

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Oct 11, 2007

Austin Wegner rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Color Purple Timeline

1) The book begins with the main charecter, Celie, being raped by her father as a young girl

2) Celie gives birth to her first child, but is forced to give it up. Her father intends to take the child out into the woods and kill it, but decides to sell it instead.

3) Celie's father wants Nettie (Celie's young, attractive sister) to marry Mr._____(this man is not given a name until he is later refered to as "Albert" by his pr...more

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Mar 14, 2007

Meara rated it

Shelves: classics

It was a beautiful story that made you want to cry, laugh and smile along with the characters. Well put together plot line, the characters were people you could really feel for and identify with. I loved the humanness of it all, way different stories were intermingled with each other and how you felt closure at the end of it all. Read it. Everyone.

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Feb 20, 2008

Sarah rated it

Shelves: favorites

amazing:

dear nettie,

i dont write to god no more, i write to you.

what happened to god? ast shug.

who that? i say.

she look at me serious.

big a devil as you is, i say, you not worried bout no god, surely.

she say, wait a minute. hold on just a minute here. just because i dont harass it like some peoples us know dont mean i aint got no religion.

what god do for me? i ast.

she say, celie!...more

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Apr 07, 2009

Visha Burkart rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Here's a book I want to recommend to the best women in my life. Don't be put off if you've already seen the film - about halfway through the book, it becomes another animal entirely. As a child, I watched the film a number of times and really enjoyed it, but after reading the book, I'm somewhat appalled that its message was so watered down.

The book is an epistolary novel (a form composed of "letters" rather than the traditional chapter structure) - unusual in this day and...moreHere's a book I want to recommend to the best women in my life. Don't be put off if you've already seen the film - about halfway through the book, it becomes another animal entirely. As a child, I watched the film a number of times and really enjoyed it, but after reading the book, I'm somewhat appalled that its message was so watered down.

The book is an epistolary novel (a form composed of "letters" rather than the traditional chapter structure) - unusual in this day and age, but something that was all the rage in 18th century Europe. I appreciated the brevity of each "chapter/letter" as well as the use of the vernacular, which is also rarely used these days. I felt as though I was hearing the character of Celie as clearly as if she was talking to me. The unfair treatment she received at the hands of men was brutal and frustrating as she would simply carry on, until she met Shug Avery and through the discovery of love, she is encouraged to turn her fate around (and not in a quick, brutal fashion, as she originally wants).

The lesbian relationships in the book surprised me a bit at first - but there is nothing lascivious in their execution, nor did Walker make me feel like a voyeur. In other words, instead of writing sex scenes to "get readers off", Walker's way of writing them was more of a reflection of a movement: a physical movement, a peace movement, a women's liberation movement. I was less interested in the middle part of the book, when Nettie's letters begin describing the Olinka tribe of Africa and we are "away" from Celie, although she is the one reading them. But that part of the book has merit as well - describing the patronization felt by Africans by their African-American descendants "coming to their rescue" and the way the two religious cultures coerce and clash with each other.

The one part of the book that I definitely wasn't sold on was the very end. I simply didn't believe that Nettie had survived - what happened with the sinking ship - was she simply not on it? I almost felt as though Walker tied things up in a bow at the end, having everyone together for a reunion and then Nettie and her family finally showing up... although while reading it, I got choked up with emotion.

No matter. It's still one of the better books I've read in a while: A complex social commentary rendered with superficial simplicity, refreshingly presented through an original format. Read it!(less)

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Sep 27, 2009

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" rated it

Shelves: african-american-experience, classic, girl-power, abused, historical-fiction, epistolary-narrative

Incredible and moving, this book made me cry practically the whole way through Celie's story will break your heart. And the reunion with her sister will heal it. I could not put this book down and read it in a day. I can't recommend it highly enough.

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Feb 01, 2011

Fiona rated it

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Shelves: female-writers-fiction, feminist-reads, modern-classics, feminist-readers-discussion-group, american-literature, africa, lgbtq

As many of my companions know I have recently re-read 'The Color Purple' because it was voted as the November group-read by participants of the "Feminist Readers' Discussion Group" which I facilitate. I have so very many thoughts and ideas rattling around in my mind on how to structure our gathering next month that I can barely begin to write this review.

I'll keep it brief...

Quite unsurprisingly, I once again experienced 'The Color Purple' to be a harrowing yet...more

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Feb 06, 2008

Christy rated it

Shelves: african-american-lit-and-history, readinglist1, books-for-teaching, 20th-century-american-lit, favorites, abuse-and-trauma

This is one of my new favorite books.

The Color Purple tells the story of Celie, a black woman who finds herself in one abusive situation after another. Her stepfather molests her, her husband beats her, and she is worn down by bearing and caring for children. Over the course of the book, however, Celie learns to stand up for herself and, more importantly, learns to love. Celie's personal development is prompted by her relationship with Shug Avery, a singer and her husband's former...moreThis is one of my new favorite books.

The Color Purple tells the story of Celie, a black woman who finds herself in one abusive situation after another. Her stepfather molests her, her husband beats her, and she is worn down by bearing and caring for children. Over the course of the book, however, Celie learns to stand up for herself and, more importantly, learns to love. Celie's personal development is prompted by her relationship with Shug Avery, a singer and her husband's former lover, who comes to live with them for a while during an illness. Their relationship shifts dramatically, from competitors for Celie's husband to friends, then lovers, and finally family. As Shug says, "Us each other's peoples now" (189). Her personal development is helped along even further through her correspondence with her sister Nettie, who is working as a missionary in Africa with Celie's children that she was forced to give away. Through Shug, Celie learns about love, physical pleasure and desire, and the possibilities of creative outlets; through Nettie, Celie learns about the larger world and begins to see that her life is only one of many possibilities. She learns that her life could be different and through that gradual realization, she makes her life different.

Some of this may sound corny, but it really, truly works in this novel. Walker is able to provide a vision of redeeming love that isn't simplistic or even easy for the characters involved. Celie's growth comes with pain, as does the growth of her formerly abusive husband into a real human being who is able to love both Celie and Shug and his children in a way that he could not before.

What is most meaningful or moving for me in this book, though, is the vision of God and faith that Walker provides. At one point in the book, Celie announces that she no longer believes in God. She tells Shug, "the God I been praying and writing to is a man. And act just like all the other mens I know. Trifling, forgitful and lowdown" (199). Shug responds by telling her about her form of God. She says, "God is inside you and inside everybody else. You come into the world with God. But only them that search for it inside find it. . . . God ain't a he or a she, but a It" (202). Furthermore, she describes her experience of God by saying, "one day when I was sitting quiet and feeling like a motherless child, which I was, it come to me: that feeling of being part of everything, not separate at all. I knew that if I cut a tree, my arm would bleed. . . . It sort of like you know what, she say, grinning and rubbing high up on my thigh" (203). For Shug, God is love, joy, pleasure, beauty. God wants admiration and wants us to enjoy the things it has created. "I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it" (203). This kind of pantheistic version of God in nature and in our experiences is one that resonates with me and one that provides plenty of opportunities to use religion in positive, life-affirming ways (as opposed to the sometimes frightening ways in which traditional religion--with its white male God and its proscriptions against sex and other forms of pleasure--can be used). This version of God is not distant and judgmental; it is internal and pleasurable, creative. Shug illustrates one way in which this God can be useful: "Whenever you trying to pray, and man plop himself on the other end of it, tell him to git lost, say Shug. Conjure up flowers, wind, water, a big rock. But this hard work, let me tell you. He been there so long, he don't want to budge. He threaten lightening, floods and earthquakes. Us fight. I hardly pray at all. Every time I conjure up a rock, I throw it" (204). In this way, prayer and God become part of a larger struggle for self-determination and the ability for women like Celie to fight back and claim their own lives back from those who would abuse them or take advantage of them.

Some people object to The Color Purple on the grounds of its pantheism or its lesbianism or its frank sexuality or its violence and abuse or its representation of men. Some people see Celie's attitude toward men (she is totally uninterested at best, with the exception of the friendship that finally develops between her and her husband--and that bonding occurs over how much they both love Shug) as a condemnation of men in general. But Walker's real concern here is love--love for oneself, love for others, and love received from others. As Celie's husband says while they sit and talk and sew together, "When it comes to what folks do together with they bodies . . . anybody's guess is as good as mine. But when you talk about love I don't have to guess. I have love and I have been love. And I thank God he let me gain understanding enough to know love can't be halted just cause some peoples moan and groan" (276-7).(less)

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Sep 29, 2010

Christian rated it

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The color purple was really hard to understand but i worked hard .What the color purple was mainly about was celie learnig how to stand up for herself.her sister will always try to make her do it but it did not work.She let The Man beat on her and she did not know how to defend herself.When this lady got sick she came to live with celie an dcelie husband,and celie and the lady became very close and talked about a lot of things i think celie was in love with her.Well the lady was really nasty and...more

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Apr 21, 2011

Louize rated it

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Recommends it for: adult readers

Since its release in 1982, The Color Purple had been a subject of frequent censorship due to its violent sexual content and language. Not to mention the casual and constant change of partners, lesbianism and the polygamous society of the Olinka tribe. Written in epistolary form, the book is a series of letters addressed to God through which our protagonist, Celie, found solace in her chaotic life. She exists in a time when it was filled with male dominance and fixed gender roles.

“

...moreSince its release in 1982, The Color Purple had been a subject of frequent censorship due to its violent sexual content and language. Not to mention the casual and constant change of partners, lesbianism and the polygamous society of the Olinka tribe. Written in epistolary form, the book is a series of letters addressed to God through which our protagonist, Celie, found solace in her chaotic life. She exists in a time when it was filled with male dominance and fixed gender roles.

“Well sometime Mr._____ git on me pretty hard. I have to talk to Old Maker. But he my husband. I shrug my shoulders. This life soon be over, I say. Heaven last all ways.”

Celie, a barely educated black woman, was abused and impregnated twice by her supposedly father at the age of 14. She was then forced to a loveless marriage with a widower named Albert, a father of four children, who treat her like a servant and an occasional sexual convenient. She was inarticulate and has no power to assert herself or resist her abuser.

"He beat me like he beat the children. Cept he don't never hardly beat them. He say, Celie, get the belt... It all I can do not to cry. I make myself wood. I say to myself, Celie, you a tree. That's how come I know trees fear men."

As the story unfolds, the subject of feminism was gradually introduced. Although an ambiguous female relationship was present, it was Shug Avery’s self-assured but loving character that bolstered Celie to resist oppression and gain selfhood. Even the secondary characters, from which we do not hear directly, have a great influence through their open willfulness and unconventional perspective; such as Sofia, Mary Agnes and Nettie. The alliance, friendship and support these women weaved among them proved their resilience and worth.

“I’m pore, I’m black, I may be ugly and can’t cook, a voice say to everything listening. But I’m here.”

Three (3) types of oppression were visible in the story: paternalism, sexism and racism which Ms. Walker did a marvelous job of expressing through epistolary manipulations without being too emotional. It is also worth mentioning that although feminism is a strong subject here, it is not “anti-male” in the least. At the last chapters, Ms. Walker gave room for the men of the story to redeem themselves. It was justifying how Albert and Harpo are changed by the strong women around them, finally able to see their true worth beyond sex and domestic slavery.

"The world is changing, I said. It is no longer a world just for boys and men."

Despite the injustice presented in this book, indelibly the nature of God was narrated in a non-fixated way. It implied that God is for and in everyone. All it takes is a little self-searching.

“Here’s the thing, say Shug. The thing I believe. God is inside you and inside everybody else. You come into the world with God. But only them that search for it inside find it. And sometimes it just manifest itself even if you not looking, or don’t know what you looking for. Trouble do it for most folks, I think. Sorrow, lord. Feeling like shit”

The novel is effective because of the authenticity of the narration. Most knows that letter-type writings imply the importance of self-expression. But we have to understand that expression requires a listener and validation. It had been subtly implied in this book that God was Celie’s most attentive listener and in the end made concrete validations for her.

You saying God vain? I ast.
Naw, she say. Not vain, just wanting to share a good thing. I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.
What it do when it pissed off? I ast.
Oh, make something else. People think pleasing God is all God care about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.
Yeah? I say.
Yeah, she say. It always making little surprises and springing them on us when us least expect.

(Thanks to Jzhun, a friend and group moderator, for giving the time to discuss this book with me last meet up.)
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Jun 05, 2011

Dominic rated it

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Shelves: favorites, classic-literature, modern-literature, feminism, pulitzer-prize

When talking about the power of books, I often mention something I call "the human spirit." However I would define it if I could, I believe The Color Purple comes closer than any other book to embodying, for me, this wonderful enigma. Walker's story, even after what is probably a dozen readings, continues to come to life like no other book. It pulses with the stuff of real human possibility and both the magic and wonder of the human experience. It literally moves me to tears every ...moreWhen talking about the power of books, I often mention something I call "the human spirit." However I would define it if I could, I believe The Color Purple comes closer than any other book to embodying, for me, this wonderful enigma. Walker's story, even after what is probably a dozen readings, continues to come to life like no other book. It pulses with the stuff of real human possibility and both the magic and wonder of the human experience. It literally moves me to tears every time I read it, at its moments of joy and reunion, of transformation and second chances, of harmony discovered. And despite its fairy tale touches, The Color Purple leaves me feeling like I've experienced someone's actual life. At the end of each reading, I feel larger--not with ego or pride, but larger with life, larger with possibility, larger with hope.

The epistolary approach is flawless. The narrative structure is classic in its approach and highly effective, and the two starkly different voices midway through the novel compliment one another. The characters, who are like real people to Walker (or so she has said in interviews), are some of the most memorable I've experienced. Returning to them every other year or so, again and again, is like reuniting with old friends.

I first read The Color Purple in a crucial summer of my youth, at 17 years old. I still remember sneaking the book into the back drive-up window of the McDonald's where I worked, stealing moments in between orders to read the book, as Celie surely did with Nettie's letters. While the world of Celie and Shug and Sofia was unlike any I'd seen before, I believe what was most special about that reading was how much I could relate to the characters' aspirations. I think I owe Walker and no one else for teaching me that summer about the universality of the human spirit. I would later read Maya Angelou, who wrote, "We are more like than we are different," but it was Alice Walker who already taught me this lesson, and it is one of the crucial moments of my life that made me into the man I am today.

I find it kind of ridiculous that so many readers have been turned off by the character transformations at the end of the book, which, to many, are gross and extreme, particularly those of the male characters. Albert and Harpo, for example, both change their ways in the end and become startlingly gentle men. The women, likewise, get their happy endings, without pain or worry. Not only do I see these transformations as a key theme in the novel, but I also find these transformations to be incredibly nice. Through a happy resolution, Walker reminds us that we are never "stuck," never so penned up in the prisons of gender and race and identity we make. There is always a chance to unlearn our bad habits and rewire the way we've been taught, in order to become healthier, happier human beings. And these changes, these ultimate metamorphoses are reasons to celebrate! And so it is only fitting that this book about emotional, spiritual and mental health ends with celebration. (And the thought of Albert, once so cruel and unfeeling, now listening to shells on his porch as an old man makes me really happy.)

There is no book more special to me than this one. Reading it still stands as one of the most important moments of my life, and Alice Walker remains, to me, a gift of compassion, justice, poetry and joy. The Color Purple is a revelation--over and over.(less)

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Dec 31, 2008

Andrew rated it

This is a deeply religious book, in a couple of different senses. First of all, the main character, Celie, narrates the book through letters she writes to God. She is trapped in abusive relationships, first with Pa and then with her husband Albert, referred to by her as Mr ______. She writes to God because she has nobody else to talk to after her sister Nettie disappears, believed dead. Gradually, through her relationship with Shug Avery and piecing together the truth about her past, she rids he...moreThis is a deeply religious book, in a couple of different senses. First of all, the main character, Celie, narrates the book through letters she writes to God. She is trapped in abusive relationships, first with Pa and then with her husband Albert, referred to by her as Mr ______. She writes to God because she has nobody else to talk to after her sister Nettie disappears, believed dead. Gradually, through her relationship with Shug Avery and piecing together the truth about her past, she rids herself of the traditional view of God as an old white man and comes to view God as a more creative, loving, playful entity, symbolised by the colour purple, put in a field just for the fun of it. Celie finds her sexuality, her ability to stand up for herself, begins to make a living doing something she loves and starts to like life.

It's religious in another sense because Alice Walker has tapped into something deep and rich in creating this book. She starts by dedicating it to "The Spirit, without whose assistance neither this book nor I would have been written" and ends it by writing "I thank everyone in this book for coming. A.W., author and medium." This sets up quite an expectation, but the book delivers. The style is not literary - it can't be, because it's narrated mostly by Celie, who is uneducated and admits herself she can't write well. But still there is a beauty in its simplicity. Normally any kind of dialect begins to irritate me after a while, but this doesn't. It is powerful. The horrific events at the beginning of the book, particularly, when 14-year-old Celie is raped by her father and has two children by him, then sacrifices herself to save her younger sister Nettie from the same fate, are incredibly powerful, and the power is heightened by the simple, childish language.

It's also a political book, in the best sense. It evokes the injustices of the Jim Crow South and of colonial Africa beautifully, and they always feel like part of the story, not like a political sermon. It works well because character always comes first. Everybody in the book has a character - there are no purely symbolic characters or representatives of political positions. They're all introduced and drawn carefully so that I believed they were real and cared about them. And while the book speaks some harsh truths about men, and white men in particular, nobody is a stereotype of evil - most of the characters have some redeeming features, and the "good" characters have flaws too.

There are also lots of lovely little insights, like this from Mr ______ towards the end: "Anyhow, he say, you know how it is. You ast yourself one question, it lead to fifteen. I start to wonder why us need love. Why us suffer. Why us black. Why us men and women. Where do children really come from. It didn't take long to realize I didn't hardly know nothing. And that if you ast yourself why you black or a woman or a bush it don't mean nothing if you don't ast why you here, period.
So what you think? I ast.
I think us here to wonder, myself. To wonder. To ast. And that in wondering bout the big things and asting bout the big things, you learn about the little ones, almost by accident. But you never know nothing more about the big things than you start out with. The more I wonder, he say, the more I love.
And people start to love you back, I bet, I say.
They do, he say, surprise."(less)

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Mar 05, 2008

Jennifer P. added it

Plot Summary:
Celie, the book’s narrator, is a young black teenager who is writing letters to God. Her father, Alphonso, abuses her, rapes her and fathers her two children.
A man who is referred to as Mr. ________ tries to marry Nettie, Celie’s younger, more attractive sister. Her father rejects this but suggests that he marry Celie, an offer that Mr. _______ accepts. Soon after she moves in with Mr. _____ and his family, she learns that he has a lover named Shug Avery. Celie is intr...morePlot Summary:
Celie, the book’s narrator, is a young black teenager who is writing letters to God. Her father, Alphonso, abuses her, rapes her and fathers her two children.
A man who is referred to as Mr. ________ tries to marry Nettie, Celie’s younger, more attractive sister. Her father rejects this but suggests that he marry Celie, an offer that Mr. _______ accepts. Soon after she moves in with Mr. _____ and his family, she learns that he has a lover named Shug Avery. Celie is intrigued by Shug’s picture and wonders what she is like.
Nettie runs away from her father to Celie’s new home, but is driven away by Mr. _______’s inappropriate advances towards her. Celie does not hear from her sister, after she ran away yet again, and assumes she is dead.
Her husband’s son, Harpo, falls in love with a girl named Sophia who becomes pregnant. They marry and move in next door to Celie and Mr. ______. Sophia and Celie become great friends. Celie admires Sophia, who is much stronger than her husband and will beat him if he tries to abuse her.
Shug Avery comes to town to sing in a local club but Celie is not allowed to visit her. One night Mr. ________ brings home Shug, who is seriously ill. Initially Shug is rude to Celie but they become good friends. When Shug learns that Mr. _______ beats Celie, she decides to stay with them. Celie and Shug develop romantic feelings for each other and become intimate.
After being away, Shug returned with a new husband, Gary, which does not stop her from having sexual relationship with Celie. One night Shug asked Celie about Nettie and told her that she had seen Mr. ______ secretly hide letters . They find the letters and learn that Nettie had become good friends with a missionary couple, Samuel and Corrine, and went with them to Africa on a mission trip. The couple adopted children that resembled Nettie. Samuel told Nettie how they adopted the children and she learned that the children were Celie’s and Alphonso was only their step-father. Corrine became deathly ill and eventually died. Soon after her death Nettie and Samuel married.
After a huge fight Celie tells Mr.______ that she and Shug are moving to Tennessee, where she became a tialor. Towards the end of the novel, Celie returns home to Georgia and discovered that Alphonso is dead and that she now owns his house. She reconnects with Mr.____ and they learn to enjoy spending time with each other. Celie was reunited with Nettie who brought Samuel to America with her.

Quotes
"Well how you spect to make her mind? Wives is like children. You have to let 'em know who got the upper hand. Nothing can do that better than a good sound beating."
“Yeah, I say, and he give me a lynched daddy, a crazy mama, a lowdown dog of a step pa and a sister I probably won't ever see again. Anyhow, I say, the God I been praying and writing to is a man. And act just like all the other mens I know. Trifling, forgetful and lowdown."

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.”

“Tell the truth, have you ever found God in a church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God I evr felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not find God.”

My Review
This book was disturbing yet inspiring. Celie, the main character, is abused, raped and impregnated by her father. She endures countless hardships yet does not lose faith. The author used language that an uneducated, innocent, fourteen year old African Americain girl would use. For example, when she got pregnant she said that she got 'big'. Celie did not have hatred for those around her who had done her wrong. In the end of the story she becomes friendly with Mr.____, who had beaten her and stolen her letters. (less)

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May 06, 2008

Felicia Longino rated it

Recommends it for: people who like to read books that arent so good.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 12, 2007

Sondang rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: myfavouriteofalltimes

If I'm in love with Maeve Binchy slowly but sure, I'm in love with Alice Walker in a rush. She's great at telling the story. This is my first encounter with her writing, and it make me intend to collect all her works, just like I do with Maeve Binchy. (well, a start for hunting good books, I always love this part!).
The book is so 'black'. The story is so compelling. You'll love the way its character describe every other character.
I know this book is kind of difficult to read for most...more

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Jun 20, 2007

Anne rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone who wants to read a truly human and uplifting story

I picked this book up on a whim at my aunt's house (I'm currently on vacation with not enough reading material). I wasn't skeptical, per se, but I wasn't really interested, because I was expecting it to be like Beloved, which was a lot of work. But The Color Purple is an epistolary novel (ahh, freshman year English) from the point of view of an uneducated woman, Celie, who has been told her whole life that she is stupid and ugly. There is external action (the most interesting involving Celie'...more

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Jun 16, 2008

Emily rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: literature

I have to give it five stars. I don't know how you can't, but it's a very disturbing and yet so penetrating image of love. Is there a person off-limits to love? Does your suffering justify where you find love? What is the difference between a man's love and woman's love? Is one better than the other? Is happiness only found in loving someone? And the greatest question, what does God say about it all, if He is even there? Is He made happy by what makes us happy, or is it something bigger...more

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Aug 28, 2009

Anna rated it

Shelves: novels

(Originally published here: http://www.nbafictionblog.org/nba-winnin...)

I picked up my copy of Alice Walker's The Color Purple to jog my memory of it for this review. I found myself swallowing it whole, reading it cover to cover in one day, and not merely remembering why I liked the book, but loving it once again.

Walker accomplishes a rare thing: She makes an epistolary novel work without veering into preciousness. Rather, Celie's full-bodied voice emerges, a moody and ho...more(Originally published here: http://www.nbafictionblog.org/nba-winnin...)

I picked up my copy of Alice Walker's The Color Purple to jog my memory of it for this review. I found myself swallowing it whole, reading it cover to cover in one day, and not merely remembering why I liked the book, but loving it once again.

Walker accomplishes a rare thing: She makes an epistolary novel work without veering into preciousness. Rather, Celie's full-bodied voice emerges, a moody and honest voice, in an inherently intimate literary form. While she is the protagonist of the novel, she is not the protagonist of her world -- and so, she writes letters to God that no one is expected to read. Celie's letters are written in broken dialect, resulting in surprising juxtapositions and lyricism. As she evolves over the forty years that the novel takes place, so do her letters evolve in nuanced observation and authority. Reading the novel, you don't merely watch Celie change; you feel it in the beat and rhythm of her words.

Celie's letters carry the tale of isolation and love, of violence and sexuality, of poverty and ambition, of domination and independence, of self-awareness and community, of the chafing relationships between black men and black women, and of an inward spirituality that's not easily contained.

While centered on Celie's life in a small Georgia town, and later in Memphis, the scope of the book widens with the strange and hilarious characters who people the pages. From the proud singer Shug Avery to Sofia, whose bluntness in punished, to Harpo, who eats constantly so he can be sure to be bigger than his wife, The Color Purple is a strong contender for offering the best secondary cast of characters in twentieth-century literature. As well, the novel takes a global turn in the second half of the book through the letters and life of Nettie, Celie's sister, in Africa. Such vividness and variety of characters eases the burn of what might have been a claustrophobic earnestness in the novel.

The Color Purple--winner of both a National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize--remains a frequent target of censors still today, nearly thirty years after its publication. The intimate location of the reader in the scenes of violence and sexuality have troubled many. But it is through the uneasiness -- and the lure of Celie's voice and the surrounding cast -- that we are disarmed.

The Color Purple is about the search for joy. Reading my copy of it again, I found joy myself.(less)

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Nov 09, 2008

Sarah Null rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: pulitzer, page-to-screen, required-reading, 1001-must-read, book-club, american-as-apple-pie, page-to-stage, owned

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Sep 16, 2009

Khadijah2012 added it · review of another edition

Now a broad way musical , and the winner of the Pulitzer prize and the national book award . Written by the best selling novelist Alice Walker. The Color Purple . A fabulous movie and book for its kind . From the characters , who could ever forget mister . To the conflicts , Sofia and her fights and even the relationships . This book remains the best of all times .

“All my life I had to fight “ said by my honest opinion the strongest character in the book , Sofia . She wasn’t just ...moreNow a broad way musical , and the winner of the Pulitzer prize and the national book award . Written by the best selling novelist Alice Walker. The Color Purple . A fabulous movie and book for its kind . From the characters , who could ever forget mister . To the conflicts , Sofia and her fights and even the relationships . This book remains the best of all times .

“All my life I had to fight “ said by my honest opinion the strongest character in the book , Sofia . She wasn’t just strong as in fighting wise , she also stood out to me as a strong black women . Sofia stood up for what hers and what was right . She let no one run over her like celie . Celie was the perfect example of a push over . She let Mr run over her as if she was the rug and he was the vacumcleaner . She did for him and his kids without doubt , and had no choice . “ I wont leave until Albert wont even think about beating you “ was said by the thoughtful show time women Shug Avery . Both the movie and book mad shug to seem like a cocky singer with a bad girl mentality , but really she was thoughtful and looked out for others . Kind of like nettie , nettie promised celie they nothing but death will keep her away and she will write her every chance she had no matter what Mr said.

Mean while the fights and the action was what kept me tuned in even more . “how I make Sofia mind me ?” beat her was the biggest mistake harpo could ever do . Every time Harpo attempt to hit on her she always came back with a strong fight unlike celie . Celie would let Mr beat all on her and she never attempt to fight back even when she was right and he was wrong . Sofia could care less about being right or wrong never would she go down without a fight . Even when the big incident with the mayor , when Sofia talks sassy to his wife . Yea , Sofia did go to jail , but yet she went hard to get there .

One may never know how good they got it until it going . The way harpo treats Sofia ,is the way one treats a obedient dog . He treats her like she owes him , if she don’t do as he say , all hell break loose. It must runs in the family because Albert treats celie the same way . He treats her more like a maid rather then a wife . Poor celie could never stand up for herself , maybe love really is blind . But should you call what Mr and celie had love ? Celie relationship with her father was no better then it was with Mr. Her father raped her when she was young , he did it so often celie thought it was right . He even gave her , her first baby but then sold it to some folks in town . Things where always bad for celie , she never knew what a real relationship was , with her own family nor her husband .

“dear god “ , is what got us through the book . If it wasn’t for celie introducing us to the black women featured , or the crazy fights with Sofia . Or even how she came from the bottom where the sun never shine .Then The Color Purple wouldn’t be as The Color Purple is today(less)

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Apr 22, 2009

Damian added it

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Damian by: teacher

In this book “the color purple”, the main character Celie, is a young black teenager who is keep writing letters to God. This kind of letters are just like journal entries, keep tracking about what she’s thinking, feel about tings, etc. Also, from the words in the journals we know that Celie is an uneducated, innocent, fourteen years old African American girl.
I think that this book is my favourite book because the letters from Celie to God and Nettie, created a honest voice of which she a...more

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Mar 20, 2009

Katie rated it

Before I read this book I was going to read Roots for my English project. Then halfway through it I realized
I wasn’t going to be able to finish it in time. Pathetic right? So my mom looked up this book and said that I
would like it, plus I would be able to finish it. At first I was a little nervous to read a book that my MOM
recommended, so I asked my friends about it. Some had heard of it, but never read or seen it. Others
praised it. So eventually I gave in and bought ...more

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Mar 11, 2009

Christopher rated it

This was the first Alice Walker novel that I have read. I thought that it was very well written, and an interesting, heartbreaking, courageous, and overall triumphant work. Ms. Walker's writing style is clear, easy to follow, and not too complicated, which isn't to say that she's a bad author; she's not. The format of the book, with Celie's diary entries is very clever, and fits this book perfectly. I enjoyed this book very much. Ms. Walker does a beautiful job of accuratly presenting African-Am...more

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Jan 31, 2012

Scarlett rated it

The first chapter is a good enough prelude to make one ready to the mood in the book, but the rest of the book is not anyway like it. There is a certain playfulness even while describing the saddest of emotions!

Such atrocities caused on women in the name of race, gender, age, sex - that I could feel my eyes well up with tears at some points.
Such pain one woman had to see because of her innocence, her color and her gender. Not ever knowing how it is to have a real Mom and ...more
The first chapter is a good enough prelude to make one ready to the mood in the book, but the rest of the book is not anyway like it. There is a certain playfulness even while describing the saddest of emotions!

Such atrocities caused on women in the name of race, gender, age, sex - that I could feel my eyes well up with tears at some points.
Such pain one woman had to see because of her innocence, her color and her gender. Not ever knowing how it is to have a real Mom and a real Dad, being molested by someone whom she called Pa, not even knowing what happened to her children, being married off to someone just so that he can have someone at home to clean it and his kids, and then use her for the night, falling in love with a woman, yearning for her sister and coming out of all this emerging a strong lady - Celie is a strong character, though she starts off as an innocent 14 year old kid.
She somehow made me think about the women born in early 50s in India. More or less, most of them had similar lives, saving of course, the incest! Though it is still prevalent in India, Indian women do not have to bear the children out of incest! Or so I think, and I wish to think!

Sofia is another character I loved from the book. Her brashen attitude of being proud of herself, not giving in to Harpo, living her life the way she wanted to, and lying afloat in spite of facing the toughest of times - She is someone every woman should become. Independent, Individualistic and taking pride in being who you are!

Shug though very unconservative is also a very practical character. She starts off as a young, arrogant woman, but over the years mellows into someone who sees people for what they are, and takes interest in their lives. She effortlessly leads Celie into her new world, and gives her a direction making Celie strong enough to live her life without Shug herself.

Nettie is a perfect example of patience. It takes a lot to keep writing to someone without an idea if that person is reading the letters or not - thats what I would call perseverance. The thought of two sisters meeting each other after 30 years is also heartening!

Nothing to write home about the men in this book - all of them including Samuel fade in character and are typical as compared to the women. Alphonso is an animal in a man's garb, Albert though started off as an animal, earned his place among humans by being nice to Sofia and from the stories Shug tells Celie. Harpo shows that he loves Sofia in many ways, but fails to stand up to her when she wanted it. Only Adam proves himself to be a man when he scars his face so that he can make Tashi feel included. A very profound proclamation of love!

The book ended beautifully when Albert and Celie become friends, and they nurture their friendship so slowly, that Albert actually values Celie for the woman she is, and Celie comes to terms and settles her head abuot Shug returning to her, and Sofia staying in with Harpo again.
(less)

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Jan 27, 2012

Odin B rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I gave this book 5 stars for its great, engaging story and its powerful meaning. While being a great story, it is also very sad and controversial.

This book is about a girl named Celie and her life. It starts with her at age 14 where she is abused and raped by her dad and gets two kids from him, which are immediately given away. She has a younger sister named Nettie, and they have a very good relationship. Celie tries to protect Nettie as best she can from the same things their dad di...more

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Jan 23, 2012

Bena Chen rated it

Shelves: advisory-bookshelf-2011-2012

The protagonist, Celie is famish and has no intellectual experiences uprooted from the rural in Georgia. Constantly, Celie is raped and suffers from the abusive violent father, Alphonso. After Celie’s mother becomes bed-ridden, her father brings home a new wife. “Mr. _________” (his name is not mentioned in the story) wants to marry Nettie; however Alphonso does not give permission and gives Celie as a bride to him instead. Nettie decides to run away from her father, to live with her...more

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Jan 22, 2012

Giselle rated it

Shelves: advisory-2011-2012-bookshelf

The Color Purple is about a poor girl named Celie that lives in Georgia around the 1930's. After being sexually abused by her father and having two children, she is forced to be married to a man named Mr.______ who abuses her and likes her sister more. Celie's sister Nettie comes to stay with Celie and Mr.____ for a while, but Mr._____ forces Nettie to leave and Celie and Nettie never meet again. Celie has to grow accustomed to her new life now without any support and she starts to gain new f...more

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Jan 20, 2012

Cassie rated it

I gave this book 3 stars because I didn't think that the book had a great storyline. I found it to be a little boring and slow at times. However I did like the fact that it was relatable to women, and how the main charcter was shown as strong.

This book starts out with the main charcter Celie who at the beginning of the story is a young teenager. It tells about the hard life that Celie is faced with. How she faces abuse from her father and the poverty their family faces. Not only doe...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Chicks On Lit: The Color Purple	73	67	Feb 06, 2012 11:42am
Classics for Begi...: The Color Purple by Alice Walker	34	62	Dec 08, 2011 08:53am
Akins Hollis Engl...: Sept. 02, 2011 Good Reads	1	2	Sep 02, 2011 12:33pm
transformation	9	41	Aug 16, 2011 02:30pm
Last Book You Read?	1	33	Jul 10, 2008 11:30am

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