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24th out of 404 books
—
464 voters
The Temple Of My Familiar
by
Alice Walker
A visionary cast of characters weave together their past and present in a brilliantly intricate tapestry of tales.It is the story of the dispossessed and displaced, of peoples whose history is ancient and whose future is yet to come. Here we meet Lissie, a woman of many pasts; Arveyda the great guitarist and his Latin American wife who has had to flee her homeland; Suwelo...more
416 pages
Published
(first published January 1st 1989)
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This book was a different experience than most books.
I initially was swept in by the writing. I felt like I could touch the scenes.
I am actually a big narrative person, i.e. I usually like a great story line. This did not disappoint, but it was more about the characters. It reminded me of Grapes of Wrath in that it wasn't until I read the final chapters of the book that the story line rushed over me and revealed its excellence.
Written by Alice Walker, the book explores African-American culture,...more
I initially was swept in by the writing. I felt like I could touch the scenes.
I am actually a big narrative person, i.e. I usually like a great story line. This did not disappoint, but it was more about the characters. It reminded me of Grapes of Wrath in that it wasn't until I read the final chapters of the book that the story line rushed over me and revealed its excellence.
Written by Alice Walker, the book explores African-American culture,...more
I'm ashamed to admit that this one sat on my shelves for perhaps 15 years. But clearly, there was a reason I held onto it: it is a beautiful, magical, devastating, lyrical treat! Even though the narrative drifts like a winding river among a cast of intertwined characters, plots, and settings, somehow they are all connected. I can't recommend this book highly enough, but I must warn you to be patient. I urge you to just pick it up and go with the flow. Not all questions are answered in the end, b...more
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3.99 star average? Really? That makes The Temple of My Familiar one of the most highly rated books I've come across on Goodreads. Way ahead of most of the 1001 books to read before you die. Well I don't get it. At all. Are we all being PC? Did we genuinely enjoy this overwrought wrangling with the ideas of feminism, "normal" relationships, colour and love? I sincerely believe that to be an honest and decent person today, you have to be connected with your past, and to understand the sacrifices m...more
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Dec 09, 2010
Hprince
added it
In the book the Temple of My Familiar, the author Alice Walker defines the roles that men and woman have in society. She shows the aspect of power and what one will do to acquirer it. Throughout the book Walker portrays women as being a high supernatural being; a goddess.
By women knowing who they are and what they are made for, the producers of life, they are feared and worshiped by men. “…there was also woman, and in the process of life and change she produced a being somewhat unlike herself”...more
By women knowing who they are and what they are made for, the producers of life, they are feared and worshiped by men. “…there was also woman, and in the process of life and change she produced a being somewhat unlike herself”...more
OMG, did I ever hate this book. I loved The Color Purple, so I thought I'd like this.
It jumps around like crazy and includes new characters far more often than it refers back to ones we've already met. I got so sick of trying to keep track of characters that I finally threw it down in disgust. Irritating and a waste of time.
It jumps around like crazy and includes new characters far more often than it refers back to ones we've already met. I got so sick of trying to keep track of characters that I finally threw it down in disgust. Irritating and a waste of time.
This sequel is very different from The Color Purple but worth a read. Alice Walker writes brilliantly about the complicated dyamics of heterosexual relationships, history, and feminism. I found her writing in this book to be both thought provoking and funny.
Obviously I must be unpacking all my favorite books! I read this in college and it changed my life, opened my eyes to some beautiful ideas and meanings about life, feminism, love, and spirituality. There is magic, tribal wisdom, african myths, goddess worship, reincarnation, a little of everything! It was the first time I was able to see that there is wisdom is so many faiths and beliefs and you can respect them without having to declare allegiance to them. If I did have a familiar, I believe it...more
I'm sorry but this is one of the worst books I've ever read. I went into it with an open mind and recognized the author Alice Walker from her other book, The Color Purple. This book, however, is confused, convoluted and just unappealing. Walker does not create characters that one can follow through the book since she jumps storylines so much. You never know what is going on or where. I never believe in wasting a book but this one I literally threw away. I want to forget that this book happened a...more
Really, I probably only gave this book two starts because it's by Alice Walker. Maybe my expectations were too high, having loved her other work. In any case, this novel engages some really interesting themes in an ultimately disappointing way. Characters navigate gender relationships, their histories, migrations, and racial identities only to fall into a flat fantasy world. It's not that I'm bothered by the "magic realism" of this novel, as I see it's tagged here, because I have read and loved...more
I really loved this book. I read it way back in college, as part of a literary class. We read a book a week, and NO ONE in the class finished this book in a week (we all managed to finish all of the other books on time). No. One! The reason we decided upon is that it's a book to read in chunks, to mull over what you read for a bit, and then go back to it later on and read some more. I have reread the book a few times over the years, and have always found the same to be true - that I can only rea...more
I don't remember when I read this book, I'm going to guess 2001 because that's when I took "African American Woman's Litt" and became even more obsessed with Alice Walker. I've been reading other reviews and I want to say to anyone considering reading this book don't concentrate on the story so much as think about it. If you happen to be and anti-feminist woman hater, then yes you'll hate this too. There are certain parts of this book that STILL come to mind when I think of woman's current place...more
I wanted to like this book because I love "The Color Purple" but I found myself reading almost 100 pages and putting the book away for about a year. And when I returned, most of the plot was unfamiliar to me and I found the characters to be boring. None of them connected to me as a reader and while the story is filled with scandal and intrigue, unlike the characters in "The Color Purple" I didn't empathize with any of them. Nor did I root for their downfall. I was completely indifferent to their...more
Alice Walker is reputedly one of the most well-known, yet most difficult post-modern authors to read, and The Temple of My Familiar makes both of these reputations known. Why is it difficult? In an effort to present life, and I mean life as in the history of man (and other creatures) in this world throughout time, there's no doubt that the result of this feat would be a difficult read. Walker's novel travels in a non-linear way through time, covering South America, North America, Africa, and Eng...more
Jul 28, 2007
Sondang
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
myfavouriteofalltimes
Akhirnya aku menyelesaikan buku ini! It is a really unputdownable book (istilah si Imee)
Love it from the first page.
Alice Walker, gitu lho.
Buku ini merupakan ribuan tokoh karakter yang diwakili oleh beberapa orang tokoh utama.
Lissie, wanita yang mempunyai masa lalu begitu banyak (dan kita akan terbawa dengan semua karakter masa lampau tersebut) dan Hal –orang yang selalu ada juga dalam hampir setiap masa lampaunya, Arveyda si musisi ternama dan istrinya Carlotta –yang ibunya si Zede mencintai da...more
Love it from the first page.
Alice Walker, gitu lho.
Buku ini merupakan ribuan tokoh karakter yang diwakili oleh beberapa orang tokoh utama.
Lissie, wanita yang mempunyai masa lalu begitu banyak (dan kita akan terbawa dengan semua karakter masa lampau tersebut) dan Hal –orang yang selalu ada juga dalam hampir setiap masa lampaunya, Arveyda si musisi ternama dan istrinya Carlotta –yang ibunya si Zede mencintai da...more
is there a bookshelf called "to re-read?" this is definitely one of those. and i'm not even done with it.
several metaphors come to life in this book, but one scene that I see as representative of the entire novel, is where Lissie is showing Suwelo several different pictures of herself taken in one day. Except the woman in each picture is distinctly different from the next. and from the clothing you can tell that they are also different time periods. but they are all of Lissie. Lissie explains th...more
several metaphors come to life in this book, but one scene that I see as representative of the entire novel, is where Lissie is showing Suwelo several different pictures of herself taken in one day. Except the woman in each picture is distinctly different from the next. and from the clothing you can tell that they are also different time periods. but they are all of Lissie. Lissie explains th...more
This is one of my favorite books of all time. I did not read her first book, The Color Purple, and perhaps that is why I love this book so much. I was not influenced by the style of her earlier book. The writing is lyrical, imaginative, and intricate. I was so swept into this world that I didn't want the book to end. Just the pure beauty of the writing, along with the intricate mythology is reason enough to read this book. I need to re-read it just for the sensual experience.
at first i thought, "500,000 years? no way anybody can write about such a span of time in a novel." but i knew i would love it because it's written by alice walker. i like that it's very non-linear, at least from chapter to chapter, and the characters are woven together so beautifully. i found myself wanting to hear their voices, to see what they see, (to sense what they sense,) and just to be with them... that's good fiction in my book.
Arveyda, Carlotta, Suwelo, Fanny, Lissie, and a host of other complex and colorful characters make up this story that covers the beginning of the beginning when women ruled up to modern day where disappointment rules. But more than a story, this book is a smorgasbord. The story does not even seem to be the point. The point seems to be history and connection and something else, the mysterious threads that make up the fabric of the universe.
This is a very thought provoking book that encompasses alot of different themes and moral questions. I found it fascinating but at the same time found it hard to keep reading. It got complicated and, I felt, long-winded. After I was done I was glad I read all of it but I struggled to make myself finish it. I must say she has an interesting approach to many historical and moral truths and I do agree with alot of her assertions. Human history, religion, racism all are addressed and even if you don...more
What to say about this book? A friend highly recommended it. I found it to have too many characters and not enough plot. It came across as a new age mishmash. I did find the parts about reincarnation to be interesting. I don't want to come of as some right wing nut case, but I refuse to feel guilty about the plight of women of color through history because I had nothing to do with it. I'm not sorry I read it but I think it stunk.
This book was in no way familiar with any other book that I've read, but I will fairly rate it as unique and memorable, and in some ways very enlightening and informative. I particularly enjoyed the settings in Africa and each character and how their roles contributed to the story; Ola, Zede, Mary Jane, Celie, Shug, Granny Dorcy, Ms. Rose, Lisse and Hal.
I was stunned at the end; mainly of Fanny, Carlotta, Suwelo and Arveyda's close-knit relationship, but I could almost understand the entangleme...more
I was stunned at the end; mainly of Fanny, Carlotta, Suwelo and Arveyda's close-knit relationship, but I could almost understand the entangleme...more
This is Alice Walker's sort of sequel to The Color Purple. Some of the same characters are involved although mostly by reference. it is a very different book. Mostly it takes place about two generations after the events in the first novel. It's a hard book to describe with parts of it being very down to earth and other parts having a feel of mythology.
It didn't manage to captivate me the way The Color Purple did but it still was a very interesting book. The lives of her characters are varied and...more
It didn't manage to captivate me the way The Color Purple did but it still was a very interesting book. The lives of her characters are varied and...more
Alice Walker is a very strong writer and writes through her characters. THere is almost no silent character narration. The book is mostly conversations between characters.
And the characters are: strong, deep, wise, pained, peaceful, and the essence of "there is nothing new under the sun." Through these people she explores history, how we got here, how it has affected us. There is a lot of magic in this book. One of the characters remembers and still experiences all of her past lives, in which sh...more
And the characters are: strong, deep, wise, pained, peaceful, and the essence of "there is nothing new under the sun." Through these people she explores history, how we got here, how it has affected us. There is a lot of magic in this book. One of the characters remembers and still experiences all of her past lives, in which sh...more
What is it about Alice Walker that is so indelibly familiar and powerful? I remember reading The Color Purple in junior high and falling in love with Sugar. Then, spurred on my by my love of Walker's easy style--she has this way of writing an anachronistic tale that makes you feel like you are reading a story about, say, American slave-times, when in fact you're in present-day--and I read Possessing the Secret of Joy with the same vigor. Temple of My Familiar was no disappointment. Occasionally,...more
This was more than a solid 3-point "like" but I didn't love it as much as the 4-point The Color Purple (which was really quite revelatory to my 17-year-old self), so I'd really give this 3.5 stars. Familiar is very much a circular weaving of self-referential stories rather than a linear narrative with smaller narratives branching off.
And the emphasis is very much on stories; Walker seems to want to recreate the experience of oral tradition here, with mythological figures, tales and allegories....more
And the emphasis is very much on stories; Walker seems to want to recreate the experience of oral tradition here, with mythological figures, tales and allegories....more
I was only familiar with Alice Walker's work "The Color Purple" before I read this novel. The two books are on the extreme opposites of the literary spectrum. "Temple of My Familiar" captured my senses from the first line. I don't want to give the story line away. Read the book and find the magical elements for yourself. It truly was an amazing book.
A dream of a book. A vision. In my Top Ten. One of the best titles ever.
pg. 357 Miss Lissie's dream memory as told to Suwelo:
"Just as my mother was queen because of her wisdom, experience, ability to soothe and to heal, because of her innate delicacy of thought and circumspection of action, and most of all because of her gentleness..."
pg. 357 Miss Lissie's dream memory as told to Suwelo:
"Just as my mother was queen because of her wisdom, experience, ability to soothe and to heal, because of her innate delicacy of thought and circumspection of action, and most of all because of her gentleness..."
I read this book in a women's studies class in college and remember loving it. Time hasn't done the story justice - it feels self-consciously assertive and jumbled, magical realism meets women's lib. The plot wanders and feels overly detailed and long. The writing is colorful, but not as impactful as I remember.
Very uhm... feminist. Very into black/african culture. Hard for me to relate to. Good writing, just never really took off for me.
Maybe it's because the POV (point of view) skips around so much. I think I had a hard time being sympathetic with the chacters as I didn't get enough time to know them.
Maybe it's because the POV (point of view) skips around so much. I think I had a hard time being sympathetic with the chacters as I didn't get enough time to know them.
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Alice Walker (b. 1944), one of the United States’ preeminent writers, is an award-winning author of novels, stories, essays, and poetry. In 1983, Walker became the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction with her novel The Color Purple, which also won the National Book Award. Her other books include The Third Life of Grange Copeland, Meridian, The Temple of My Familiar, an...more
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“Helped are those who are content to be themselves; they will never lack mystery in their lives and the joys of self-discovery will be constant.”
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59 people liked it
“I'm mad about the waste that happens when people who love each other can't even bring themselves to talk.”
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52 people liked it
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