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The Color Purple

Alice Walker

4.21 · Rating details · 488,875 ratings · 13,669 reviews

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Alice Walker's iconic modern classic is now a Penguin Book.

A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other ...more

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Paperback, 304 pages

Published December 10th 2019 by Penguin Books (first published 1982)

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Jul 21, 2013 Samadrita rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cherished, pulitzer, feminism-feminist-undertones, racism-slavery-post-colonial, in-by-about-america, 1001-and-more, adoration, amazing-characterization, disturbia, real-issues-fake-people

I give this book 5 stars to spite the myopic David Gilmours and the V.S. Naipauls of the world who think books written by women are irrelevant. I give this 5 stars to make up for the many 1/2/3 star ratings it may receive simply because of Alice Walker's forthright, honest portrayal of unpleasant truths that are often conveniently shoved under the carpet so as not to disturb the carefully preserved but brittle structure of dogma and century-old misconceptions.
And I award this 5 stars, I give this book 5 stars to spite the myopic David Gilmours and the V.S. Naipauls of the world who think books written by women are irrelevant. I give this 5 stars to make up for the many 1/2/3 star ratings it may receive simply because of Alice Walker's forthright, honest portrayal of unpleasant truths that are often conveniently shoved under the carpet so as not to disturb the carefully preserved but brittle structure of dogma and century-old misconceptions.
And I award this 5 stars, symbolically on Banned Books Week as an apology for all the cowardly sentiments of the ones who misuse their power by banning books, thereby shutting out many powerful voices which demand and need to be heard.

In my eyes, an author's merit lies not only in their sense of aesthetic beauty, but also in the scope and reach of their worldviews which must reflect in their craft.

Alice Walker's is the voice of one such African American writer that recounts a story which not only breaches the boundaries of an issue like emancipation of women but tries to detect a common pattern in problems plaguing civilizations across continents. She gives us one horrifying glimpse after another into the lives of women ravaged by unspeakable brutalities like rape and abuse, lives searching for meaning and connection and seeking out that elusive ray of hope amidst the darkness of despair.
And by the end of the narrative, she brings to light with great sensitivity, that misogyny, sexism and blind patriarchal prejudices are as rampantly in vogue in the urban, upscale sphere of American cities as they are in the intractable, untameable African landscapes.

Celie and Nettie. Shug Avery, Sofia and Mary Agnes. Tashi and Olivia.
All these are but different names and many facets of the same disturbing reality.
If the lives of Celie and Nettie are torn apart by sexual abuse and humiliation from childhood, then Tashi and other unnamed young African girls of the Olinka tribe are victims of genital mutilation and other forms of psychological and physical torture.
If the men of African American families dehumanize the female members to the point of treating them as mere care-givers and sex slaves, then the objectification of African women by the men of their families is no less appalling. And contrary to accepted beliefs, white families in America are just as easily susceptible to misogyny as the African American families are.

But Alice Walker doesn't only stop at opening our eyes to the uncivilized aspects of our so-called civilized world, but also shows us how knowledge of the world and people at large, self-awareness and education can help exorcize such social evils, how it is never too late to gain a fresh perspective, start anew and how empowerment of women eventually empowers society.

Dear David Gilmour, if I were a professor of English literature I'd have taught Alice Walker to my students without a shred of hesitation, because here's an author who may not possess the trademark sophistication of Virginia Woolf's lyrical prose but who, nonetheless, fearlessly broaches subjects many masters and mistresses of the craft may balk at dealing with.

Alice Walker: 5 | David Gilmour: 0 ...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Rowena rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: afrocentric, american-lit, readalongs

I read The Colour Purple in my early teens, was traumatized by the graphic abuse portrayed, and vowed to never read it again. I was curious about why so many of my GR friends rated it so highly and was eventually convinced to give it another go.

Years after my first read, I still (of course) have the same visceral reaction to the abuse but that no longer blinds me from seeing the magnificence of Alice Walkers storytelling, and how she brings her characters to life.

Celie is the protagonist of the ...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Educating Drew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, ah-may-zing, sobs, literary-keepsakes, historical

Wow. I mean. Really. Wow.

You know how there are some books and their words wrap around you like a comforting blanket? Well...

This. Is. Not. One.

The Color Purple rips the clothes right off of your skin, leaving you bare and vulnerable. From the first freakin' moment opening the page. You are just THERE and you can't be anywhere else but THERE. Even when you're not.

Wow.

Have you seen the movie? I had. I thought I was prepared. Because the movie was devastating. I remember vividly being in the house ...more

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Mar 16, 2018 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, pulitzer, 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die, so-good-it-hurts, unforgettable

"Who you think you is? he say. You can't curse nobody. Look at you. You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman. Goddam, he say, you nothing at all."

And yet, she is one of the strongest characters I have ever met in literature. Long before women began speaking up about their different experiences in the #metoo movement, Alice Walker's Celie and her sisters resist the violence and power of the men around them and go on living through the pain and frustration, only to find life worth fighting for ...more

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Mar 25, 2019 Matthew rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, historical-fiction, library, completist-book-club, hoopla, 2019

Before I get into this review I should let you know that the ONLY thing I knew about The Color Purple is that it was a movie in the 80s. I knew nothing about the plot or subject matter except for a few impressions of seeing Oprah and Whoopi in promotional stills or videos over the years. Also, I try to avoid reading book summaries unless absolutely necessary as I feel they often give too much away. I felt it was important to say this because as I have posted statuses and comments while I was Before I get into this review I should let you know that the ONLY thing I knew about The Color Purple is that it was a movie in the 80s. I knew nothing about the plot or subject matter – except for a few impressions of seeing Oprah and Whoopi in promotional stills or videos over the years. Also, I try to avoid reading book summaries unless absolutely necessary as I feel they often give too much away. I felt it was important to say this because as I have posted statuses and comments while I was reading it, I felt like there was some shock that I didn’t know more about it already. So, now, how I was going into this book is all out on the table!

With that being said, this book was 100% not what I was expecting. This is not a good thing or a bad thing. It is just if you asked me to give a one paragraph description of what I was going to be reading about, I would have written down nothing nowhere hear this. I probably would have said something like “ex-slaves trying to survive in the post-Civil War South”. Well . . . spoiler . . . that is not what it is about.

I will next mention a phrase that kept going through my head as I was trying to prepare to write my review. I kept saying to myself that “I am not sure I can, should, or have any right to write a review of this book”. It is a powerful and raw story about subject matter that is important and that I don’t really know a whole lot about. Because of that, I cannot say for sure how I can possibly do a review justice. I decided that while I will do this review, it is important to remember that this book transcends any possible viewpoint I have of it.

One thing that I came out of this book surprised about is that it is more about women, women’s rights, and female relationships than it is about race. Don’t get me wrong, race is an important element, but the way that the men view and treat women and the way the women look at and treat themselves is the crux of this story. As mentioned above, this book is raw – not too extreme – but raw enough to warn readers that some of the subject matter is difficult and it may stir up strong emotions, especially if you are a woman.

While I found the book to be powerful and important, I am going with 4 stars because I struggled at times with the writing. I admit that this is just my preference and is all on me. Some of you may love the way it is written, but I found that it was the reason I found myself taking long breaks from the book.

This book is important to read for any person trying to make sure they hit all the classics. Also, people with an interest in historical fiction and women’s studies would benefit a lot from this story.
...more

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Sep 07, 2016 Michael Finocchiaro rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, african-american-lit, american-20th-c, pulitzer-fiction, novels, pulitzer-winning-fiction

The Color Purple is an absolute masterpiece about love and redemption. Shug, Celie, Sofia, and Nellie are some of the strongest women characters in American fiction. I am literally writing this with tears streaming down my cheeks.

There is so much to unpack here as Alice Walker deals holistically with the fate of African Americans from the perspective of Africa and the tribes who sold their kinsman to white slavers, the devastation of Africa by European colonizers particularly after WWI leading The Color Purple is an absolute masterpiece about love and redemption. Shug, Celie, Sofia, and Nellie are some of the strongest women characters in American fiction. I am literally writing this with tears streaming down my cheeks.

There is so much to unpack here as Alice Walker deals holistically with the fate of African Americans from the perspective of Africa and the tribes who sold their kinsman to white slavers, the devastation of Africa by European colonizers particularly after WWI leading to WWII, the violence of in the South particularly aimed towards women, female sexuality...There is an infinite depth in this book that can reveal itself more and more with each successive read.

The first half of the story is told through letters to God by Celia who is married, against her will, to Mr. ____. We learn that his first name is Albert, but we never learn his last name. Perhaps, this anonymity is symbolic of the widespread rape and spousal abuse in impoverished communities - and yet we also see that in the white mayor's family, through her sister-in-law Sofia's eyes is no more sane and no less violent.

Celia was raped by her stepfather and bore two children that subsequently disappeared. Her sister refuses Mr. ____ in marriage and leaves and thus Celia is given to him. Sex for her is a burden and a torture without end: You know the worst part? she say. The worst part is I don't think he notice. He git up there and enjoy himself just the same. No matter what I'm thinking. No matter what I feel. It just him. Heartfeeling don't seem to enter into it. She snort. The fact he can do it like that make me want to kill him. (p. 65).

In fact, Albert loves the singer Shug who, ailing, comes to their house (and incidentally name drops legendary blues singer Bessie Smith as a friend - thus dating the story to the 30s). As Celie nurses Shug back to health,the two women develop a deep, lasting love for each other that is both physical and spiritual and the first love that Celia has ever felt from another person: She say my name again. She say this song I'm bout to sing is call Miss Celie's song. Cause she scratched it out of my head when I was sick...First time somebody made something and name it after me. (p. 73) This is one of the first moments where having a box of Kleenex handy is not a luxury. Through Shug, Celie learns about her body and that she can have pleasure via her breasts and her sex (p. 78).

The book has many characters that transform completely during the book. Mr. ____ for example, will be cursed by Celie when she leaves (finally), but he will change completely into a tender-hearted and remorseful man who accepts his wife's sexuality such as it is and she in turn is able to forgive him. In fact, at the end of the book, there is a beautiful reunion which is somewhat prefigured back on p. 57: "First time I think about the world. What the world got to do with anything, I think. Then I see myself sitting there quilting tween Shug Avery and Mr. ____. Us three together gainst Tobias and his fly speck box of chocolate. For the first time in my life, I feel just right. She and Shug have a spiritual transformation as well, evolving from the white-borrowed religion of a white God which has born no good for Celie: 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, forgitful, and lowdown. (p. 192). Shug expresses her beliefs this: 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.
It? I ast.
Yeah, It. God ain't a he or a she, but a It. (p. 195). The next two pages are a beautiful eloge to this form or Emersonian deism, a powerful arugment for a more personal and less judgmental religion. Yes, Celie, she say. Everything want to be loved. Us sing and dance, make faces and give flower bouquets, trying to be loved. You ever notice that trees to everything to git attention that we do, except walk?" (p. 196) I was touched by this ecological message that reminded me of the comments on this that I made in my reviews of The Overstory and The Lord of the Rings. From this point on, she addresses her letters directly to Nellie...

The letters written back to Celie from her sister Nellie are hidden for years by a pre-repentant Mr.____. In this letters, we learn of Nettie's voyage to Africa as a missionary. Nellie also has a spiritual transformation as she sees European Christianity's utter disregard for villagers and their traditions with the complete destruction and near elimination of the Olinka culture that she traveled to Africa to help.

There is just so much depth in this masterpiece, that I will stop my review here and just urge you, beg you to read this book if you have never done so. It is a rare, raw look at humanity and suffering but with a powerful, compelling message of redemption and hope. ...more

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Sep 09, 2019 Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

You got to fight. But I dont know how to fight. All I know how to do is stay alive.

When I think about The Color Purple the first few words that pop into my mind are: classic, banned and touchy subjects. Im pretty sure Im not alone with that. I mean its a book every reader heard about. Some of us had to read it in school, others saw the movie, and still others only knew that its one of those highly controversial books. I belonged to the latter category and even though I read a few reviews about ...more

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Jul 05, 2016 Raeleen Lemay rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtqia, adult-fiction

Done my second book for #booktubeathon!

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Oct 20, 2012 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, classics, novels, fiction, feminism, united-states, african, 20th-century

The Color Purple, Alice Walker
The Color Purple is a 1982 epistolary novel, by American author Alice Walker, which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize, for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. It was later adapted into a film and musical of the same name. Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, the story focuses on the life of African-American women, in the Southern United States, in the 1930s, addressing numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture. Celie The Color Purple, Alice Walker
The Color Purple is a 1982 epistolary novel, by American author Alice Walker, which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize, for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. It was later adapted into a film and musical of the same name. Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, the story focuses on the life of African-American women, in the Southern United States, in the 1930s, addressing numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture. Celie is a poor, uneducated 14-year-old girl, living in the American South in the early 1900s. She writes letters to God, because her stepfather, Alphonso, beats her harshly and rapes her continuously. Alphonso has already impregnated Celie once, a pregnancy that resulted in the birth of a boy she named Adam. Alphonso takes the baby away shortly after his birth. Celie has a second child, a girl she named Olivia whom Alphonso also abducts. Celie's ailing mother dies after cursing Celie on her deathbed. Celie and her younger sister, 12-year-old Nettie, learn that a man identified only as Mister wants to marry Nettie. Alphonso refuses to let Nettie marry, instead arranging for Mister to marry Celie. Mister, needing someone to care for his children and keep his house, eventually accepts the offer. Mister and his children, whose mother was murdered by a jealous lover, all treat Celie badly. However, she eventually gets Mister's squalid living conditions and incorrigible children under control. Shortly thereafter, Nettie runs away from Alphonso and takes refuge at Celie's house, where Mister makes sexual advances toward her. Celie then advises Nettie to seek assistance from a well-dressed black woman that she had seen in the general store a while back; the woman had unknowingly adopted Celie's daughter and was the only black woman that Celie had ever seen with money of her own. Nettie is forced to leave after promising to write. Celie, however, never receives any letters and concludes that her sister is dead. Shortly thereafter, Nettie runs away from Alphonso and takes refuge at Celie's house, where Mister makes sexual advances toward her. Celie then advises Nettie to seek assistance from a well-dressed black woman that she had seen in the general store a while back; the woman had unknowingly adopted Celie's daughter and was the only black woman that Celie had ever seen with money of her own. Nettie is forced to leave after promising to write. Celie, however, never receives any letters and concludes that her sister is dead. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: بیست و یکم ماه نوامبر سال 2010 میلادی
عنوان: به رنگ ارغوان؛ نویسنده: آلیس واکر؛ مترجم: امیرحسین مهدیزاده؛ تهران، نشر نی، 1388، در 306 ص؛ شابک: 9789641851288؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20 م
این نویسنده میگوید: جهالت بزرگترین دشمن ماست. وی میافزاید: فکر میکنم «رنگ بنفش» با عشق در ارتباط است، ما نیاز به ارتباط داریم
خلاصه داستان: «سِلی جکسن»، دختر نوجوان سیاه‌پوستی است، که پدرش فرزندان او را به خانواده «ساموئل‌»ها می‌فروشد. خود او را نیز به «آلبرت‌ جانسن گلاور»، مرد سیاه‌پوست بیوه‌ ای واگذار می‌کنند، که در پی خواهرِ «سلی»، «نتی (بوسیا)» بوده است. او با وجود آزار و اذیت مدام «آلبرت» و فرزندانش، سعی می‌کند همسر مطیعی باشد. «نتی» از خانه ی پدر فرار می‌کند، و نزد «سلی» می‌آید. اما «آلبرت» او را بیرون می‌کند. «نتی» قول می‌دهد، برای «سلی» نامه بنویسد، ولی هیچ‌گاه نامه‌ ای به دستش نمی‌رسد. ه«ارپو (پو)»، پسر «آلبرت»، برخلاف رأی پدر، با دختری چاق و سرکش، به‌ نام «سوفیا (وینفری)» ازدواج می‌کند، و وقتی «هارپو» بنا به توصیه ی پدر، او را کتک می‌زند، در مقابلش می‌ایستد. «هارپو» همچنان به زورگوئی‌های خویش ادامه می‌دهد، تا اینکه «سوفیا» او را ترک می‌کند، و بچه‌ هایش را هم با خود می‌برد. در همین حین «شاگ ایوری» خواننده و محبوبه ی «آلبرت»، برای دیدن آنان می‌آید. «هارپو» خانه‌ اش را به کافه تبدیل می‌کند، و «شاگ» نیز در آنجا برنامه اجرا می‌کند. «سوفیا» با محبوب جدیدش، «باستر (تیلیس)» باز می‌گردد، و کافه را به هم می‌ریزد. «شاگ» به «سلی (گلدبرگ)» می‌قبولاند، که آن‌طور هم که فکر می‌کرده، زشت نیست، و عشق و محبت بین زنان را به او می‌آموزد. اما خودش مجبور می‌شود به خاطر پدرش که واعظ محلی آنجاست، کافه را ترک کند، و به ممفیس برود. «سوفیا» نیز به خاطر جواب رد دادن به یک زن سفیدپوست، که از او می‌خواهد خدمتکارش باشد، به زندان می‌افتد. «سوفیا»ی درمانده، مجبور می‌شود در خانه ی یک زن سفیدپوست، خدمتکاری کند. «شاگ» با همسر جدیدش، «گریدی (گیلوری)» بازمی‌گردد و پی می‌برد که «آلبرت» در تمام این سال‌ها، نامه‌ هائی را که «نتی» برای «سلی» فرستاده، پنهان کرده است. «نتی» در نامه‌ ها نوشته که همراه با «ساموئل‌ها»، و فرزندان «سلی»، «آدام» و «آلیویا»، به‌عنوان مبلّغ مذهبی، در آفریقا زندگی می‌کند. «سلی» به ممفیس می‌رود. «آلبرتِ» پیر و تنها، به رابطه ی «سوفیا» و «هارپو» حسادت می‌کند. «سلی» که خانه ی مادریش را (از مردی که فکر می‌کرد پدرش است در حالی که ناپدری‌ اش بوده) به ارث برده، تبدیل به فروشگاه لباس می‌کند. ا. شربیانی ...more

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Jul 10, 2015 Fabian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

In awe of the magnificent depths within "The Color Purple." Would rather debunk Great American Novel contenders such as Great Gatsby, On the Road, or Huckleberry Finn with this Definitive American classic novel. The steel-strong bonds of family, the global importance of friendship, and the ever-mystical soul-defining actions of sisterhood are all immortal themes that are drawn in lush exquisite, sometimes brutal, hues (the purple of a field of violets, the purple of a deepening bruise). In terms ...more

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Sep 17, 2015 Kai rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: queer, 2016, important, feminist-as-fuck

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

4.5/5 stars

The colour purple was devastating from page one. I started reading this without knowing much about it. I knew it had a POC main character, heard that it was about women's rights and about abuse. I heard it was a great book. But I still did not expect this.

The main character's life is miserable. I still don't understand how she made it through to a certain point, because if it were me in ...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Debra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-books

A Masterpiece!

I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.
Alice Walker, The Color Purple

From the time I first read this book (I have read this many times), it has been a favorite. Walker has brought to life the story of two sisters: one a missionary in Africa and one a young abuse wife living in the south. Even though there is distance between them, there is great love, great devotion and great compassion. This book spans years as we see ...more

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May 10, 2018 Maxwell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, kindle, 2018

This was fantastic. I am so glad I finally read it after having known about it for so long and never having been assigned it in school. Its beautifully written. Celiea voice is so strong and all of the characters are well developed. I especially loved Shug and Sofia. And now Ive got to see the film. ...more

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Oct 24, 2017 Monica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: bookclub

Wow such an amazing book! Although many parts were so difficult to read, so heart breaking, its a story that sticks with you. I loved when the story expanded to include Nettie's life as a missionary. Celie's courage to endure all the hardships and losses, including the hardest loss of her sister, makes many of today's problems seem so insignificant to me. This is truly a remarkable book that I highly recommend!

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Sep 27, 2016 Dannii Elle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-highness, classic-captivaton

Despite finishing this over a week ago, I have staved off from writing a review as I feel anything I could write would not do the sublime elegance and exquisiteness of this book justice. The characters and their emotions are displayed in a raw and unapologetic way, their stories are dynamic and compelling, their plights are austere and penetrating, and the writing is evocative and exalted. I urge anyone and everyone to read this hard-hitting, powerful and corporeal book as it has such an ...more

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Nov 15, 2013 Aubrey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, reviewed, queer-as-in, reality-check, person-of-everything, r-2014, 500-wm-added, person-of-reality, r-goodreads, r-2015

I'm glad I got to this before my school curriculum did, cause all I would've had instead of Celie and Shug and Nettie was Miss Eleanor Jane prancing in front of the classroom at 70 to 80 years old, full of pity and the hell of good intentions that hasn't rendered the speaking of the N word despicable to her despite all proof of the contrary. Sure, I'm glad the prof didn't shaft this woman of color writer like she had with others near the beginning, but I have to wonder about those students for I'm glad I got to this before my school curriculum did, cause all I would've had instead of Celie and Shug and Nettie was Miss Eleanor Jane prancing in front of the classroom at 70 to 80 years old, full of pity and the hell of good intentions that hasn't rendered the speaking of the N word despicable to her despite all proof of the contrary. Sure, I'm glad the prof didn't shaft this woman of color writer like she had with others near the beginning, but I have to wonder about those students for which this class assignment was their first reading. Did they love it despite the prof's best measures of academia? Did they hate it because the latter exceeded? You'd never know, for all the space they're given in class for their own thoughts and feelings and opinions of why the world goes round with this particular book inside it. The teacher may know how to spell feminism and womanism and patriarchy, but all that only matters if the taught have been allowed to give a damn.

I can't keep track of how many times someone's said that they're not an expert as an excuse for shutting down the conversation since my return to college. It makes me wonder whether there's an actual legal threat in the back of their minds saying, no, that's not what you were hired for. No, that's not what we're allowing you to make a living off of. No, you haven't taken the requisite courses in theology and gender, or gone through the path of learning and socially prescribed biological sex at birth, to become a priest or a teacher or anyone who can say anything against the weight of the institutionalized norm. Every so often I can poke them past that and into more interesting realms of epistemology and pedagogy, the fancified lingo for knowledge of knowledge and teaching of teaching, but I can't be too frustrated. It took Celie, nowhere near the borderline of safety known as the middle class making a living off the university, decades of not killing others or herself to get a sense of what being quiet about those things, not thinking about those things, not stripping down those things to the bare bones of structure and finding the cornerstone lacking, is worth in the long run.

I won't say I'll be modifying my tune about this in a decade or so, cause that's what living without that stable brain chemistry millions take for granted until another white male shooter murders another school room of children requires as an option, but still. If there are certain things that are not horrors or brutal promises of bigotry that you refuse to say to yourself even in the dead of the night for the simple reason that you think yourself unworthy of questioning them, why? The world's not what it used to be with the economy tanked and the Internet forcing practically everything into the light and USA fascism looking to lead the most accurate replay of WWII with Muslim populations and Syrian immigrants the world has ever seen. The label "expert" is a gimmick. A scam. A signifier for being a certain way and paying a certain amount of money that allows in a return a proportionate amount of money and the right to be called such by the Wikipedia article I will be copy pasting into your GR author profile. You don't want to end up like my Miss Eleanor Jane of a professor, do you? That's all I ask.

---

2/28/2014

Purple is for pride, didn't you know? Purple is the royal pride to boot, the one that can afford full protection and wears its self-assumed precious state on its sleeve. There's some in love and some in hate and some, perhaps the most, in the calm reserve that takes what it gets and builds itself a home. For purple is also piety, and the potential of the purpling palimpsest is breathtaking.

If you look up 'purpling', you will find both a transformation and an act of love, the latter grounded in gendered stereotypes but, for our purposes, will be pruned of its connotations and left as a simple affection. No lust, no obsession, nothing of the usual pride of desiring and feeling oneself more than worthy of receiving reciprocation. That was stripped before the pages even began, a summary of rape and pain and separations all along the spectrum of self and self-worth.

It is not a mark of the author, but the reader, if this beginning is more believed in than the final ending. Too pat and contrived they say, too much that a being both woman and black would take thirty years to find peace of mind. Or perhaps it's the duality that so hard to swallow, two sisters in such disparate circumstances each discovering a measure of resolve upon which to thrive. Perhaps it's the lack of fight and final 'success' on each and every frontier that the readers object to, the concept that you can't always get what you want and yet. And yet.

And yet in the face of all the hate and straightened circumstances, two girls become wizened lovers of life. Through the weaving of cloth and of thought, each discover their methodology of creation, remembering where they came from and going forward nevertheless. They forgive, they relish, they come to grips with the facts of sexism and racism and colonialism and deconstruct their God accordingly. They are not even the only ones, as myriad family and friends inspire and are inspired by these two souls, traversing their own ways in the sorrow and joy that always accompanies the search for personal truth. A time for anger, a time for acceptance, and the prodigal others all along the path.

What matters here is not the means by which they achieve their ends, or that they achieved them at all. What matters is the thought enabled by fruitful discovery, the meanderings of the mind over what it means to find value in existence day in, day out. The majority of literature was penned by those blessed by all varieties of sociocultural windfalls, so it should be no surprise when characters find their philosophical footing as a result of fortuitous regeneration. Decry the believability all you like, but if that little was enough for you to forget the life-affirming themes galore, grown through every slow and subtle machination of time and circumstance, be sure to treat the rest of your readings accordingly. I guarantee a sharp decrease in once favored pieces if you're honest, or objective, if that's the vernacular with which you appease yourself.

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.

There are no name drops or modes of thought approved by academia here, but if you're truly open minded, you will recognize the mixing and melding of universal experience without any need for labels. This is as fine a contemplation of small winners in the midst of brutal reality as any, a flowering of humanity with full knowledge of every level of high and low, all the more worthy of attention for its status as a rare breed of literature. The latter has no affect on quality, but in terms of building a common humanity on the backs of pride and piety, on the steps of believing the self worth having and finding the others worth cherishing, in the color purple, it is worth everything. ...more

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Aug 06, 2017 F rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: usa, 2017

My gran got me this book years ago and just getting round to reading it now. It was a quick read but really emotional. Had elements in it i didnt expect.
The Africa parts bored me and were very slow.

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Oct 07, 2014 Jonathan Ashleigh rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The language was harsh at first but once the flow arrived it was swift. Hardships were told in stride and empathy makes the reader want good things to happen to a few of the characters. And then, good things happen to them but they still aren't happy but they now seem content. This book was fun to read with surprisingly happy nuances described during tragic conditions.

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Feb 20, 2017 Puck rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, lgbtqia, cover-love, historical-fiction, people-of-colour

I believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever will be. And when you can feel that, and be happy to feel that, youve found him.

The Color Purple is a powerful book with an amazing cast of strong female characters, but in my opinion, it was 100 pages too short. I can certainly see how this book made such an impact by its discussion of (painful) topics and its feminist messages, but it was mainly the second half that brought this book down to its 3 star-rating.

The first half of “I believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever will be. And when you can feel that, and be happy to feel that, you’ve found him.”

The Color Purple is a powerful book with an amazing cast of strong female characters, but in my opinion, it was 100 pages too short. I can certainly see how this book made such an impact by its discussion of (painful) topics and its feminist messages, but it was mainly the second half that brought this book down to its 3 star-rating.

The first half of this book was wonderful. I loved reading about Celie, Shug Avery, Sofia, and Mary Agnes (Squeak) and how each of them found the strength to stand up for themselves. Their attempts as black women to fight the sexism and (male) oppression present in their society are met with anger and a lot of protest, but the women all help each other to improve their lives. Alice Walker does an amazing job at weaving timeless feminist ideas together with themes like LGBTQ-culture, the struggle with domestic abuse, and female sexuality.
A running topic through the book is Celie’s relationship with God, who for a long time is her only confidant. Thanks to an important talk with Shug – one of the most important talks in this book – the author shows not only how racism and sexism has affected Celie’s image of God (as an old, white man) but also how ‘wrong’ it is to search for God in a church.

“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.”

The second half of this book however, when Nettie’s letters from Africa take over and the narrative gets divided between Celie and Nettie, was when things started going downhill for me. The book changes from a coming-of-power story into an epistolary novel, which killed the story’s energy and realness. Because there is no sense of time in these letters, no conformation that the sisters receive each other’s messages. For all we know Celie and Nettie are writing these letters to themselves with each other in mind. So when the end of this book came, and we suddenly find out that ± 20 years had passed, I was shocked. When did time went by so quickly?!

And apart from the adventure described in those letters – an interesting tale about former African slaves returning to Africa and the culture clash that shows itself there – the story is told in an incredibly slow pace and without any vigor. Walker wants to make so many statements that Celie’s storyline gets drowned under the author’s messages about oppression, sexism, and racism. This way the second half of this book lacks the power that was so present earlier, making reading about Nettie’s missionary work in Africa and Celie’s sowing business in Georgia a drag for me.

So although I’m a great fan of all the female characters in this novel and how they all found love and happiness, the second half was a letdown. The story had no impact anymore and Celie’s ending was a little too good to be true (I especially disliked how she ended things with Mister).
I do, however, certainly recommend this story. Walker’s story is filled with excellent messages about feminism, faith, the power of sisterhood, fighting abuse, and learning how to stand up for yourself. I give this book 3 stars because I think the author overdid herself in the second half of the novel, but overall I found this a very powerful book.

“Man corrupts everything, say Shug. He on your box of grits, in your head, and all over the radio. He try to make you think he everywhere. Soon as you think he everywhere, you think he God. But he ain’t. Whenever you trying to pray, and man plop himself on the other end of it, tell him to go lost, say Shug. Conjure up flowers, wind, water, a big rock.
But this hard work, let me tell you. Man been there so long, he don't want to budge. He threaten lighting, floods and earthquakes. Us fight. I hardly pray at all. Every time I conjure up a rock, I throw it.

Amen.
...more

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Mar 20, 2018 Calista rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, genre-spiritual, genre-drama-tragedy, wordsmith, women, award-various, favorite, lgbtq, histiorical, want-to-own

What an incredible experience this is. It's such a hard book about persecution and yet it's also about redemption. The book starts off in the darkest of places and the light is shed more and more as the story goes on. This story is about the tough side of the human condition.

One of my favorite lines is and I paraphrase, "I may be ugly, I may be nothing but a woman, I may even be a bad cook, but I'm here. I'm here." You can feel the freedom in those words. This book is about the freedom of the What an incredible experience this is. It's such a hard book about persecution and yet it's also about redemption. The book starts off in the darkest of places and the light is shed more and more as the story goes on. This story is about the tough side of the human condition.

One of my favorite lines is and I paraphrase, "I may be ugly, I may be nothing but a woman, I may even be a bad cook, but I'm here. I'm here." You can feel the freedom in those words. This book is about the freedom of the spirit and about freedom. We can be enslaved to our gender, our color, our society, our nation and especially to our way of thinking. Freedom is possible from all those things. I think Miss Celie has to overcome all these.

Much of the movie, which I saw many times starting in the 80s follows the first 3/4 of the book. The book focuses on Celie's journey. It does not go into the bits about Africa and Nettie. I like that about the movie and yet, it did add something to the story. The climax to me is when Celie finally stands up to Mister and walks out of his house. That is the climax.

Each character has their own voice and the characters are very deep. The writing is superb. It changes as the characters grow and age. This story holds so much wisdom and experience. It is a spiritual experience and there is much philosophy and religion spoken of in these pages. I love how Alice talks about God wants to be loved as we want love. God is in every living plant and they all want our love and attention. Again, I paraphrase poorly and it is a lovely idea.

In the book, Celie leaves Mister and goes off to live with Sug. They have a deep relationship. I am so glad that Celie has a chance to know what love is. I would love it if no one ever had to suffer the way Celie did; it was terrible. I'm glad that Alice Walker could share the gift of what Celie learned with the world even being made up.

I can't believe it took me so long to read this. It touched me deeply. It is a powerful movie and it is a powerful Book. It ripples the truth like a wave in a pond going out into the world. I'm very thankful to have had the experience of this book and to see a completely different way of life. ...more

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Jul 13, 2007 Russ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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, overcomes poverty, sexual ...more

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Mar 28, 2019 Johann (jobis89) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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

The Color Purple has an abundance of strong, inspiring and unforgettable female characters. Each woman has their own unique story, but they are all linked by the different forms of abuse, prejudice or oppression that they have suffered.

Our protagonist Celie writes letters to God and her sister Nellie, telling her story as well as the stories of those around her. The overarching theme of sisterhood “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.“

The Color Purple has an abundance of strong, inspiring and unforgettable female characters. Each woman has their own unique story, but they are all linked by the different forms of abuse, prejudice or oppression that they have suffered.

Our protagonist Celie writes letters to God and her sister Nellie, telling her story as well as the stories of those around her. The overarching theme of sisterhood is such a joy to revel in as we get to witness the journey towards self-realisation that the enigmatic Shug Avery brings Celie on.

It’s a brutal read, but a story that needs to be told. Rape and child abuse is never easy to read about, but Walker makes you confront these realities head on. I was quite surprised by the direction the story took in terms of the growth and changes that some characters took, but it was an inspiring reminder that the human spirit is not static and it cannot always be caged.

One of my favourite sections of the book was when Shug Avery talks to Celie about her views on God and how she does not view him as the stereotypical single entity of a white man with a long beard, but he surrounds us all! He’s in all the things that make people happy, and I just found this entire section to be really uplifting and it is probably what will remain me the longest after finishing this book.

Unfortunately I don’t feel like I connected to this one as deeply as I had hoped to - I very much enjoyed the themes and the story, but I guess that emotional connection to the characters just wasn’t there for me. I think it was mostly due to the fact that reading this was a struggle at times as I really had to focus and concentrate to make sure I was taking it in and interpreting it correctly! It took me quite a while to get through what is a relatively short book, and these are really the only reasons why it doesn’t get a full 5 stars - as otherwise, the plot and message cannot be faulted!

4 stars. ...more

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Apr 26, 2012 K.D. Absolutely rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: The Filipino Group 100 Favorite Books; 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006-2010)

Shelves: 1001-core, pulitzer, national, saddest, drama, tragicomic, race, family-drama, violence, with-movie

Walker's characterization is one of the best I've encountered so far in my reading. There are many memorable characters in this book, The Color Purple that I will probably remember for a long time. Walker's characters are not caricatures as they are well-developed and multi-dimensional, i.e., not only with both their good and bad sides revealed to the readers but also the reasons why they behave or think that way. Even the secondary characters like Squeak or Mary Agnes contributes in bringing Walker's characterization is one of the best I've encountered so far in my reading. There are many memorable characters in this book, The Color Purple that I will probably remember for a long time. Walker's characters are not caricatures as they are well-developed and multi-dimensional, i.e., not only with both their good and bad sides revealed to the readers but also the reasons why they behave or think that way. Even the secondary characters like Squeak or Mary Agnes contributes in bringing out the nature of the many main characters such as: Celie, Albert, Sophia, Shug Avery and Harpo.

There are many themes that Walker tackled in this book: slavery, education and literacy, violence, religious belief and colonialism. [For this reason, this is a very good book of group discussion.] Although, in my opinion, they are too many and too complex for a 295-page book composed of 90 short letters. This attempt left most of the complexities untouched and the insights inexact or half-baked. For example, Shug telling Celie that "God is in the trees" and "It is okay to enjoy the things that God created including sex" (even without the mentioning anything about marriage or love) can be misleading to readers especially the young and the uninformed. However, the effort was there and I still enjoyed having all those theme presented to me while reading. When I finally closed the book, I did not feel unsatisfied really but you know that feeling when you are standing in front of the buffet table and you still have that small space in your tummy and you don't want to go for dessert because it is fattening? You have tasted all the courses but you want to go for a second small serving and you don't know which one to take? I had that feeling this morning while constructing this review in my mind.

The other small complaint that I felt this morning when I finished the book was that the beginning was dramatic and totally engaging. The middle part was full of twists, revelations and endeavors. But the ending was something that felt contrived and unrealistic in my taste. How could it be that happy after all what the characters have gone through? It all became a bit of an escapist book for me instead of what I thought it to be as deep and literary. Not that I wanted to dampen the mood of the readers or not to picture hope in the gloom of Georgia during that sad phase in American history but hey, if life is fair then we should have been beaming, smiling and even giggling everyday, right? However, this is not Walker's fault and I know that this won the Pulitzer and National Book Award on the same year and being the first black woman recipient of those, Walker made history but still, I prefer my favorite novels to be realistic and sincere. I don't care if I end up sad and neurotic for few days after reading a book as long as it is breathtakingly beautifully written.

Sad na kung sad.

Thanks to Christine, Blue and Po for being my reading buddies for this book.

Thanks also goes to Angus and Jzhunagev for the encouragement to pick and read this.

Thank you, God, for not sending me to earth as a black man during the early 20th century in Georgia. I would not surely know how to behave as a black man if I got married to somebody like Sophia. :)

...more

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Nov 17, 2016 Bren rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, classics, educational, dark-and-heavy, social-issues, saw-movie-and-read-book, great-for-book-clubs, drama-tearjerker, read-and-reviewed, southern-literature

I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.
alice walker, The Color Purple

I mean let's face it, it is probably one of the best pieces of Historical Fiction ever writen. I have read the book as well as sen the film where they did a great job by the way. The story is one that just settles inside you and never leaves.

Tired so more to follow. One of the all time best though. More later. ...more

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Jul 14, 2019 Bradley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: traditional-fiction, 2019-shelf

Few books express just how damaging and painful a life of ignorance and poverty can be, but this one comes close to taking the cake.

This is the purple of bruises.

So many people have read this and have their own opinions. I'm sure no one needs a rundown on the topic. It's about women, plain and simple. Black women, certainly, but women primarily. It's a topic close to my heart.

Reading this book induces a great depression in me. It made me physically ill and gave me a squirming headache and it ...more

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Sep 16, 2013 Candi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, favorites, book-i-own

Heart-stirring and powerful, The Color Purple is truly inspiring - I dont know what took me so long to get around to reading this novel! Most readers will know the background to this one, either through the book or the movie. So, I wont rehash the plot here, but I will share some quick thoughts. My feelings were all over the place with this one. Sometimes outraged, often saddened, occasionally amused, but ultimately I felt joyful as I reached the final page. When I initially started this book, I ...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Thomas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: five-stars, lgbtq, lit-outside-of-school, historical-fiction, feminism

"There is a way that the 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 his knees. And what can I say to this?"

What a sad and splendid book. The Color Purple tells the tale of 20 "There is a way that the 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 his knees. And what can I say to this?"

What a sad and splendid book. The Color Purple tells the tale of 20 years of Celie's life through her letters. A poor black woman whose father abuses and rapes her at the age of 14, Celie soon loses her sister as well as her independence after marrying "Mister." Only by meeting Shug - the most fierce, unapologetic woman Celie's ever encountered - and learning the truth about her sister does Celie start to move toward her reawakening, her self-acceptance, and her love for even those who have hurt her.

Alice Walker delves into so many important issues in The Color Purple. Even though the book focuses on a black woman oppressed in the first half of the twentieth century, a myriad of the behaviors and themes found within the book still apply to all women today. Not only does Walker weave in timeless feminist ideas, she also relates Celie's struggle to domestic abuse, lgbtq culture, the strength of sisterhood, and so much more.

My favorite concept in The Color Purple was the use of storytelling as healing. Celie gives herself a voice by befriending Shug and eventually writing letters to Nettie, and even the epistolary format of the book exemplifies the power of writing, talking, and sharing one's struggles. Whether it's a veteran with PTSD sharing their story with a therapist or an angry teenager writing on their blog, human connection and communication poses so many benefits, and Walker's book highlights that in the most wonderful of ways.

Highly, highly recommended to anyone interested in feminism, historical fiction, overcoming abuse, or any intersection of those topics. Definitely a classic I wish more people read. ...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Louize rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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 of male dominance and fixed gender roles.

Well sometime Mr._____ git on me

“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 women's 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.) ...more

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Mar 30, 2015 Sidharth Vardhan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: usa, list-guardian-1000, list-1001, bestest, woman-authors, list-redcliffe, banned-challenged, pulitzer, list-feminsta, list-gr-100

It is the very mark of the spirit of rebellion to crave for happiness in this life.
- Henrik Ibsen

The African village Natie visits in this book had this ritual where members are initiated to community though facial scarring. Something easily accepted by most villagers, but with which embarrasses a more conscious Tashi:

Tashi is, unfortunately, ashamed of these scars on her face, and now hardly ever raises her head.

It is a novel about people reacting to very similar scars given to them by

“It is the very mark of the spirit of rebellion to crave for happiness in this life.”
- Henrik Ibsen

“ Tashi is, unfortunately, ashamed of these scars on her face, and now hardly ever raises her head.”

It is a novel about people reacting to very similar scars given to them by society. Some of them protest. To someone like Sophia, the instinct to rebel comes naturally. Then there are others who must need be inspired. Celie, the protagonist, falls in this latter category. You will have to look hard to find a character in a worse social position. She is poor, mostly uneducated, ugly, homosexual and a woman.

You know how we just buy a book and just start reading it– ya, don’t do that with this one. It has the most heart wrenching opening ever. Abused by life, or more correctly, by men who should have been responsible for her happiness; she accepts it all as fate. It just doesn’t occur to her to protest.

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.”
- Alice Walker (not this novel)

If she hasn’t already protested, it was because she suffered a far worse poverty- feeling of being unloved. Remember Mother Teresa, “The most terrible poverty is loneliness and feeling of being unloved.”

She did find this capital of love when she grew close to other women. And so finally she asserts her existence.

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

No longer able to bear it, she is angry with God. Initially, I thought that writing the book in form of letters to God is just a literary trick but it was more than that. Celie stopped writing to God, being angry with him.

” If he ever listened to poor colored women the world would be a different place“

and rather choose to write to Natie instead, another symbol of how women can support each-other. Her anger also shows up in her misandry causing her to say things like

” 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, forgitful and lowdown.”

and

Take off they pants, I say, and men look like frogs to me. No matter how you kiss ’em, as far as I’m concern, frogs is what they stay.

You know, it hurts.

Anyway, here comes my favourite part. In the end Celie forgives God. Celie’s anger was just another thing stopping her from enjoying her life. It is not enough to protect yourself from injustice and submission, even more important is to continue searching for happiness, to celebrate the beauty of life:

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

The problem with Celie and many other women taking roles expected of them by their culture is that their lives are based around men:

“All her young life she has tried to please her father, never quite realizing that, as a girl, she never could.”

Which means they won’t notice the color purple:

“ You have to git man off your eyeball, before you can see anything a’tall.”

(It really hurts.)

Despite all the fem. talk (oh Devil, I badly need some gangster guy or screwed detective book), the novel is more than a feminist story. A lot of it is about the unnatural relation between oppressors and oppressed whether it is racism or sexism. The oppressor in both cases doesn’t want the oppressed to get education and won’t talk to later except concerning work. Then too, neither of them look into other party's eyes as if of guilt. And the oppressor suffers too (to lesser extent of course); who seem similarly struck with their role. As Celie’s husband confessed in the end when they had become friend-ish “ I’m satisfied this the first time I ever lived on Earth as a natural man.”

*

“Here us is, I thought, two old fools left over from love, keeping each other company under the stars.”

“But all things look brighter because I have a loving soul to share them with.”

...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Adira rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kickbutt-heroines, series, favorites, read-for-school, thought-provoking, books-about-faith, books-about-africa, saw-movie, books-that-deal-with-slavery, african-american-literature

I can't believe I ever gave this a three star rating. I'm glad I reread this book now that I'm older and can appreciate what's being written. It really is a masterpiece.

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About Alice Walker

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Alice Walker, 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, and ...more

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