Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Color Purple” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Color Purple

(The Color Purple Collection #1)

Alice Walker

4.23 · Rating details · 547,033 ratings · 16,597 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

Get A Copy

Paperback, 304 pages

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

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Color Purple, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Best Books Ever

53,834 books — 209,035 voters

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once

23,381 books — 101,245 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.23 ·

Rating details

· 547,033 ratings · 16,597 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Color Purple

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

Shelves: in-by-about-america, disturbia, by-women-who-matter, lgbt, adoration, social-justice, 1001-and-more, feminism-feminist-undertones, racism-slavery-post-colonial, pulitzer

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, symbolica 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

flag 819 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: american-lit, afrocentric, 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 Walker’s storytelling, and how she brings her characters to life.

Celie is the protagonist of the ...more

flag 527 likes · Like · see review

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

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

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

flag 363 likes · Like · see review

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

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

"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

flag 237 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: american-20th-c, pulitzer-fiction, novels, pulitzer-winning-fiction, national-book-award, slavery, fiction, african-american-lit

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 t ...more

flag 227 likes · Like · see review

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

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

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 r 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

flag 208 likes · Like · see review

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

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

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 1930's, addressing numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture.

Celi ...more

flag 201 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: fiction

”You got to fight. But I don’t 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. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone with that. I mean it’s 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 it’s one of those highly controversial books. I belonged to the latter category and even though I read a few review ...more

flag 162 likes · Like · see review

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

I'm 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 t ...more

flag 150 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: important, feminist-as-fuck, queer

“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 i ...more

flag 132 likes · Like · see review

Dec 29, 2011 Debra (having surgery will be back in a few days) 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 se ...more

flag 120 likes · Like · see review

Mar 20, 2020 Reading_ Tam_ Ishly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book physically and mentally hit me. Like real hard. Some parts made me real uncomfortable but these things happened (even if it's fiction). I wish life wasn't so difficult for these women. So many sensitive, heavy issues are being discussed in this one. And I simply don't know from where to start.
The first page itself gave me a huge jolt. I just couldn't know how to continue reading the book. (I get really uncomfortable with rape scenes.) And yes, this book has some graphic contents of abu This book physically and mentally hit me. Like real hard. Some parts made me real uncomfortable but these things happened (even if it's fiction). I wish life wasn't so difficult for these women. So many sensitive, heavy issues are being discussed in this one. And I simply don't know from where to start.
The first page itself gave me a huge jolt. I just couldn't know how to continue reading the book. (I get really uncomfortable with rape scenes.) And yes, this book has some graphic contents of abuse of all kinds especially sexual and physical abuse. I met one of my most hateful characters to date. This particular guy made me hate such 'men' that I was physically hurting while reading about him. The rapist, the abuser, the criminal. Ugh!!!!! Ok. Calming down for the women characters' sake, the female characters seem so real and they represented well the hurt and the abuse they were facing in such a patriarchal society. Most like our main character, Celia, just live through all the pain and the ongoing abuse. A few like Sofia fight against it and actually do act on what they believe they must do even if she has to face some unwanted consequences. The other character, Shug. She is phenomenal. It's so damn liberating reading about such women living for themselves in the end no matter how broken and hurt they are.

What I get to learn from reading this book is that it's women who uplifts other women the best. It doesn't depend on the men to dictate our fate and lives. No matter how hurt we are because of the unavoidable circumstances in life, it's us women who needs to lift another woman in pain.
I love the chemistry between Shug and Celia as well as the sibling chemistry. It an all in all our women's story meant to give hope and strength. I actually like the perspective on how we see 'god' as.

This book is a little out of my comfort zone. I was in terror thinking about the abuse and the conditions these women had to live with. It's hopeful and beautiful. But I felt the pain so real and deep. ...more

flag 105 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: classics, black-authors

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. It’s beautifully written. Celie’a voice is so strong and all of the characters are well developed. I especially loved Shug and Sofia. And now I’ve got to see the film.

flag 93 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: classics, historical-fiction, cover-love, lgbtqia, 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, 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 “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

flag 93 likes · Like · see review

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! ...more

flag 84 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: classic-captivaton, historical-highness, adult-books-read

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 importa ...more

flag 84 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: reality-check, reviewed, antidote-think-twice-all, queer-as-in, 5-star, r-2014, person-of-reality, person-of-everything, r-goodreads, antidote-think-twice-read

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 w 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

flag 77 likes · Like · see review

Jun 14, 2020 Lucy Langford rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5****

Everything want to be loved. Us sing and dance and holler, just trying to be loved.

This was a beautiful book. In this book we view life through the eyes of Celie who at first is told and sees herself as nothing but illiterate, ugly and poor, with nothing but her love for her sister and her joy of education to get her through the beginning of her life.

Through the book we watch as Celie addresses letters to God and her sister Nettie, which offers Celie some hope as she details her struggle ...more

flag 78 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: award-national-book, diversity, groundbreaking, wordsmith, bage-mature, genre-spiritual, women, want-to-own, lgbtq, award-pulitzer-prize

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 s 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

flag 74 likes · Like · see review

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. ...more

flag 74 likes · Like · see review

Jan 22, 2019 ~Jo~ rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: to-throw-from-a-high-building

I feel like a bit of grinch for not liking this book, but, it is what it is, and I'm obviously not going to hold back. I really don't know what exactly I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this. I'll start with the format. I took an immediate dislike to the letter style format of this book. The dialect was flat, and I noticed that became increasingly so, as the book went on.

Regardless of the fact that as the story developed, it moved on to letters between the characters instead. I do think ...more

flag 65 likes · Like · see review

Sep 30, 2020 Katie Lumsden rated it it was amazing

Well, that was amazing. I completely adore this, from the rich writing to the amazingly realised character development. It was just a joy to read.

flag 63 likes · Like · see review

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 sisterhoo “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

flag 62 likes · Like · see review

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 o ...more

flag 59 likes · Like · see review

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: national, tfg-100, tragicomic, with-movie, race, historical-fiction, epistolary, feminist, family-drama, saddest

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 ou 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

flag 55 likes · Like · see review

Sep 16, 2017 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-star, year-2017, lgbt

This is one of those books I struggle to assign a rating to.

On one hand, I realize its importance. On the other hand, I didn't fall in love with it the way I hoped I would.

Upon finishing, I found that my mind wasn't analyzing the book as per usual. I just couldn't think of much to say, one way or the other.

I enjoyed the story, as it was written with a distinct air of authenticity. Lots of wonderful themes & philosophies throughout. But it just didn't resonate, I'm afraid.

I'll leave you with th ...more

flag 56 likes · Like · see review

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

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

"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 year "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

flag 53 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: 2019-shelf, traditional-fiction

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 m ...more

flag 54 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: educational, drama-tearjerker, cultural, social-issues, saw-movie-and-read-book, great-for-book-clubs, southern-literature, feminism, classics, better-or-worse-than-expected

“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

flag 52 likes · Like · see review

May 06, 2020 Serena rated it liked it

There were so many important issues highlighted in this book and I can see why it is so well-loved... but it just didn't grip me emotionally in the way I hoped it would. I also didn't fall in love with the characters in the way I hoped I would...

I understand why the writing style is used and I applaud Alice Walker for writing through the perspective of an uneducated woman, which I think makes this book powerful! However, this just didn't work for me as I found it frustrating to read and difficul ...more

flag 52 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Play Book Tag: The Color Purple by Alice Walker - 4 stars	2	16	Nov 18, 2020 05:49AM
Catching up on Cl...: The Color Purple - NO spoilers	44	176	Oct 31, 2020 02:11AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Classics

7,446 users

Fiction

6,826 users

Historical > Historical Fiction

3,253 users

Feminism

1,405 users

LGBT

790 users

Historical

788 users

Cultural > African American

668 users

Literature

606 users

Novels

506 users

Adult

443 users

See top shelves…

About Alice Walker

Alice Walker

4,962 followers

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 Possessi ...more

Other books in the series

The Color Purple Collection (3 books)

Books by Alice Walker

In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose

More…

News & Interviews

Sally Thorne's Latest Rom-Com Leaves a Lasting Impression

Sally Thorne, author of The Hating Game and 99 Percent Mine, explores what it means to take risks for love, and for yourself, in her newest...

Trivia About The Color Purple

28 trivia questions
6 quizzes

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Color Purple

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.” — 1769 likes

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.” — 622 likes

More quotes…