From the Bookshelf of Reading with Namjoon…

The Color Purple

Alice Walker

Start date: July 1, 2023

Finish date: August 31, 2023

Discussion: Novels

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By E L K Y · 3 posts · 75 views

last updated Jul 18, 2023 09:29AM

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last updated Oct 08, 2022 03:07AM

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Jul 18, 2022 Ami 乁⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠o⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠ㄏ (written by Jane Austen) rated it really liked it

The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a book made of extremely raw emotions and one cannot help but be moved by it. Written in a letter format, this book begins in medias res, with a no-nonsense approach to its subject matter, that is, the lives of two young black women, Celie and Nettie.

I'll be honest, I had to take some time to get used to style of this book's prose as it is written in aave but it was more or less easy to get past once you delved yourself into Celie's story and though epistle i The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a book made of extremely raw emotions and one cannot help but be moved by it. Written in a letter format, this book begins in medias res, with a no-nonsense approach to its subject matter, that is, the lives of two young black women, Celie and Nettie.

I'll be honest, I had to take some time to get used to style of this book's prose as it is written in aave but it was more or less easy to get past once you delved yourself into Celie's story and though epistle is one of my least favourite forms of prose, it worked perfectly in this book as it gave the story the necessary momentum it needed.

But so much about style, the main focus of this book are its characters. On that front, Walker has presented a very realistic cast of characters who dwell on the grey area of every real human being, neither exceptionally good nor utterly irredeemable. All the characters are very life-like and engaging and poignantly portray their lives as people belonging to a trodden-upon class.

The oppression faced by black women, significantly by their own men, was tragically depicted through Celie's story, who, up until almost the end of her life had to suffer at the hands of men. Walker has also taken a look into the African blacks, who were exploited relentlessly throughout this time in history and much like Chinua Achebe, she has taken a neutral approach in depicting the evil of colonialism. She has explored the various ways colonialism has affected black people and has done a remarkable job in bringing out the sufferings of various black people around the world.

But that's not all there is to the book. It also explores the realm of spirituality and what exactly is the meaning of religion and gods. A specific part that I can recall from the book is when Shug explains to Celie how she sees religion and it's extremely inspiring, especially for someone who has always been confused when it came to religion.

I think this is a book that should be read by everyone at least once because if nothing else, builds a story to be remembered.

Tl;dr: Read the book if you like realistically tragic characters. ...more

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Jan 09, 2024 Livia rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

2,7 ✰
I do understand the importance of this book and story however I couldn’t find myself enough interested in it. Neither the story or the characters. I’m however very excited for the movie!

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