I would really like to be able to give it five stars, but I would need a dose of humility. You see, I don't even understand half of what Celie tells, and my two years in Mississippi only allowed me to scratch the surface of African American history, an episode that is still not closed and frankly humiliating for humanity.

African American history is a complex and rich tapestry that has been shaped by centuries of struggle, oppression, and perseverance. It is a story of courage, resilience, and the fight for equality.

Reading about Celie's experiences in the book has made me realize how much I still have to learn. It has opened my eyes to the injustices and hardships that African Americans have faced throughout history.

I hope that more people will take the time to explore this important part of our shared history and gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans.

Happy book day to all!

Heart-stirring and powerful, The Color Purple is truly inspiring.

I don't 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 won't rehash the plot here.

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 was hesitant about the epistolary format and struggled a bit with the dialect. However, such misgivings quickly melted away. I was drawn right into Celie's life and her story.

I cheered her on the whole way as she suffered through unthinkable abuse and eventually developed her own voice and a strength that I thoroughly admired.

As she discovered what it was like to love and be loved, as she cherished the hope of one day seeing her sister again, as she learned to understand God and what God meant to her personally, and as she learned the gift of forgiveness, Celie has reserved a place in my mind as one of the most treasured of heroines.

Alice Walker has managed to accomplish something that is not easy to do – she turned this reader into a bit of a blubbering fool by the end of the novel! This is one book that I will be placing on my shelf with the intention to read it once again.

“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.”

Beautifully Heartbreaking

The Color Purple is an exquisitely heartbreaking story that unfolds through a series of letters, mainly from Celie to God. Celie is a young woman residing in the South, where her opportunities are severely limited.

Despite the tragic circumstances that have marked Celie's life, she manages to discover faint glimmers of hope and form deep connections.

Reminiscent of A Fine Balance, The Color Purple masterfully combines hope and light with a grim and shattering reality.

This novel is a captivating and shattering tale that contains an echo of magic.

2025 Reading Schedule
Jan - A Town Like Alice
Feb - Birdsong
Mar - Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr - War and Peace
May - The Woman in White
Jun - Atonement
Jul - The Shadow of the Wind
Aug - Jude the Obscure
Sep - Ulysses
Oct - Vanity Fair
Nov - A Fine Balance
Dec - Germinal

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One of the aspects I appreciate about Goodreads is the opportunity to discover a highly popular and well-reviewed book that I know absolutely nothing about and then fully immerse myself in a culture that I otherwise would not have approached. Sadly, though, sometimes this immersion leads to less than pleasant experiences.

Stuff I didn't like:

1. Let's commence with the very first page - it contains a graphic description of child rape. I neither require nor desire those detailed and disturbing images in my mind, yet there they are. I suspect that without this sensationalist beginning, this book might not have received the attention it did, so perhaps the author was aware of what she was doing. However, for me, the added detail actually diminished the impact.

2. Shug. She was by far the most loathsome female character in the book. Supposed to serve as the moral compass of the novel, she instead seems solely motivated by her own self-centeredness. At one point, she embarks on a fling with a nineteen-year-old simply because she can. She goes through partners and spouses more rapidly than I change my furnace filter. She has children and lovers scattered across the country. Very few details are provided about the harm she has caused her own children due to her free-spirited lifestyle. And don't even get me started on her justification for her actions by inventing a god of her own imagination.

3. Misandry. I had to look up the opposite of misogyny to find the appropriate word to describe the way men are depicted in this book. Child rapist, wife beater, would-be wife-beater, drug dealer. The only positive portrayal of a man (Odessa's husband) is scarcely mentioned. Yes, there is indeed a great deal of evil in the world, but to define it by gender is rather petty. And of course, it's not just African American men; the author goes out of her way to show that African men and white men are equally contemptible.

4. Family? Seriously, these people change partners as if they were square dancers. At one point, you have an ex-wife moving back in with her husband to assist in raising his current wife's child because wife #2 took off to pursue her dreams. You need a flowchart to keep track of who belongs to whom.

5. It's a matter of personal taste, but I simply cannot abide narration through letter writing.

Stuff I liked:

1. Walker actually did an excellent job of depicting Celie's growing independence. It was gratifying to witness her develop self-reliance and individualism. It's just a pity that what could have been a truly remarkable story about a woman surmounting enormous odds to create a better life for herself is marred by such heavy-handed insertions regarding feminism, lesbianism, atheism, and so on. It became rather absurd just how many progressive tropes could be crammed into the story. I actually laughed out loud when she managed to somehow include a dig at Western imperialism. It was just excessive.

2. The missionary activity in Africa was a captivating narrative. Walker did a wonderful job with the subtle comparisons between African society and Southern black society.

I was initially inclined to rate this book two stars, but I had to deduct a star when I learned of the author's bigoted refusal to permit her book to be translated into one particular language. I understand that it's not proper to let an author's personal views influence a book review, but this particular incident irritated me so much that it continued to color my reaction to the book.

What can I truly say about THE COLOR PURPLE?

Wow, it is an absolute masterpiece and the ultimate tale of survival.

Even when every single aspect of life seems to be conspiring against you, this story shows the indomitable spirit of the human soul.

When Celie tells her sister Nettie to write and Nettie responds with the powerful words "Nothing but death can keep me from it!", that's the moment when the emotions start to well up and the tears begin to flow.

I have cherished this book for a remarkable 25 years.

And just recently, I was finally given the wonderful opportunity to listen to it on audio.

What made it even more special was that it was narrated by the author herself, Alice Walker.

Her voice was simply perfect for the character of Celie, bringing the story to life in the most vivid and moving way.

I enjoyed every single moment of it, and I firmly believe that everyone should take the time to either read this book or listen to it.

It is truly a powerful and life-changing work that will stay with you long after you have finished experiencing it.

I feel like a bit of a grinch for not liking this book. However, it is what it is, and I'm obviously not going to hold back my thoughts. I really don't know what exactly I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this.

Let's start with the format. I took an immediate dislike to the letter style format of this book. The dialect was flat, and it became increasingly so as the book progressed.

Regardless of the fact that as the story developed, it moved on to letters between the characters instead. I do think this contributed to my detachment from the characters. None of them were likeable. They all lacked depth of any sort, making one feel incredibly distant from the story. I'm not even going to dwell on what I thought of Shrug Avery.

Nearing the end, I was practically counting the pages, tremendously eager to finish, and that is never a good sign.

I think the book had the potential to be good, and despite it winning an award, it just didn't resonate with me. I'm just happy that I didn't spend money on it.

Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't find the charm or the connection that others might have found in this book. It's a shame, really, because I always hope to love every book I pick up. But sometimes, that's just not the case.

The monk said, "Doubts are a monk's affair. And also the harm that we inflict on others without knowing."

He also said, "If you know that your heart is remorseful, this means that destruction has not completely overcome you."

This is not Woker.

Doubts can often plague a person, especially a monk who is on a spiritual path. It is natural to have questions and uncertainties. However, it is important to be aware of the harm that our actions may cause to others, even when we are not fully conscious of it.

When our hearts feel remorse, it shows that there is still a glimmer of hope and that we have not been completely consumed by destruction. It is a sign that we can still make amends and strive for a better way.

But this wisdom does not belong to Woker. It is the words of a monk who has likely experienced the trials and tribulations of life and has gained valuable insights along the way.

We can all learn from these words and strive to be more conscious of our actions and their consequences. Let us strive to live a life that is free from harm and filled with compassion and understanding.

Purple is royalty. It is luxury. It represents ambition, creativity, and independence. It is also associated with wisdom, spirituality, and magic. It is a color that evokes a sense of peace.

Alice Walker, from the very beginning of her writing career, emerged as a passionate advocate for black women, long before the advent of today's social movements. She chose to express herself through the written word and, in 1982, penned her profound treatise on the treatment of black women during the Jim Crow era.

It was not sufficient for society to hear about the hardships of these women from white individuals or even black men. Walker was determined that the world should understand the experiences of black women from the perspective of a black woman herself. By doing so, she not only shed light on the unique position of black women in society but also emphasized their womanhood as a source of wisdom, spirituality, creativity, ambition, and independence. In essence, the color purple encapsulates the black woman's experience.

The Color Purple achieved remarkable success, winning both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1983. It was later adapted into a movie starring Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, further enhancing its popularity. Over the years, it has been updated and continues to captivate readers with its magical and creative narrative. Needless to say, it is my chosen book for Women's History Month in 2025.

Walker admits to not subscribing to the traditional male deity concept of G-D, yet she begins her masterpiece with the words "Dear G-D." I interpret these epistolary exchanges as Celie's way of reaching out to a higher power when she has no one else in the world to confide in. Celie and her sister Nettie grew up in rural Georgia around 1900. I base this estimate on events that unfold later in the book.

Starting with Celie and Nettie, Walker traces the lives of three generations of powerful women over a span of fifty years. Celie and Nettie endured domestic abuse and later rape. Celie was forced to bear her stepfather's children, who were then taken away from her against her will. She was also compelled into a marriage with a widower, Mr. ---, whom she had no desire to marry. Mr. ---, who we later learn is named Albert, had his sights set on Nettie because she was the more attractive of the two sisters. Celie, being the older one, married Mr. ---, and Nettie managed to escape before he could rape her, thus perpetuating a cycle of oppression.

Although Nettie would write to Celie over the decades, Mr. --- withheld these letters out of spite for Nettie's "betrayal." It would be a lifetime before the sisters would be reunited, but they both remained strong, knowing that the other existed. Nettie went on to have a somewhat better life than Celie, but over time, Celie's life would also be enriched.

Celie had never known love, neither from her stepfather nor from Mr. ---. The one love of his life was a woman named Shug Avery, a product of the Roaring Twenties. Readers with an interest in history can trace the novel's main events to the 1930s, as Shug mentions her friendship with Bessie Smith. Shug is a touring jazz musician who has a deep love for her fellow humans. She is the one who teaches Celie to love, and she becomes the love of Celie's life as well.

Walker bravely writes about open homosexuality in the early 1980s, a time when such topics were rarely discussed. There were always female friendships, but not like those in today's more accepting society. I give Walker credit for her courage, as I'm sure the awards voting panels also reflected the values of their respective eras, and her voice was truly revolutionary. Shug bluntly tells Mr. --- to respect Celie, regardless of how he perceives her. Celie is a remarkable woman who is an excellent seamstress, baker, and keeps a flawless home while raising children who are not even her own. She shows an infinite capacity to love but had no one to share it with until Shug entered her life. Together, they challenge societal norms by starting a business, sewing pants for people of all shapes and sizes.

During this time, men were unaccustomed to seeing women wearing pants, but the male characters in the novel admit that Celie has talent and praise her for her work. By running her own business, Celie gains independence and breaks free from the cycle of rape, being a field worker, and a mammy, ensuring that future generations will not have to endure the same hardships.

Two women who benefited greatly from Celie's presence in their lives were Sofia and Mary Agnes (known as Squeak). After her own difficult upbringing and forced marriage, Celie imparts her wisdom to Sofia and Mary Agnes, telling them that they should not be trapped in a bad relationship with a man. Sofia, who has six children with Harpo, does all the work in the fields, repairs the roof of their home, and takes care of everything. Harpo, having learned from his father Mr. ---, believes that men do not work either inside or outside the home. Sofia becomes bitter and wants to leave, but her own people are not much better, at least initially.

The traditional gender roles mean that a woman's work is never-ending. However, given her circumstances, Sofia decides to separate from her husband of ten years. As a man, Harpo immediately takes up with Mary Agnes and expects her to do all the work. All Mary Agnes wants to do is sing. It is Celie, with her hard-earned life experience, and Shug, an accomplished singer, who encourage Mary Agnes to pursue her dreams. They tell her to use her real name, as it is a gift from G-D, rather than the demeaning nickname of Squeak. After facing some challenges in her own life, Sofia agrees to raise Mary Agnes' child so that she can follow her dreams.

Throughout the description of this middle generation of strong women, purple comes to symbolize ambition and independence. It should also symbolize dreams, as this generation was unaware of the coming depression and war and was determined to improve their lives so that future generations would be free from both the oppression of the white man and the patriarchal structure of society.

While Celie yearned for her sister, Nettie lived a free life as a missionary in Africa, looking after Celie's two children. We learn that Nettie and the missionaries Samuel and Corrine are the only black missionaries in Liberia, a country founded to allow African Americans to return to their roots and live freely. Nettie, who has always been intelligent, establishes a school for the Olinka people in their village.

Even in the 1930s, the Olinka were unfamiliar with western culture and believed that only boys should go to school. Corrine wants Olivia to learn, so Nettie teaches her, much to the surprise of the villagers. One Olinka girl named Tashi also wants to learn, but her parents do not allow it. So, Olivia teaches her what she has learned at home. The girls become as close as sisters, and Nettie tells them that one day they will become teachers or nurses, the highest professions that women could aspire to at the time.

Over the course of thirty years, Nettie writes to Celie, sharing her experiences of life in Africa and the progress of the children. After Shug discovers the stash of letters, Celie begins to write to Nettie instead of to G-D. The sisters can sense each other's presence in the air, despite being separated by an ocean and decades. One day, when the children need to attend college, such as Spelman or Morehouse, Nettie will bring them back to Georgia. The family will be reunited, and a new generation of women will be empowered through education.

Here, purple represents wisdom, but it is also the peace that comes from being surrounded by one's loved ones. By never giving up hope that Nettie would return, Celie achieves this peace later in her life. Black people were still widely discriminated against by society as a whole, but the strong women in this novel overcome their circumstances to achieve great things.

Purple symbolizes many things, but by the end of the novel, I view it as magic. Purple has always been my favorite color, although I prefer the bluer shades to Celie's reds, the colors she chooses to decorate her room in her home. I am drawn to purple because I have always known that it represents royalty, a color fit for a queen. The colors of International Women's Day are lemon, white, and violet, which is similar to purple, symbolizing the right for women to vote, a milestone that occurred over one hundred years ago.

Alice Walker's The Color Purple can mean different things to its diverse readers from all over the world. When she wrote this novel, she exposed many injustices, allowing people from different walks of life to reflect on history. The Pulitzer Prize is awarded annually to the book that best represents American society or presents a unique aspect of society. Over forty years ago, The Color Purple was in a league of its own, deserving of all the praise and recognition it received.

This year, the theme of Women's History Month is "Play It Forward for Future Generations." In her exploration of the strength of women across three generations, Alice Walker has truly played it forward in her award-winning book. It is this focus on the resilience of women from different backgrounds that makes The Color Purple still widely read and cherished as an enriching novel today. Purple, in this context, is truly magical.

5 stars

**4.5**

This is a phenomenal story, with a very profound message, full of strong characters, and told in an impactful, unique, raw, and very real way. I fell in love along the journey, and I believe that a book like this... gradually captures your emotions. After getting used to the colloquial and error-ridden Portuguese writing, which is a characteristic of the protagonist, I came to see this as a very powerful voice. This style brings you closer to her, and even her tone becomes palpable.

The narrative is smooth and the plot is very captivating. However, I was sometimes confused about the dialogues and characters due to the way it was told. I confess that I got a bit tired of this, but nothing that really bothered or irritated me. In some (few) chapters, the story dragged, but the overall view of everything, the importance, and the attachment to Celie (and Shug) made me carry the book under my arm in any way. It's impossible to let go of it.

I really liked how the growth of the protagonist is perceptible through the way she writes... from childhood to old age. This was VERY well done by the author. All the nuances. It's a book that brings hope. A book that shows you the true meaning beneath human cruelty. A book that makes you think that you only start to see the small things when you're almost at the end of them.

This story has left a lasting impression on me, and I would highly recommend it to others who are looking for a thought-provoking and emotional read.

I've seen the movie many years ago and while it made me incredibly sad and I cried a lot, it's one of my favourite movies still.

The book, more or less, tells the same story as the movie (making the movie one of the rare good adaptations). It is divided into small chapters, each a letter to God, written by the main character, Celie. Celie is a 14-year-old black girl at the start of the book, who has been repeatedly raped by her own father. She has given birth twice already and had both children taken away from her. And her future doesn't seem to hold much hope.

One day, Celie is basically sold to Mister, who becomes her husband. And unfortunately, that relationship isn't any happier than the one with her father had been.

The letters thus explain, in the shortest possible way, the trials and tribulations Celie (and, later, also her sister Nettie) experience.

One of the instantly notable things about this book is the writing style. The author presents Celie's thoughts in vernacular, with poor grammar and spelling. This emphasizes the point that Celie is not educated, which is just one of the things that is keeping her down and controlled by the men in her life. Moreover, the topics presented are not really analyzed but only talked about briefly. There are no embellishments, there is no great reflection. This only changes after Celie reconnects with her sister Nettie.

Also remarkable is that while there are a few encounters and events that present the racial tensions in this post-Civil-War US, the main focus isn't actually on them. The real focal point is women's identity, personal happiness, and all the things that make a person (especially women in this context) unhappy. There is domestic violence, sexual violence, exploitation, rape, children being taken away from their mothers and the constant barrage of what people think a woman should want, do or say.

Which brings us to the title of this book: the color purple stands for independence and liberation of one's mind and feelings. When Celie can choose a dress for the first time in her life, she chooses a purple one, showing that she's coming into her own.

Another important topic tying into the ones above is sexuality. After all the rapes, it is only natural to regard sex as something bad. But you can only know that it isn't if someone is kind to you. Like Shug is to Celie. They have one of literature's most beautiful and most important relationships.

Considering all the "hot" social topics the author managed to combine in this book, it's no wonder the book got banned in so many US states. However, as is usually the case with banned books, it's one of the most important pieces of American literature for its style as well as for the story. It's like the transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly.

If I could give this novel all the stars in the world, I would.

It is truly transformative literature that has the power to transport readers to another realm.

The story is so engaging and well-written that it hooks you from the very first page.

The characters are vividly drawn, and you can't help but become invested in their lives and struggles.

The author's use of language is masterful, painting a detailed and immersive picture of the world they have created.

Every chapter brings new surprises and revelations, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

This novel is not just a book; it's an experience that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

It has the ability to change your perspective, make you think, and touch your heart.

Whether you're a fan of fiction or not, this novel is a must-read that will leave you in awe.

So, if you're looking for a truly remarkable and unforgettable literary journey, look no further than this amazing novel.

“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.” This profound statement makes one stop and think deeply about the nature of God and our inner selves.

I read The Color Purple with my book club in February and was completely blown away! The story is filled with so many beautiful passages and memorable quotes that it leaves a lasting impression. It is a devastating yet powerful tale that explores themes of love, loss, and self-discovery.

The characters in the book are vividly brought to life, and their struggles and triumphs tug at the heartstrings. The author's writing style is engaging and immersive, making it impossible to put the book down. This is definitely a story that I will not be forgetting anytime soon!