The Color Purple (Harvest Book) (Wildfire Books)

by Alice Walker

'One of the most haunting books you could ever wish to read?it is stunning - moving, exciting, and wonderful' Lenny Henry Set in the deep American south between the wars, this is the classic tale of Celie, a young poor black girl. Raped repeatedly by her father, she loses two children and then is married off to a man who treats her no better than a slave. She is separated from her sister Nettie and dreams of becoming like the glamorous Shug Avery, a singer and rebellious black woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Gradually Celie discovers the support of women that enables her to leave the past behind and begin a new life.

• ISBN10: 0753818922
• ISBN13: 9780753818923
• Publish Date: 5 August 2004 (first published 1 June 1982)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 7 May 2014
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
• Imprint: Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[ibeforem]

I first read this book when I was a teen, and just re-read it for my book club, roughly 25 years later. I knew it was a great book, but I had forgotten just how wonderful it is. I had also completely forgotten that it was an epistolary novel. One more thing I had either forgotten or it possibly went right over my head when I read it the first time -- some of the sex is a little bit graphic. Not in a bad way, just in a "oh, I don't remember THAT" way.

Celie is such a strong woman and a strong character, even when she feels like she is so weak she will die. Her love is so amazing, and her heart is so big that it can even contain forgiveness for those who have wronged her greatly in her life. This story has continued to touch me throughout my life. And, it's a pretty great movie too.

[mitabird]

3.5 stars

[justine_manzano]

This was such an emotional read. It's clear from page one that Celie is about to endure a heart wrenching journey, and there isn't much more that I can say that hasn't been said before. Some parts were painful to read, but I truly loved getting to know Celie. This book is filled with complex and troubled characters and Celie's pure and honest discussion with God as she endures and at times, learns to care about these characters and their ups and downs, is inspiring. I can very clearly see why this has received the acclaim it has. I wish I had read this ages ago.

[katie-wordsforworms]

I loved this book. I hadn't seen the movie, so I didn't know what to expect. I was surprised and challenged by the writing format. I was engrossed by the characters. Fabulous book, but keep a box of tissues nearby.

http://wordsforworms.com/2012/10/02/banned-books-week-the-color-purple-by-alice-walker/

[angelarenea9]

I liked this book a lot more than I expected to. It was quite a heartbreaking story all around. I loved Nettie (who was my favorite character) and I really enjoyed hearing about her trip to Africa. I thought it was interesting how the village held the roof plant as a sort of deity. I had a harder time getting through the other chapters because of the way that it was written. It was a good way to create a voice for the character but it was just not my style.