The Color Purple - Review

Two days. It took me two days to finish The Color Purple. I have never read as fast as this one, and I would 100% do it all over again in a heartbeat. This book definitely had some triggering and taboo topics, but to read the story of Nettie and Celie, and the transformation of the characters over a good bit of years, was amazing to be a part of. Alice Walker did a phenomenal job with every aspect of this book, seeing that it is a movie, and I cannot wait to read more books written by her. I am grateful for this story and the important lessons that I have gained from reading this beautiful piece of art.

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The Blurb from the back of the 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 across time, distance, and silence. Through a series of letters to each other, the novel draws readers into a rich and memorable portrayal of black women – their pain and struggle, companionship, and growth, resilience, and bravery.

Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, The Color Purple breaks the silence around domestic and sexual abuse and carries readers on an epic and spirit-affirming journey toward transformation, redemption, and love.”

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My Perspective

The book is organized into letters from Celie to God, from Nettie to Celie, and then from Celie to Nettie. While Nettie was a well-educated woman, Celie was not, and you could tell by the way she talked. This is also due to the time frame that the story is taking place, which is the early 1900s. Reading between the lines, and rereading some pages is what helped me fully understand what was being said, especially if Celie was the one in the forefront, and talking.

This was one of the most real and raw books I have read in a long time. Walker didn’t hide behind “safe words” when talking about controversial topics and used vulgar language when talking about some things – which got the job done. Walker did a great job embodying the lives that African American women went through during this time. Beatings, incest, rape, and some other topics are put into the light. Walker takes women that have been to hell and back and make a beautiful redemption story from the lowest of the low, kind of life.

I honestly can’t believe I haven’t read this book before. My friend actually told me that this book was assigned as a summer reading when she was in 11th grade, but I honestly couldn’t see this book being a school reading book. While I do think it should be, it is probably on the list of banned books for schools. This book has a lot of teaching moments and has different prose and setup than most books that schools assign.

At the end of the book, Celie gets Nettie back, Mr. gains faith and rekindles his relationship with Celie, Shug back and lives with Celie, Harpo and Sofia get back together and raise their kids, and the redemption of all of the characters had a very big impact on me. So many emotions and I mean SO MANY emotions. I can’t think of another way for Walker to end the book. Any other way and it wouldn’t have been such a work of art. This book is by far, an emotional rollercoaster, such a good book, and 100% re-readable.