Reviews

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

nina_zenikwaffle's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book. The start didn’t make sense at first but as it continued on I understood it more. This book has filled me with so much love and hope. This holds a special place in my heart 

debthebookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Like many Black millennials, I grew up watching The Color Purple repeatedly in VHS. I loved it so much I wanted to be Shug if they ever made a musical...THEN, the musical happened! The film adaptation of the musical came out, and they said it was closer to the book than the original movie...While it is closer in parts, between the three, having finally taken the time to read the book, I prefer the book! There is so much left out of both movies, e.g., Celie's complicated relationship with Mr.____ and seeing Nettie grow up in Africa in more than little snippets, that I would have appreciated being explored more deeply in the films. I also love Alice Walker's explanation of the evolution of Celie's views on God and the origins of religion. The Olinkan theory was very interesting,and I wonder if Alice Walker made it up or heard it from someone.

Anyway, amazing book, and I'm glad to have read it!
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christina_chen's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.5

minzkonig's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

auroraleighs's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A classic and such an emotional and unforgettable story! A wonderful celebration of blackness, womanhood, spirituality, and the bonds between women. I really liked the confessional letter format and how it worked into the ending.

chalkbard's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

heathercottledillon's review against another edition

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4.0

This is one of the books that was on my Librarian Shame List because I'd gone through high school, college, and the first few years of my adult life without reading it. I wish I hadn't waited so long! The intimate writing style drew me in right away (though I would have appreciated some punctuation!) and I immediately cared deeply for Celie, Nettie, Shug, and the others. The story is paced so well and there are so many shocking surprises along the way that it was hard for me to put the book down. There's so much to think about that's addressed in this book: racism, subjugation of women, human sexuality, colonialism, violence, self-esteem, and more. It will break your heart but also inspire you and stimulate some good thought and discussion (I lead a book discussion on this title and it was a perfect pick!).

proctoj4's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.5

luze's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

rachelreads92's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5