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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
challenging
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:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An absolutely gut wrenching read. I'm glad I read it, as it has deepend my understanding and empathy. But Jesus, is it like watching a terrible car accident happen before your eyes and helping to pull this poor woman out from the wreckage to set her on her feet. Deeply troubling and insightful in a needed kind of way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Classism
Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping
Black Woman in the deep south survives SA and infidelity over and over again while learning to overcome her circumstances.
SUCH a powerful and emotional read. The preface mentions that this book is the exploration of the journey from the religious, into the spiritual - which whilst sounds nice and fanciful, is actually a very difficult and wrenching process. Especially for Celie, the protagonist, as it feels like she is dealt the absolute worst hand constantly.
It’s not through accepting the spirit that she gets free from her circumstances, but through learning to understand that this is something she actually can and deserves to do. The interesting sub-theme of education comes to play here - what do we think we deserve if we are never taught what life should be like? Or what circumstances are actually bad ones? Through knowing that the way in which she is made to feel is disempowering and abused, Celie’s numbness to it all is heartbreaking to read.
Bless the angel (almost literally) that is Shug Avery for entering the scene in a very imperfect manner. I liked the choice that she kept dotting between other lovers and chasing her own dreams, because it gave Celie the space to make decisions and realisations on her own. It would’ve been easy for her to have stuck around the entire time and provided the ideal kind of love for Celie, but that isn’t how life works.
I personally am drawn to books that are written in the character’s specific vernacular so very much enjoyed this element to set the tone. The writing choices help to fully immerse the reader in the mind and perspective of the characters, which meant I cried at the end.
Journeys from religious to spiritual could sound like they take a hippie-dippie approach, featuring incense and holistic healers and forest retreats. Whilst that sounds super nice, the more subtle and accessible manner in which this comes to Celie is a gorgeous journey to go on with her. Appreciating the trees and the stars and the air in a way that connects them to herself is so so lovely, and helps to ground her place on the Earth more solidly.
Adored this book.
It’s not through accepting the spirit that she gets free from her circumstances, but through learning to understand that this is something she actually can and deserves to do. The interesting sub-theme of education comes to play here - what do we think we deserve if we are never taught what life should be like? Or what circumstances are actually bad ones? Through knowing that the way in which she is made to feel is disempowering and abused, Celie’s numbness to it all is heartbreaking to read.
Bless the angel (almost literally) that is Shug Avery for entering the scene in a very imperfect manner. I liked the choice that she kept dotting between other lovers and chasing her own dreams, because it gave Celie the space to make decisions and realisations on her own. It would’ve been easy for her to have stuck around the entire time and provided the ideal kind of love for Celie, but that isn’t how life works.
I personally am drawn to books that are written in the character’s specific vernacular so very much enjoyed this element to set the tone. The writing choices help to fully immerse the reader in the mind and perspective of the characters, which meant I cried at the end.
Journeys from religious to spiritual could sound like they take a hippie-dippie approach, featuring incense and holistic healers and forest retreats. Whilst that sounds super nice, the more subtle and accessible manner in which this comes to Celie is a gorgeous journey to go on with her. Appreciating the trees and the stars and the air in a way that connects them to herself is so so lovely, and helps to ground her place on the Earth more solidly.
Adored this book.
emotional
sad
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:
Yes
It has been 4 days, and I'm still not sure what I think about this book. I think I need to read it again, to be sure I understood everything, but I'm not sure I want to because it was so sad. (Though not as awful as the first 5 pages would lead you to believe.) In the end, I am glad I read it. It made me uncomfortable, but in the way that always accompanies new perspectives on the world. The audio book was read by the author and was good. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to make it through all the poor grammar and accents, if I had tried o read it on the page.
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“God don’t think it dirty? I ast.
Naw she say. God made it. Listen, God love everything you love—and a mess of stuff you don’t. But more than anything else God love admiration.
You saying God vain? I ast.
Naw, she say. Not vain, just wanting to share a good thing. I think it pisses God off if you walk by the colour purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.”
-
It’s been a while since I’ve read a book and known it’s going to stick with me forever. This is a book like that.
Naw she say. God made it. Listen, God love everything you love—and a mess of stuff you don’t. But more than anything else God love admiration.
You saying God vain? I ast.
Naw, she say. Not vain, just wanting to share a good thing. I think it pisses God off if you walk by the colour purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.”
-
It’s been a while since I’ve read a book and known it’s going to stick with me forever. This is a book like that.