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neverlandpages4's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
- From the very first page, I knew that this book would be a poignant, inspiring, and educational story. It explores racism, queer identity, friendship, family, and so much more.
- This is an epistolary book written in AAVE, the first half is written from Celie to God, and it explores Celie’s life and all the hardships she’s faced, the second half is Nettie’s letters to her older sister, Celie, and she describes what it was like becoming a missionary and traveling to Africa.
- It's also mainly literary historical fiction and it does focus on the characters more than the plot. I’m usually more of a plot person so I did find it a bit boring at the beginning but I’d say around the 30-40% mark it did get more interesting.
- Nettie’s letters made me really emotional, she talks about how due to her lack of education, she didn’t know anything about Africa and was surprised to meet other black people that were not enslaved and not working for a white family. It’s such a heartbreaking thing to read knowing that this was (and still is in some parts of the world) reality. That the color of someone’s skin determined whether or not they deserved to have basic human rights.
- I love how this book also explores misogyny and how some of the women stand up for themselves and question the “norm” that is misogyny and sexism during that time period, and fight to learn and get an education regardless of the horrible men that stand in their way.
- Celie made me laugh out loud many times, her character development was inspiring and I was so happy for her when she finally took charge of her life and started doing the things she loved.
- I’d highly recommend reading this!! Even if the genre isn’t something you usually read, it’s still an important book that explores so many difficult topics in such an honest way. There’s also a movie adaptation that I can’t wait to watch!
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Sexism, Incest, Racism, Misogyny, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Body shaming, Drug use, Classism, and Grief
Minor: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, and Vomit
nadia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really liked the book! I liked the letter structure and appreciated all of the themes covered. I certainly did not expect to laugh out loud at parts, especially so early on. Those who've read the book or seen one of the film adaptations might guess at what was the cause of this!
Didn't have as much of an emotional pull as I thought it would have though!
Graphic: Death, Police brutality, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Racism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Colonisation, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Incest, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Classism and Injury/Injury detail
melist6's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Incest, Grief, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Terminal illness
eekke's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Drug use, Genocide, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Incest, Violence, Murder, Hate crime, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Abandonment, Racism, Death, Cursing, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Infidelity
bashsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Violence, Domestic abuse, Grief, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Incest, Police brutality, Rape, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, and Drug use
dragon_s_hoard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
The epistolary style works well, but the fact that the plot is a “slice-of-life-over-a-lifetime” made it a little bit meandering for me.
Graphic: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Abandonment, Racism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Classism, Grief, Colonisation, Death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Gaslighting, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Addiction
alicelucygranger's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Rape
Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, and Sexism
hstcrow's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Incest, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Racism, Classism, Slavery, Mental illness, Cursing, Death of parent, and Colonisation
staceys_adventure's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Rape, Child abuse, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Death, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Child death, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Colonisation, Cursing, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Body shaming, Drug use, Grief, Sexism, Incest, Slavery, Infertility, Physical abuse, and Racism
thoseoldcrows23's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Incest, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Classism, Cursing, Bullying, and Death
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, and Child death