Reviews

*A few spoilers so discretion advised*. An inspirational read - how I have never come across this before is beyond me. Left, right and centre I had people saying 'I read that in school' and 'I love that book' and I was sat there flicking through its pages wondering how I'd missed out on such a masterpiece. How long has my head been buried under my rock? While this novel is powerful in its themes, and boy does it pack a punch, that is not the main reason for my appreciation of it. I love its subtlety and its faultlessly original prose. Celie's voice evoked a sense of the setting vividly and unforgettably while also forcing the reader to acknowledge how much she changes throughout the narrative but doesn't change her fundamental way of speaking. That, of course, implies deeper meaning concerning her character and her soul. It was a giddy feeling to read a novel that doesn't shove a woman-and-woman relationship in my face, but rather slips it seamlessly into the landscape and plot and doesn't leave enough room for the reader to question its presence. Celie and Shug's evolving bond felt natural and honest, as did Celie's correspondence with her younger sister, Nettie. It damn near broke my heart when I realised that they don't get their reunion until however many years later but it was satisfying to see them both so happy and fulfilled, with families of their own and a purpose in life. The God question was considerately portrayed in this novel too. I liked the emphasis the author placed on nature and the things not manmade, and about how God can be found in the breeze and the sun and the colour purple but not in a manmade church where no one can hear him because there are walls in the way. That'll stay with me actually - that passage. A lot of passages will, for different reasons, but it's also nice to come across a religious perspective that doesn't seem too prescriptive. The everyday details about America and Africa, about culture and discrimination and ridiculous penalties and punishments kept me turning the pages and left an almost tangible imprint of the world and time they were depicting on my fingertips and on my tongue. The image Walker created in my head was akin to a scene in a film, which is near impossible for a book to achieve without some stop-and-start in the writing. Overall therefore, it's probably not difficult to guess what I'd rate 'The Color Purple' as. My only complaints are that 'Color' is spelt wrong for me (sue me, I'm British) and the first five pages have fallen out of my copy (which sucks).