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tenten'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? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Sexual violence, and Incest
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Drug use, Slavery, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Murder, Hate crime, Rape, Racism, and Infidelity
marissasa'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
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexism, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Cursing, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Sexual content
thesapphiccelticbookworm'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
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Police brutality, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Colonisation, Violence, Pregnancy, and Misogyny
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Additionally, while looking up information about the book while reading I discovered very recent and bizarre antisemitic comments that Alice Walker has made and I can't recommend reading a book by a living author who is out there recommending David Icke and Alex Jones.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Child abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Incest, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Medical content, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Ableism, Grief, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Alcoholism, and Body shaming
criticalgayze's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This novel was really powerful, especially the first half. It does that thing that all marginalized people's fiction feels like it has to do where it is simultaneously a history/anthropology lesson while being a deeply felt character study. Walker does some truly interesting things with language here, and I really appreciate the form, which is justified from the novel's start. I also am thankful for a modern classic that is so unabashedly Queer, and I don't think that aspect of the story is talked about enough. You can feel the authors that Walker is in conversation with here, most notably Hurston, and you can tell the authors who have been in conversation with her since, Whitehead is springing most quickly to mind.
But about halfway through the novel I took a trip over to Walker's Wikipedia page where I read some truly troubling things she's said in support of antisemitic creators. While she has tried to underplay the antisemitism in these works she supports, it does not come across as being very absolving of what one has to make the leap to assume are her own personal beliefs to some extent.
About the same time, the book dipped in interest for me. While we may try to push the separation of art from artist, I don't know that this is an achievable feat for me as a person, especially when Walker is a living author who has made these comments at least as recently as 2017. I don't know if the dip in my personal connection to the story can truly be said to be on the story's merit or on this disagreement with Walker's personal beliefs.
I do feel like I can say confidently that there is some extent to which the novel doesn't quite stick the landing to me as the novel's fade to black ending does feel a little overly sentimental and rosy in what up to that point has been a fairly searing tough hang of a novel.
Maybe one day I'll come back to try to review this more objectively, or maybe I'll just stick with the people who are having similar conversation in their works that don't come loaded with public baggage. Only time will tell.
Quotes:
She got my eyes just like they is today. Like everything I seen, she seen, and she pondering it. (pg. 13)
He try to give her a compliment, she pass it on to me. After while I git to feeling pretty cute. (pg. 17)
Oh Celie, unbelief is a terrible thing. And so is the hurt we cause others unknowingly. (pg. 184)
Let 'im hear me, I say. If he ever listened to poor colored women the world would be a different place, I can tell you. (pg. 191)
But it ain't easy, trying to do without God. Even if you know he ain't there, trying to do without him is a strain. (p. 192)
It hard enough to get by without being a fool. (pg. 219)
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Violence, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Police brutality
veganecurrywurst'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
“I am an expression of the divine, just like a peach is, just like a fish is. I have a right to be this way...I can't apologize for that, nor can I change it, nor do I want to... We will never have to be other than who we are in order to be successful...We realize that we are as ourselves unlimited and our experiences valid. It is for the rest of the world to recognize this, if they choose.”
“I'm pore, I'm black, I may be ugly and can't cook, a voice say to everything listening. But I'm here.”
“I try to teach my heart not to want nothing it can't have.”
“Let him hear me. If [god] ever listened to poor colored women, the world would be a different place.”
“If you was my wife, she say, I'd cover you up with kisses stead of licks, and work hard for you too.”
“Every stitch i sew will be a kiss.”
“I wash her body, it feels like I'm praying. My hands tremble and my breath short.”
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Incest
Moderate: Dysphoria, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Racism
Minor: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Blood, and Police brutality
leabhar_love's review
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Child abuse, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Violence, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, and Slavery
maritareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
This touches on the lives of black women from post civil war America to pre colonial (just a little before) Africa. Celie, Nettie, Shug, Sophia, Mary Agnes and Tashi are all women who've had to fight all their lives. This packs a punch and everything bad that can happen to a black woman happens here. But these women rise up again and again. There is love here too, and sisterhood, friendship, a sapphic love, and a set of women who aren't tied down to one particular thing or person, no matter how much ridicule or abuse they might face.
Ah, there's so much to say but my thoughts are all jumbled. For sure this isn't an easy read. Put it down as long as you like before picking it up again. This is one of those ones I'll come back to time and time again.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, Racism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Incest, Police brutality, and Domestic abuse
melissathejan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Yeah, It. God ain't a he or a she, but a It.
But what do it look like? I ast.
Don't look like nothing, she say. It ain't a picture show. It ain't something you can look at apart from anything else, including yourself. I believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever will be. And when you can feel that, and be happy to feel that, you've found It.
Shug a beautiful something, let me tell you. She frown a little, look out cross the yard, lean back in her chair, look like a big rose.
Moderate: Police brutality, Racism, and Rape
bambidew'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Police brutality and Chronic illness
Minor: Pregnancy and Eating disorder