Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

100 reviews

lukebryan's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Sadly, this book did not do a lot for me, solely because I did not find the narrative's voice to be compelling. I think that the epistolary format did not convey the plot as best as it could have, as the writing characters felt as if they were paper-thin. I just didn't get on with this book.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

alexsadventuresintheatreland's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

3.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

likerealpeople's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

audreychu's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

tenten's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark hopeful sad slow-paced
  • 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


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

marissasa's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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

4.75

I went into this book not knowing much other than that it has a queer woman's storyline and that it was turned into a movie and a musical, with a movie of the musical coming next year. I didn't expect the story to hit this hard with the layers of trauma, racism, sexism, domestic violence, and sexual assault that the main character Celie goes through. It took me longer to read this book than others of the same length just because of the dark topics and way Celie candidly recounts the abuse she's faced, but it was a very rewarding read because of the themes of perseverance, never losing hope, and staying true to yourself. It is very touching to see how Celie first writes her letters to God because her faith is placed all on religion to end her suffering or at least hear her story, but once she is separated from her sister Nettie she begins to write to her instead and places all her hopes in seeing her again some day. The language Alice Walker uses really gives a strong identity to the characters and helps to show the differences in the way each person carries themselves, particularly giving strong characterization to the women in both the main and supporting casts. I loved that this story gave so much nuance and complexity to the Black women, in a time period where they were historically undermined, taken for granted, and directly harmed. I loved seeing them have a voice and show resistance to the ways they were treated both to the men and the white people in their lives, and I thought the portrayal of Celie's sexuality and self-discovery was done with so much care and respect. This book is such an important one and I'm glad it has all the massive recognition, awards, and adaptations it does to appreciate its cultural relevancy and literary significance.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jessthanthree's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-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

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

_ao_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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

5.0

Shocking. Sweet. Sad. Heartwarming. Bitter. Beautiful complete reflection on life. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

amylloyd's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • 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


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

studiouspoppy's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

I loved it. It’s definitely hard to read and contains a lot of race-gender based violence, but that’s life. The religious reflections were really interesting, and the discussions on sexuality were truly ahead of its time. The difference in the narrators voices was so well done too, same with their evolution. The sisterhood, the different types of love, the diverse families were everything!
Will be rereading it, and I will definitely recommend it.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings