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rory1387'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
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Rape and Incest
studiouspoppy'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
5.0
Will be rereading it, and I will definitely recommend it.
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Slavery
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and War
saojimenez'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: Colonisation, Death of parent, Racism, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Rape, and Sexism
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
missrosymaplemoth's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Abandonment
jadziaaudrey'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Colonisation, Grief, Drug use, Death of parent, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Medical trauma, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: War and Slavery
aliciamanautou'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: Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
butterflyy_'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
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Sexism
icarus_has_risen'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
4.5
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Racial slurs, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Incest, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape