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hswhite'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
However, I was not prepared for the scenes of sexual violence the book opens with, and Walker doesn’t shy away from trauma. What she does well is show inter-generational trauma, grief, forgiveness, love, and eventually healing through the complex and evolving relationships between Celie and her family members.
Graphic: Sexual violence and Rape
kia_y_k'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
Moderate: Classism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Grief, Police brutality, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Slavery, Addiction, Alcohol, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Drug use, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, and Sexual content
taofeeqah'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
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual violence
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
gwynethburns21's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Slavery
eventuee'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
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, Incest, Sexual violence, and Violence
niareads78'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: Child abuse, Sexual violence, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Misogyny, Police brutality, Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, and Racism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
shelbs_can_try'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
Additionally, the new movie is great, and I would highly recommend it.
Moderate: Racism, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence
maliahdestiny'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
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Racism, Sexual violence, and Child abuse
nclausel25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Incest, Colonisation, Sexual violence, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Alcohol