Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

20 reviews

athenlyrain's review

challenging dark inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

This epistolary book is a hard read and deals with some dark stuff, but

it's worth it for the ending.

Much of the book is written in slang, which might make it harder for some readers, but it's not so heavily written in slang that it takes away from the character development or plot. This is an important story that is good for the soul and I would recommend it to almost anyone who is older than 18.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual content, Grief, Rape, Racism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Physical abuse

Minor: Death, Death of parent, Slavery, and Infertility

avocadotoastbee's review

challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I am speechless. The Color Purple is incredible. I couldn't put the book down. Alice Walker is a genius. The emotions I felt while reading it ranged from deep sadness and shock to gratitude and relief.
It brings attention to so many incredibly important issues: sexual violence, poverty, inequality, and so much more. At the same time, it beautifully shows how women can stick together, grow with our pain, and still love and be loved after all our traumatic experiences.
The deep love Celie and Nettie have for each other as sisters reminded me of my sibling and me.
I'm so glad the story had a happy ending, I couldn't have handled anything else.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker is such an important classic and definitely a must-read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Infertility, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Incest, and Trafficking

Moderate: Confinement and War

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Child abuse, Confinement, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Murder, Police brutality, War, Abandonment, Blood, Death of parent, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Vomit, Bullying, Fatphobia, Genocide, Infertility, Terminal illness, and Violence

There are several relationships with notable age gaps.

jessthanthree's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Racism, Child abuse, Classism, Incest, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Infertility, Death, and Medical content

veganecurrywurst's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.” 

 “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.” 

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Content Warnings

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

ninascozydayreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective 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? Yes

4.0

 I’m always a bit afraid to dive into books that are canonically accepted as “classics”. We can talk for ages and ages about what it takes for a book to be a classic, and the status of classic books, but that doesn’t take away that some books are classics, and others aren’t. The Colour Purple, by all means, is a classic. An American classic to be exact. 

The reason I’m always so afraid to read classics is that I’m afraid I won’t get it. Dense writing? I can do that. Slow moving plots? Not every book can be a Young Adult fast-paced fantasy, and once there’s no actual action in the traditional sense of the word (monsters, guns blazing, corrupt government), a book tends to be “slow moving” pretty quickly. How can the words run if the characters don’t? Plus, I’ve read Anna Karenina and NOTHING can ever bore me as much as that one did. But in classics, authors try to say something more, have striking commentary on the times or social movements. Think of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, about the wish of a black girl to be white. But these stories are so ridden with metaphors and references that I always feel like I’m falling short of understanding it. This fear has only been exacerbated by my own studies in English literature, where you simply HAD to analyse a book over and over again and pick out the tiniest meaning. Therefore, whenever I read a classic, I notice that I cannot review it in a “this is what I liked and this is what I didn’t like” sorta way; I can only analyse it. Which sucks, by the way. 

Yet here I am, having read The Colour Purple, trying to write a sensible review and the only thing I can think of is how jarring the writing is and how well it (obviously) reflects Celie’s education; non-existent. I mean, it’s letters she writes herself, it would have been weird if she did have perfect grammar right? Even though the writing is so jarring, so inconsistent, and so hard to get into, it is exactly what makes this book a masterpiece. It is the perfect example of “show not tell”; we know Celie isn’t the brightest, and can’t write, not because she says so (well she does as well), but because it’s visible in her writing. 

In terms of story; sure it moves slow, but we’re following Celie over years and years. The book isn’t actually as slow as it could have been. It was also surprisingly engaging, as we slowly witness Celie emancipate herself, stand up for herself. It was empowering to read it. 

All-in-all, whether I understood it to the extent of which it needed to be understood or not, I really enjoyed reading this book, and definitely would recommend it to others if you’re looking for something thought provoking, or simply an easy classic to get into. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Alcoholism, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Child death, Infertility, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

queserasara's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Infertility, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

s_reads_s's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Incest, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Racism, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Infertility, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Death, and Colonisation

Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Death of parent, and Drug use

starrygal's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective sad medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Racial slurs, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Incest, Infertility, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Slavery and Suicidal thoughts

lalu's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

gelesen in 2021

When 14 years old, Celie begins writing letters to God. About being raped by her father, the death of her mother, herself getting married to a widower, falling in love with a female singer - and about the life as person of colour in the southern USA in the first half of the 20th century.

Written in an emotional but at the same time very direct and matter-of-fact way in the southern dialect, one can not avoid asking oneself how many people must have lived through parts of this fictional story. And still do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Sexism

Moderate: Grief and Homophobia

Minor: Slavery, Addiction, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, Infertility, Chronic illness, and Drug abuse