Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Color Purple

A beautiful story about human connection, forgiveness, and how love transcends through time and hardship. I loved the exploration of sexuality both through Celie and Shug Avery. My favourite part of the book was the question of who or what is god and Shugs argument that god is in everything and everyone, truly is the most beautiful explanation of spirituality. I was not expecting a redemption arc for Albert and I was expecting even less that I would be into a redemption arc but that is what I love about this book is the complexity of humanity and the lengths of forgiveness given to allow for the characters to make mistakes and make some attempt at reparations. Alice Walker truly is an amazing and complex writer. The relationship between Nettie and Celie was beautiful and reminded me of the unbreakable relationship between me and my sister. I only wish we had gotten a glimpse into how Nettie reacted to Celie and Shug Avery’s relationship- I love how open and unapologetic she was through letters and, eventually, with those around her and how they accepted her as is. I wish I had read this when I took English so I could write essays about it.

Content Warnings

emilinaballerina's review

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-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? Yes

5.0

Re-read so good I emailed my HS English teacher. I don’t really have anything to say about this book that hasn’t already been said by people who are much more eloquent than I am, but it honestly can't be praised enough. This book is truly a work of art. It is a real triumph of literature and storytelling. The only book ever. If there is one book everyone should read in their life, it’s this one. I feel like I will be thanking Alice Walker for the rest of my life. Miss Celie, you will always be famous <3

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lana_taylor23's review

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective 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

3.0

The only reason I rated this 3 starts is because it’s very different from what I normally enjoy reading but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. Not everything you read has to be light; if that statement resonates with you then don’t be afraid to pick up this highly acclaimed book.

Content Warnings

li_gao's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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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susannah_knox's review

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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'm so so glad I decided to re-read this book. I remembered the atmosphere but not the plot, so the way the story and the voices of the characters evolved surprised and delighted me. Just a beautiful and timeless book.

Content Warnings

meyn's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad 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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