Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

117 reviews

dredadonx's review

dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This seminal work by Alice Walker has been a great inspiration for many black women and marginalized genders to embrace the art of storytelling and gather its themes on love, family, grief, and interpersonal relationships. 

Walker has made this emblem that has inspired two adaptations, the one in the 90s that featured Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, and Laurence Fishburn, and the newest one that was released on Christmas of 2023, which featured Fantasia, Halle Bailey, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks. and more. 

 The book is set in 1900s, reconstruction America in the Jim Crow Era, so the historical narrative in regards to race, class, and gender are an important context into the book. 
 
One of the things that really made me cry was reading through the trauma that Celie, who is our main protagonist and is a darkskinned black woman in the story, faces so many trials and tribulations due to the colorism she faces from her family and her subsequent forced marriage to Mister, who really wanted her lightskinned sister. Celie undergoes many abuses under Mister due to the patriarchy and male dominant society that pressures women into marriage and motherhood as if that is ALL they are good for. Patriarchy teaches men to see women as inferior, to dominate and subdue through SA, physical abuse, and neglect. 

This book was very good and I am actually upset that it took me this long to read it smh. My goal is to try to read as much of the African American/African continental literary classics for 2024 because I am definitely, long overdue.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Violence

emilinaballerina's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Sexual assault

susannah_knox's review

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.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Racism, Violence, Colonisation, and Racial slurs

annieogg's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Violence, Emotional abuse, Incest, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Colonisation, Death of parent, Eating disorder, and Sexual content

Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Suicidal thoughts

risemini's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, War, Incest, Racism, and Sexual content

anastasia_okodure's review

dark 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? No

3.5

I enjoyed Celie's narrative and personal development, as well as the parallels between the story’s protagonists, but I admittedly did not resonate with many of the characters in the story: I found all the relationships and their changes quite confusing and frustrating, which I think made it difficult to feel a connection. The story ebbed and flowed, with its saving grace being the constant love and affection expressed between the two sisters and the ending to their story. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Rape, Drug use, Slavery, Pregnancy, Incest, Death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual assault

courn's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Physical abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity

Minor: Abandonment, Body shaming, and Death of parent

clovetra's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense slow-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

i am an inch away from crying over that last chapter my heart is breaking in the best way. i understand now why this story is a classic. 

this story captivated me in so many ways. to begin with, i will admit i was not enjoying this story. i found reading through celie’s poor spelling made it quite difficult for me to grasp what was happening, and many times i had to refer to summaries to understand what was happening. but as the novel progresses, you see celie become more educated, and it at least became easier for me to read as the words were spelled correctly. i do have to admit in retrospect i love the concept of displaying a character’s intelligence through purposefully misspelling passages, but whilst i was reading it did become a bit grating. i also found it difficult to understand the time span between events - i struggled to understand the progression of time, but i have a feeling this isn’t an issue on walker’s behalf, but my own.

this was an incredibly beautiful story. i have to say my favourite chapters would’ve been hands down the

letters nettie wrote to celie

, i loved exploring the land of olinka and how

celie’s kids

are fairing over there, especially the plot line with tasha. i also love how celie’s relationship with shug isn’t really questioned in a homophobic way. i know this is historical fiction and i truly was expecting some homophobia, but i was pleasantly surprised & relieved none of the main characters made homophobic remarks. sometimes i just want some wholesome women love, and that’s what this book was.

i will say i did not enjoy seeing how celie’s life was before shug. i know it was necessary to show celie’s character growth, and im not mad at it, but truly that was one of the reasons i think i didn’t enjoy the beginning. it felt like kicking a horse when she’s down.

my god were the side characters delectable. i’ll say easily my favourites were sophia and squeaks, with a cute mention to nettie & tashi. there were a lot of side characters and i will say i have no idea who a lot of them were simply because i lost track.

overall, this was a beautiful stories, covering the lows of celie’s life of abuse at the hands of men, and the highs of celie’s life because of the women she surrounds herself with, and the men around her who have grown to see celie for what she is - a queen.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Incest, Racial slurs, Rape, and Colonisation

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Violence, and Sexism

Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Abandonment

peterockshakur's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Rape, Racism, and Racial slurs

natraf_reads's review

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Rape, Pregnancy, Grief, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Violence