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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
This book is said to be a sequel to The Color Purple, so I read it eagerly. The Color Purple is one of my favorite books I have ever read. The feel in Temple of My Familiar, however, is quite different. It does not have the endearing protagonist, gorgeous language, and narrator that its prequel had, but has many many s storytellers and storylines, sometimes overlapping, sometimes not, sometimes in first person, sometimes third. It is sweeping and huge. It's covers gender and race and marriage and colonialism and sexuality. It's too vast to say what it's about; it's about everything.
As a story, there is a throughline, but it is much more about ALL the stories. Four people find each other, fall apart, come together again, and their lives sprawl lifetimes and continents and multiple marriages and identities. What is beautiful, something that I have long loved Alice Walker for, is the way she resolves relationships. Broken marriages and friendships heal, find new meaning, once they reject what society tells them they are SUPPOSED to be, and agree to be what they ARE.
I also love Walker's representation of the maturing woman. She writes women who find themselves, who settle into a calmness and ripeness that carries peace about identity, a contentment with life that doesn't deny pain, but rather believes in strength. These women know their own power and sexuality, know their own spirit and the spirit of those who went before, know that they can survive anything, know that they don't need men or colonists or public praise.
Walker presents again a parade of people so distinct as to feel utterly real, as she weaves deep metaphysical truths about human experience into an epic that crosses continents and generations, not to mention genders and perspectives. It's worth the read for Mama Shug's gospel and Miss Lissie's quotes of wisdom alone.
As a story, there is a throughline, but it is much more about ALL the stories. Four people find each other, fall apart, come together again, and their lives sprawl lifetimes and continents and multiple marriages and identities. What is beautiful, something that I have long loved Alice Walker for, is the way she resolves relationships. Broken marriages and friendships heal, find new meaning, once they reject what society tells them they are SUPPOSED to be, and agree to be what they ARE.
I also love Walker's representation of the maturing woman. She writes women who find themselves, who settle into a calmness and ripeness that carries peace about identity, a contentment with life that doesn't deny pain, but rather believes in strength. These women know their own power and sexuality, know their own spirit and the spirit of those who went before, know that they can survive anything, know that they don't need men or colonists or public praise.
Walker presents again a parade of people so distinct as to feel utterly real, as she weaves deep metaphysical truths about human experience into an epic that crosses continents and generations, not to mention genders and perspectives. It's worth the read for Mama Shug's gospel and Miss Lissie's quotes of wisdom alone.
slow-paced
reading this immediately after Homegoing put it at a disadvantage, although it was interesting to notice some substantial similarities in structure.
I am continually humbled by how challenging it is to read fiction. This was my first Alice Walker work, and I'm sort of delighted that I'll get to read The Color Purple already knowing the characters' backstories. It took me longer than usual to finish this book, so going back and reading the passages I highlighted was supremely useful. Walker's voice is clear and direct. It is urgent.
At first, I thought this novel was very strange. I was expecting, and looking forward to, a sequel to The Color Purple but I had to read a third of the book before I was able to make the connection between the characters of this book and The Color Purple. This book does not follow any chronological order and jumps from the experiences and insights of one character to the next with little to no warning. But, once I allowed myself to just follow along I realized how much I enjoyed the stories each character presented. Alice Walker describes this book as an ode to ancestors and I have to agree. There is so much to soak and learn about human history, African history and the history of womankind. The female characters in particular allow the reader to understand so much of how are history and present are intertwined and dependent on one another. This book is more of an experience than a novel and I look forward to the next installment in the Color Purple series.
The good:
Sublimely written.
The bad:
The ending felt anemic.
While most of the book I have no problem with, there are flashes of profoundly irritating gender politics that verge on gender essentialism.
Sublimely written.
The bad:
The ending felt anemic.
While most of the book I have no problem with, there are flashes of profoundly irritating gender politics that verge on gender essentialism.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
God I loved this book, it lives in my brain rent free at all times, this book owns my ass into the fifth dimension.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Racism
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty