The Color Purple is a beautiful story narrated in letters. Some of the letters are addressed to God. The rest are mainly letters between two sisters, Nettie and Celia. The protagonist is Celia. She is a black woman living in the South. Celia tells of her torment and abuse in the hands of different men starting with her father. The story is first narrated by Celia in her letters to God. The second set of letters is from Nettie to Celia. The two sisters were separated when Celia got married.
The story is set from 1900 to 1940’s. It has some really good twists.
“Everything want to be loved. Us sing and dance and holler, just trying to be loved.”
― Alice Walker, The Color Purple
The Color Purple has a powerful theme of feminism. As readers, we get to see Celia’s transformation through her letters. She transforms from a victim to an independent, confident woman.
I really enjoyed reading The Color Purple by Alice Walker. I used to look forward to getting home from work so that I could get lost in the pages of the story. I thought about Celia and could picture her through her journey to a strong woman. I had this image of Shug Avery too. She was strong, beautiful and confident. I could also picture Nettie and especially the Olinkas as their lives transformed with the colonialism. At the end of the book, there were a few pages about Alice Walker with photos of her family from back in the 1930’s. They are beautiful photos that also tell the story of the author. This was a beautiful book that I am sure will stay with me for a very long time.
About the Book
Title: The Color Purple
Author: Alice Walker
Pages: 142
Rating: 5 stars
“All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my uncles. A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men. But I never thought I’d have to fight in my own house. She let out her breath. I loves Harpo, she say. God knows I do. But I’ll kill him dead before I let him beat me.”
― Alice Walker, The Color Purple
A Haven for Book Lovers 