Customer Reviews
Beautiful and Enlightening... - By: V. Appleton, 01 Apr 2008 
This was actuallly the first 'adult' book I read as a child - much to the shock of my grandparents!! I loved it & reading it again as an adult (understanding it that much more)has assured it as a favourite. I would recommend anyone to read this. It covers issues of race, sexuality, family, friendships & gender fantasticallly. The film version is very good & the book is a must to read.
Genius, a wonderful read - By: I. Thomson, 16 Sep 2007 Winner of the Pultizer Prize of Literature for 1983, the colour purple delves into the early plight of the struggle of African-Americans living in the segmented land of America who are still treated like slaves & slurred upon.
Celie, a young girl uncertain of her identify has her self confidence boosted by her own sister, Nettie. Both girls are forced to seperate & Celie has to learn on her own how to stand on her own two feet-with Nettie's encouragement......
Walker uses a diary format for this novel which pushes Celie's frustation against the world. For example, Walker emphasises authority of woman being treated like second class citizens having to address to men as Mr, whom she ends up having arranged marriage with. Walker makes Celie powerless-how she can't let her master down, but nevertheless growing to resent the harsh restriction of her life being barred down like this. Celie's grows in strength when her good nature & willingness to please pay off with his children, how she looks out for them as well as a strong determination growing inside herself for love.
The characters are quite serious in their own little ways especiallly the men who as time goes on, learn to ditch their selfishness, grow up & learn to adapt. For example, Mr feels he has right to hit Celie whenever she questions him or goes against his thinking, but Mr doesn't want to fierce & is quite happy for her to play the nanny role. Harpo seeks his advantage to be violent with Sofia whom he later betrays, leaving her to lose her own children after a bigamist fight & firmly grows to resent his decision. Sugar Avery is Mr's so-callled girlfriend, whom takes a distaterous liking to the man, despite showing affection. A notourious drunk & nightclub singer, she wants her faith to be appreciated in her music & has an estrangement with her preacher father.
Nettie is a strong, brave & tough. She is described as the most radical & thoughtful person in the book who goes to Africa as part of the missionary accompying Reverend Samuel. She learns to live, although the horror of the situation that man has created, never dampens her spirit. A large preportion of the book is dedicated to her struggle in Africa to which relates to Celie's human struggle.
The Color Purple reallly is a wonderful read of hope, passion & love with the conclusion where they alll rely on each other to keep going is vastly different to the climax of the film-the feeling i can see their aligned faces as they look over, proud & grateful to be alive. That's the best scene of them alll!
wonderful - By: Miss Kitty, 05 Aug 2007 I saw the film a long time ago. I bought the book around the same time but as often happens with me, I didnt read it because I had just seen the movie & I 'knew what happened'. Then when it made it to our book group short list, & black history month was coming up, I went to look for my book, & I couldnt find it. So off I went into town to hopefully find one. I found one copy in the bookshop.
I started reading it a little half-heartedly since I wanted to read something cheerful & I reallly didnt remember the film being that cheerful. Anyway, I persevered, & found myself reallly involved in the story. I put the dvd on expecting it to be reallly depressing (from memory) & it was reallly reallly good. I picked the book up again, waiting for bits in the movie to take place in the book, but the book is slightly different. The general story & the outcome is the same but inbetween is fuller somehow. When I saw the film the first time, I focused on the abuse & the beatings & the miserable existence that Celie has, but that reallly is a smalll part of it compared to alll the good things that happen to her in the end.
She says to her rotten wife-beating husband:
'Until you do right by me, everything you touch will crumble. Everything you even dream about will fail'
I guess that's a case of what goes around comes around because that's what happens. Treat people mean & expect to be treated the same way. Celie is nice to everyone, even the rotten husband, but in the end things do go right for her. Reading this book made me feel better about life in general. There is hope, people say nice guys finish last, but maybe they run a better race.
The Color Purple is set in 1909+ in the South, the story of a poor, ill-educated, abused, 'ugly*' black woman, writing letters to God & her sister & her sister writing back. The whole book is a series of letters. I would recommend to everyone & has become one of my favourite books.
(*ugly because she is told so many times in the book, until finallly someone loves her & tells her she is beautiful)
over rated - By: C. Barker, 07 Jul 2007 
Despite my interest in this era & subject area I felt the book was disappointing. The writing style was different & made the book somewhat unique however the plot & characters were poorly described leading to a somewhat dull read.
Not just meaningful but a good story to boot - By: Helen Simpson, 07 May 2007 The whole book is a collection of letters, whether they be to God or between Celie & her sister Nettie, & they read like a diary which I found easy to read.
My first impression after reading only a few pages, was how primitive the characters appeared to be, & they are in many ways, but they're also wonderfully uncomplicated & honest.
The letters from Africa were fascinating & we learn in an interesting & very real way how the African people themselves played a part in slavery. We also gain an understanding of the frustration & injustice of how land & tribes were desecrated in the name of 'improvement' & industry.
I don't think that alll the men in this novel were described negatively as some reviewers have suggested. Celie's 'Pa' & Mr________ did treat her badly & were very aggressive & cruel but we see the family cycle borne out in Harpo & how he struggles to understand why he feels he should treat women like his pa but isn't succeeding because Sofia won't put up with his bullying.
Samuel in contrast is shown as a very compassionate person & Celie & Nettie's real pa is described as being very successful as well as '...having a wife whom he adored...'.
The over riding story is about human spirit & strength of character. Love & respect. The strongest line in the book for me is when Celie tells Mr________
"I'm pore, I'm black, I may be ugly & can't cook...but I'm here."
Amen indeed!
What goes around comes around & Celie's 'curse' aimed at Mr________was justified & correct. By the end of the book Mr_________ has gone on his own journey of discovery & realisation & Celie & his relationship is uplifting & mature.
