About this title: Celie is a poor black woman whose letters tell the story of 20 years of her life, beginning at age 14 when she is being abused and raped by her father and attempting to protect her sister from the same fate, and continuing over the course of her marriage to "Mister," a brutal man who terrorizes her. Celie eventually learns that her abusive husband has been keeping her sister's letters from her and the rage she feels, combined with an example of love and independence provided by her close friend Shug, pushes her finally toward an awakening of her creative and loving self.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harvest Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780156028356ISBN:0156028352
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Very minor corner curling on three corners. Covers are straight, crisp and free of creases. No creasing on spine. Text is clean and bright. Binding is tight. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 300 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
I quit. Half the time I don't even like this book. Why does it have to be The Color Purple? Why not the color green? This story confused, inspired and disturbed me. There were times when I struggled with the way the book was set up. Other times I felt disturbed by the way Celie was treated. I was inspired by the way Celie made it through her struggle.
Starting off, The Color Purple confused me from the beginning by the way the chapters started. Each chapter started with "Dear God", making it hard for me to know what chapter I would be approaching. The broken language confused me as well. In this book they used words such as ya"ll, mammy, naw and more. When those words are put into a sentence it makes the story not only hard to read, but hard to understand.
In addition, I found The Color Purple inspiring. The struggle for Celie to become a free woman inspired me. Disrespected, beaten and cursed at, and yet Celie was still able to fight for her freedom. The power for Celie to overcome her freedom touched me. Through every struggle she stayed strong and she never gave up on herself. She wasn't a quitter. The fact that she was independent and strong touched me.
Lastly, this book came off disturbing. Celie when wrong would get beat by her husband Albert. He disrespected and treated her poorly, making the story not only disturbing, but sad. Albert didn't show Celie the care she deserved. She deserved to be treated with respect and love. Celie needed a husband that would show her he cared by never beating her nor cursing at her. A husband is supposed to love you wrong from right. Well not Celie's husband.
To conclude, I don't think the title fit this book. But either way, by reading my essay you could understand why I found this book disturbing, confusing and inspiring. Everyone has their own decision or outlook on a book. So read this book and find out what you think of it. You might love it or hate it, or you could be like me and like it and hate it at the same time. Check it out."
"Here's a book I want to recommend to the best women in my life. Don't be put off if you've already seen the film - about halfway through the book, it becomes another animal entirely. As a child, I watched the film a number of times and really enjoyed it, but after reading the book, I'm somewhat appalled that its message was so watered down.
The book is an epistolary novel (a form composed of "letters" rather than the traditional chapter structure) - unusual in this day and age, but something that was all the rage in 18th century Europe. I appreciated the brevity of each "chapter/letter" as well as the use of the vernacular, which is also rarely used these days. I felt as though I was hearing the character of Celie as clearly as if she was talking to me. The unfair treatment she received at the hands of men was brutal and frustrating as she would simply carry on, until she met Shug Avery and through the discovery of love, she is encouraged to turn her fate around (and not in a quick, brutal fashion, as she originally wants).
The lesbian relationships in the book surprised me a bit at first - but there is nothing lascivious in their execution, nor did Walker make me feel like a voyeur. In other words, instead of writing sex scenes to "get readers off", Walker's way of writing them was more of a reflection of a movement: a physical movement, a peace movement, a women's liberation movement. I was less interested in the middle part of the book, when Nettie's letters begin describing the Olinka tribe of Africa and we are "away" from Celie, although she is the one reading them. But that part of the book has merit as well - describing the patronization felt by Africans by their African-American descendants "coming to their rescue" and the way the two religious cultures coerce and clash with each other.
The one part of the book that I definitely wasn't sold on was the very end. I simply didn't believe that Nettie had survived - what happened with the sinking ship - was she simply not on it? I almost felt as though Walker tied things up in a bow at the end, having everyone together for a reunion and then Nettie and her family finally showing up... although while reading it, I got choked up with emotion.
No matter. It's still one of the better books I've read in a while: A complex social commentary rendered with superficial simplicity, refreshingly presented through an original format. Read it!"
"Before I read this book I was going to read Roots for my English project. Then halfway through it I realized I wasn't going to be able to finish it in time. Pathetic right? So my mom looked up this book and said that I would like it, plus I would be able to finish it. At first I was a little nervous to read a book that my MOM recommended, so I asked my friends about it. Some had heard of it, but never read or seen it. Others praised it. So eventually I gave in and bought the book. As soon as I opened to the first page I was immediately hooked. At first I was a little disturbed, but I think that is what Alice Walker was trying to portray. The way Mrs. Walker writes defiantly moved me. I could feel all the emotions Celie was feeling through out the entire book. I cried, got angry, and then cried like a baby again at the end. The book was so amazing that just now as I was looking for quotes I found myself reading it over again. I had to force myself to keep my mind on my work. The way she puts God in it is surprising. Writing to God? Honestly I have never heard of doing that. The plot is great and very captivating, though there are some parts I felt like skipping. They sometimes got a little slow, but they did hold information that was needed for the story line. The best part of the book in my opinion is when Celie began to question God so she put her trust in her sister whom she didn't know if she was dead or alive. It affected me a lot at that time because that was how I was a couple years back. I didn't know who to trust or anything. Reading this brought back a lot of memories. But anyway, the book is a must read for all above the ages of 12."
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