Hardcover, 290 pages
English language
Published Nov. 16, 1992 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers.
The principal voice is that of Celie, who has been raped by the man she believes to be her father, robbed of her two children, and married off to a man she hates. Her sister, Nettie,e escapes the same fate and is befriended by missionaries, man and wife, who have unwittingly adopted Celie's children. Separated for thirty years, the sisters live in ignorance of each other's circumstances. Nettie's letters do not reach Celie; and so great is Celie's sense of shame that she can write only to God. But life for Celie begins to change color when her husband's lover, a remarkable woman named Shug Avery, comes to live with them.
Honest, poignant, laughing, defiant, The Color Purple is a story about heroic lives, love, and the nature of God, and it breaks new ground in fiction with its portrayal of the bonding of women.
The growth of Celie is one I won't ever get out of my mind.
I feel like I haven't processed the sheer power of this book enough to say I have read it
Set in the southern US in the early 1900s, two sisters separated as kids reach out in letters over 20 years covering Celieโs abuse and troubled marriage before she meets a singer, Shug Avery, a woman who helps Celie free herself from her past.
Probably well written but I couldn't be captivated by the story. Language/culture barrier too big for me.
Beautiful, legendary novel about finding your voice. 100% different than the Steven Spielberg adaptation. Late in finding it but glad I did.
