Rating: 
Summary: The Color Purple
Review: The Color Purple by Alice Walker is and extraordinary novel. It takes place in a southern black community during the 1920s when racial injustices were prominent. The novel deals with the hardships of an African American woman named Celie. These hardships included being raped by her father and giving birth to two of his children to have them taken away. She is also separated from her loving sister Nettie and is married young to an abusive husband. The entire first half of the novel is Celie writting a journal entry to God as a way to deal with her troubles. A very outspoken free and beautiful woman named Shug Avery comes to live with Celie and her husband when she become sick. It is through Shug that Celie discovers a loving relationship. It is also through another friend named Sofia that Celie realzies how to be strong and deal with her circumstances. Shug and Celie come across years of letters to Celie from her sister in Africa. Her husband had been keeping them from her. She then begins to write her journal entries to her sister instead of to God. We discover that Celie's children are with Nettie and a missionary couple in Africa. Now the reader learns about the Olinka way of life and traditions and how the woman are also abused in this tribe. The novel deals with the hardships of black woman being abused by people of their own race, the white race, and in a different country. It is very powerful to see how these strong woman try to overcome their obstacles in an attempt to obtain a better way of life. The style of writting is enjoyable and easy to read at any time. I feel that The Color Purple would be and especially meaningful novel for young woman to read.
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Summary: Love is All you need
Review: I believe this book changed my perspective on life drastically. Many people had told me that this was an excellent book, but you have to read it for yourself.
The characters are as vivid as real people, and each character has their own unique perspective on life. The story follows Celie through her childhood and into her old age, but the book flows so well that it is somewhat of a surprise to find her so old in the end. The style in which it was written makes picking it up whenever very easy. But, because Celie did not have a very good education, it can be difficult, at times, to understand what she is talking about.
This book is for anyone and everyone. It is much more than a woman's search for love and happiness in a time of struggle, it is the story of life. Everyone is looking for something; some of us find it when we are young, others when we are old, but for those of us who never find it: this is your hope. Celie always held on to her hope, and it proves that (even if it is fiction) anyone can survive if she can.
Rating: 
Summary: A great novel
Review: Alice Walker did a wonderful job in writing this novel and the only thing that I am upset with is that it took me so long to pick up this wonderful book. Celie, is a dynamic character who has the most generous and forgiving heart, but I found Shug to be Celie's guardian angel from Albert's rage and violence. The relationships between the characters were so dynamic and evolved in a manner that confused me, but kept me reading for more. If you have only watched the movie then you have not truly received the core meaning of the "Color Purple". All I have to say is read the book and judge the characters and their lives for yourself.
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Summary: A Triumph of the Spirit
Review: "The Color Purple" tells the heartbreaking story of Celie, a young black girl growing up in the reconstruction era of the American South. Through a series of poignant letters to both God and to her sister, Nettie, Celie tells us the turbulent story of her life and the events that shaped it...events ranging from childhood abuse to success and wealth as an adult.I realize that this book is often assigned to high school students, but that does not mean it is easy reading...not by a long shot. The themes presented in "The Color Purple" are very adult and very advanced. Additionally, the pictures Walker paints of Celie's abuse (both emotional and physical) are extraordinarily vivid and may upset some more sensitive readers, no matter what their age. They will certainly leave a lasting imprint on any reader who is not completely and totally hard-hearted. Celie is a woman who, despite the extreme hardships of her life, possesses intelligence, good humor, sensitivity and kindness in abundance. It is very easy to become attached to the generous and strong Celie and feel both extreme sympathy for her and empathy with her. Although much of this complex book is dark and oppressive, the last third is quite uplifting and well worth the wait. This is a well-written book but I did think the sad scenes were a touch too melodramatic and the happy scenes slightly over-romanticized. The book is so good, however, that I'm willing to overlook what I felt was a small fault. The characters are so good, so lifelike, so fully-drawn, that any over-dramatization is easily forgiven. It might be difficult for some readers to become accustomed to the rather strange style of Celie's letters. Celie is an uneducated girl and her language shows it. My advice would be to persevere, keep reading and in just a little while anyone will become so caught up in Celie's story, that the letters will flow and the pages will simply fly by. Some readers might find this book simply too depressing to read. If they do, then they are missing its central message and theme. Yes, much of the book does consist of tragic happenings and depressing scenes, but ultimately, "The Color Purple" is a triumph, one of the most uplifting and even joyous books I have yet to read. "The Color Purple" is a book in which men are the "bad guys" and women the "good guys." I have heard some readers complain about this. Those who do must consider the time period in which this story is set. Celie was born in the late 1800s...a time in America when men were quite dominating and women were relagated to a "backseat" role in life. Their will was subjugated to the will of the men in their life. It is no surprise that Celie draws both strength and love from the women around her rather than from the men. Life, during Celie's day was extremely difficult, especially for a woman. But Celie is an extraordinary person...a person who knows how it feels to be abused, oppressed and subjugated into almost total annihilation. And, she also knows the joy of surviving, and overcoming, that abuse and oppression. She knows how it feels to find strength within herself, to become content, peaceful and serene. Ultimately, Celie is a woman who finds the capacity within her to create her own life and she creates a life filled with the magic of love. I think anyone who can find it in his or her heart to not love Celie must be missing a vital piece of that heart. Celie is the most unforgettable character I have yet to meet and she is the fictional character who most tugged at my heart and burrowed into my soul. "The Color Purple" is more than a novel. It is a triumph of the spirit of man. Or, more precisely, it is the triumph of the spirit of one extraordinary woman, a woman anyone would be proud to know.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Very Good....
Review: I can understand how some people might find this book good but to me it was just plain confusing. There are too many characters and it is very hard to keep track of who she is talking about and who she's talking too. Plus, you don't know weither she is saying something or thinking something because there is no quotations used (at least that was the case in the version of the book that I have) to tell the difference between thoughts and dialogue.
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Summary: A Very Colorful Novel
Review: It is easy to read, but it is not easy to forget. After finishing "The Color Purple" I still have those characters in my mind and think of them. In a nutshell, it is an epistolary novel about two black sister who have been apart from many years. In these letters, some addressed to God and some from one sister to the other, they talk about their lives, and at the same time the draw a huge picture of the condition of black people during some years of the XX Century. Most letters are written by Celie, the sister who is sold to man, after being raped by her father. In her life, she has never had any kind of pleausure until she meets Shug, a singer and devoted passion of her husband. After living a time with Shug, they become friends, and this friendship will lead both of them to take never-imagined huge steeps in ther lives. Most we learn comes from Celie's point of view, and it is fascinating to see her opinion about many things changing through the novel and her life as well. To me, one of the most dramatic changes is the way she thinks of God, and after it, she is ready to take new a daring paths in her life. Alice Walker's style is complex and demanding. Her use of Language is very impressive, once she reproduces Celie's writting. At first it reads a bit difficult, but once you get in, it is impossible not to fall for Celie's hope, courage and innocence. Nettie's letter that arrive in the middle of the novel give a new breath to the narrative. They show another perspective of a black woman's life. She is a missionare and goes to Africa. The novel tackles it genuinely important subjests, like racism, fear, male domination and female submission, African native costumes against European and American ways of lives. But the strongest theme in this novel is the racism -- or better saying how much of descrimination a black woman has to face, even from black people. To finish, I see Celie, Nettie, Shug and Sofia the same personna. They all represente different perspectives of Celie -- or the black woman's condition in general. Shug is the happiness, the arts; Nettie means the African roots, the political conscience; and Sofia is the physical strengh that one has to use sometimes in order to deal with some problems. 'The Color Purple' is not only purple, but as colorful as a rainbow when it comes to characters, deep of situations and writing; and it is a book that must be discovered more and more by everybody.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!!
Review: I read this book for the first time at the age of 10 and have read it at least 30 times since. I have never hoped for a happy ending to any novel I have read in the past like I did for this one. The characters are not just characters they become friends, family and enemies. There is not a day that goes by when this book does not have some affect on my actions and opinions. A truely brilliant novel.
Rating:
Summary: Endearing
Review: Being a required read for a college course, I wondered what I was in for. Pleasantly surprised I liked the story and trained myself to read it in the style is it written (the movie does justice to the way the book presents the style.) Don't overlook the gem!
Rating:
Summary: Review on The Color Purple
Review: Alice Walker composed a true work of art when she wrote THE COLOR PURPLE . The story tells of Celie; a black woman living in the South during the early 1900's. Celie lives a rough life with no pleasures until she meets Shug Avery, a woman who changes Celie's outlook on the world. She learns she doesn't need to be controlled and dominated by the men around her. Celie discovers emotions she never knew existed and tells of her journey in search of love. Walker's simplistic style is bold and realistic. The novel transports the reader into the lives of its characters and shows whst it means to be black and to be a woman. It delivers powerful views and is a book evryone should experience.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing...
Review: I watched the movie a long time ago and I was assigned to read "The Color Purple" for my American Literature class. This is the type of book that makes you want to always have a book to read. A very easy and enjoyable read. In a way it can help you put your life in perspective.
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