Set in the deep American south between the wars, this is the classic tale of Celie, a young poor black girl. Raped repeatedly by her father, she loses two children and then is married off to a man who treats her no better than a slave. She is separated from her sister Nettie and dreams of becoming like the glamorous Shug Avery, a singer and rebellious black woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Gradually Celie discovers the support of women that enables her to leave the past behind and begin a new life.
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| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
ONE OF THE BBC '100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD'
'A lush celebration of all that it means to be a black female'
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
'A story about Black women living in the intersections of racialized and gendered violence, who find liberation through community with each other. A brutal and beautiful novel'
Brit Bennett
'Every single time I read this book, I walk away as a slightly better person than I was when I picked it up'
Tayari Jones
'I think that The Color Purple was the first book that made me think that I could try to be a writer - or that made me aware that a young black woman from the South could write about the South'
Jesmyn Ward
'I got the book and read it, in one day, when it came out. And then I went back, the next day, and bought every copy they had'
Oprah Winfrey
Sisters Celie and Nettie share the pain and struggle of growing up as African American women in early twentieh-century rural Georgia. Forced into an abusive marriage, at least Celie can offer Nettie refuge from their violent father in her new home - until Nettie catches the attention of Celie's husband and is forced to leave and forge her own journey.
Through a series of letters spanning twenty years - first from Celie to God, then between the two sisters - they manage to sustain their hope in each other across time, distance and silence, in a triumph of resilience, bravery and ultimately, love.
The Color Purple features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Book Club Recommendations, Classic fiction: general and literary, eBooks of the Month, General Fiction, Sharing Diverse Voices, Fiction, Recommendations, LGBTQ+ Fiction
The Color Purple is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Color Purple was written by Alice Walker and published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson an imprint of Orion
The Color Purple has 288 pages
£17.09
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