It is stunning - moving, exciting and wonderful' Lenny Henry'The Color Purple needs no category other than the fact that it is superb' Rita Mae Brown'The great irony about The Color Purple is that it transcends colour.About the Book Originally published: New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982.īook Synopsis The inspiration for the new film adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Alice Walker's iconic modern classic. 'One of the most haunting books you could ever wish to read. Beloved by generations of readers, The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery.ĭeeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker's epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey towards redemption and love. And gradually Celie discovers the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves. Abused repeatedly by the man she calls 'father', Celie has two children taken away from her and is trapped into an ugly marriage.īut then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic-maker - a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance and silence through a series of letters spanning twenty years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown. '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 WardĪ powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. 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 'The Color Purple is my go-to comfort novel. I love that The Color Purple doesn't try to soften its blows but is also courageous enough to hold on to a wonderfully affirming faith in possibility, in forgiveness and kindness and hope' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ''A lush celebration of all that it means to be a black female. THE ICONIC CLASSIC, WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE ONE OF THE BBC 100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD

The color purple book author