The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Set in the early 20th century, the novel is an epistolary tale of a young African-American woman named Celie, living in the South. She faces constant abuse and hardship, first from her father and then from her husband. The story unfolds through her letters written to God and her sister Nettie, revealing her emotional journey from oppression to self-discovery and independence, aided by her relationships with strong women around her. The narrative explores themes of racism, sexism, domestic violence, and the power of sisterhood and love.
The 157th greatest book of all time
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- Published
- 1982
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Medium
- Pages
- 250-350
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(4.3)
- Alternate Titles
-
- A Cor Púrpura
- Boja Purpura
- Il Colore Viola
- The Colour Purple
- The Colour Purple By Alice Walker Hardcover
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This book is on the following 62 lists:
- 3rd on 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature (The Center for Fiction)
- 5th on Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels (Radcliffe Publishing Course)
- 6th on Books Of The Century (Library Journal)
- 8th on Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century (themodernnovel.com)
- 8th on PEOPLE Picks the Best Books From the 1980s (PEOPLE Magazine)
- 9th on The Celebrity Reading List (Gardiner Public Library)
- 11th on 100 Best Books to Read by Women Authors (Good Housekeeping)
- 18th on The Best Southern Novels of All Time (Oxford American)
- 18th on Waterstone's Books of the Century (LibraryThing)
- 25th on The 50 best books of the past 100 years (The Times)
- 30th on The new modern classics — the nation’s favourite 20th century novels (The Times)
- 36th on Taking off the Reading Gloves (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
- 37th on America’s 100 Favorite Books (WordsRated)
- 41st on The Triangle’s 100 Best (The Publishing Triangle)
- 45th on Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Entertainment Weekly)
- 50th on 50 Best-Loved Novels Written by a Woman (United Kingdom) (Guardian)
- 56th on The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians (Bookman.com)
- 65th on The 100 Best Novels Of All Time In English (The Guardian)
- 83rd on Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 85th on 100 Best Western(United States) Works of Fiction (San Francisco Chronicle)
- 92nd on The Greatest Books of All Time (Reader's Digest)
- 112th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 136th on The Big Read (BBC)
- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (1,000 Books to Read Before You Die(Book))
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Best 20th-Century American Books (Hungry Mind Review)
- 100 Great 20th Century English-language Works of Fiction by Women (Feminista!)
- 100 Life-Changing Books (National Book Award)
- 100 Novels That Shaped Our World (BBC)
- 125 Books We Love for Adults (NY Public Library)
- 12 Novels Considered the Greatest Book Ever Written (Encyclopedia Britannica)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- 25 Books by Black Authors You Should Read This February (Oprah Daily)
- 500 Must Read Books (The Daily Telegraph)
- 50 Books to Read Before You Die (Barnes and Noble)
- 75 Books by Women Whose Words Have Changed the World (Women's National Book Association)
- 87 Books Written by Women That Are So Good, You Won't Be Able to Put Them Down (Pop Sugar)
- A Century of Reading (Lithub)
- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life (The Daily Mail)
- A Response to David Handlin’s “One Hundred Best American Novels” (The American Scholar)
- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher (Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher)
- IWU Select 100 Must-Read Books (IWU (Faculty, Staff, and Students))
- Latitude Festival's Top 20 Books by Women (Latitude Festival goers)
- National Book Award - Fiction (National Book Foundation)
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (Pulitzer Prize)
- Select 100 (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
- The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1893 – 1993 (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- The 50 Books Everyone Needs to Read, 1963-2013 (Flavor Wire)
- The American Library Association's Recommended Reading (The American Library Association )
- The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years (BookList)
- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics (Book)
- The Books You've Always Meant to Read (Waterstones)
- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
- The Great American Read (PBS)
- The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950 (The Modern Library (Book))
- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century (New York Public Library)
- The ZORA Canon: The 100 greatest books ever written by African American women (Zora)
- #ThisBook (#ThisBook)
- This is the Canon: Decolonize Your Bookshelves in 50 Books (This is the Canon(Book))
- Top 100 Books (Lincoln Journal Star)
- Viet Thanh Nguyen's Book Choices from "The Writer's Library" (The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives (Book))