Last month our book club chose ‘The Color Purple’ by Alice Walker to be the first book that we read. We chose it because it seemed perfect to bring us together and discuss the storyline along with the fact that we were all kinda looking for something inspiring. It is also extremely talked about when it comes to lists of books ‘that every girl should read’ and I’m so glad we did!

Here’s a short blurb:

‘An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie’s abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing “Mister” Albert ______, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. All the while growing and learning from the strong women that surround her in her life.

Here’s what we thought…

Libby: ‘The Color Purple is a book that I’m not likely to forget any time soon. It’s not the fact that it’s about a young black girl being forced into a marriage with an abusive older man that makes it memorable. Which probably surprises you because let’s face it, how much more of a struggle do you need to make it unforgettable? What makes this book so amazing is Celie’s outlook and perspective. Her writing isn’t full of hate or resentment, in fact, it’s filled with love and understanding. She finally gets to achieve her dreams by simply being a decent person and allowing herself to love. It was refreshing to read about a character that was so easy going and peaceful even though she lived in such a harsh world. The whole mood of the book was slow and peaceful which is crazy considering the topics dealt with. But there you have it.’

Amber: ‘What hit me about this book was the realness of the characters. You see them all from Celie’s view, but her perspective is fair and unbiased enough that the characters aren’t warped at all. It’s not just Celie that blossoms throughout the pages either, but every single person – you can’t help but root for all of them. The causal injustices are woven so cleverly into this book – it’s about their lives, not exclusively the social position of African Americans at the time, but despite this, it provided a striking insight into the characters themselves, in how they dealt with it – or fought against it.’

 

Daisy: ‘The Color Purple is an incredible book. It teaches you so much about friendship, female relationships, empowerment, and growing yourself to become the person you aspire to be. The characters are all well developed and I loved how all the women in the book each had backstories, aspirations, personalities and gumption. The colour purple quickly became one of my favourite books and will be sticking around on my bookshelf for years to come.’

 

 

Joy: ‘For me I think the main reason the color purple was really important was because it made me want to read it, it didn’t feel like a task. It’s so easy for me to go on Youtube all day and just never pick up a book. Yet this book was so hard to put down and so easy to read. Of course it has moments that make your emotions run crazy but the ending and the story are just so perfect that it’s worth it. And you fall in love with all the characters throughout the whole book which just makes it even more amazing.’

 

 

Up Next

Our next book is, ‘Things A Bright Girl Can Do’ written by Sally Nicholls. We’re excited for this one and the fact that the book cover is decorated with the Suffragette colours makes it even more interesting!!

 

Summary

1914. The world stands on the edge of a war and great change yet women still have no rights to vote.

Evelyn is seventeen, and though she is rich and clever, she may never be allowed to follow her older brother to university. Enraged that she is expected to marry, attend dances and tea parties she joins the Suffragettes, looking for freedom and choice and vows to pay the ultimate price for women’s freedom.

May is fifteen, who campaigns for women’s votes and equal pay, though she and her fellow Suffragists chose to be anti- violent. When she meets Nell, a girl who’s grown up in hardship, she sees a kindred spirit. Together and in love, the two girls start to dream of a world where all kinds of women have their place.

But the fight for freedom will challenge Evelyn, May and Nell more than they ever could imagine.  And as the war looms, how much are they truly willing to sacrifice?

Hit up your local library to read along with us, and come back next month to see how we got on…