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The Color Purple: A Novel Paperback – December 10, 2019

by Alice Walker (Author)

27,658 ratings

Book 1 of 3: The Color Purple

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Pulitzer PrizeWinner, 1983
National Book AwardWinner, 1983

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Read the original inspiration for the new, boldly reimagined film from producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Fantasia Barrino.

Celebrating its fortieth anniversary, The Color Purple writes a message of healing, forgiveness, self-discovery, and sisterhood to a new generation of readers. An inspiration to authors who continue to give voice to the multidimensionality of Black women’s stories, including Tayari Jones, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Jesmyn Ward, and more, The Color Purple remains an essential read in conversation with storytellers today.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award

A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early-twentieth-century rural Georgia. 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 nearly thirty years, first from Celie to God, then from the sisters to each other, the novel draws readers into a rich and memorable portrayal of Black women—their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery.

Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, The Color Purple breaks the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, and carries readers on an epic and spirit-affirming journey toward transformation, redemption, and love.

“Reading The Color Purple was the first time I had seen Southern, Black women’s literature as world literature. In writing us into the world—bravely, unapologetically, and honestly—Alice Walker has given us a gift we will never be able to repay.” —Tayari Jones

“The Color Purple was what church should have been, what honest familial reckoning could have been, and it is still the only art object in the world by which all three generations of Black artists in my family judge American art.” —Kiese Laymon

From the Publisher

THE COLOR PURPLE by Alice Walker. Now a major motion picture! Read the original inspiration!

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Reading The Color Purple was the first time I had seen Southern, Black women’s literature as world literature. In writing us into the world—bravely, unapologetically, and honestly—Alice Walker has given us a gift we will never be able to repay.”
—Tayari Jones

“The Color Purple was what church should have been, what honest familial reckoning could have been, and it is still the only art object in the world by which all three generations of Black artists in my family judge American art.”
—Kiese Laymon

“A novel of permanent importance.”
—Peter S. Prescott, Newsweek

“Indelibly affecting … Alice Walker is a lavishly gifted writer.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“A story of revelation . . . One of the great books of our time.”
—Essence Magazine

“A work to stand beside literature of any time and place.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

“Places Walker in the company of Faulkner.”
—The Nation

“Remarkable expressiveness, color, and poignancy . . . not only a memorable and infinitely touching character but a whole submerged world is vividly called into being.”
—The New York Review of Books

“Richly evocative . . . a vibrant fugue of devotion and search for love.”
—Los Angeles Herald Examiner

“A national treasure . . . A rare and lovely book.”
—The Cleveland Plain Dealer

“A saga filled with joy and pain, humor and bitterness, and an array of characters who live, breathe, and illuminate the world.”
—Publishers Weekly

“My go-to comfort novel is The Color Purple, by Alice Walker. Even though it touches on difficult subject matter like child abuse and forced marriage, this story believes that human kindness, courage and love can defeat any challenge. Its big, beautiful happy ending is heartfelt and hard-won. 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 New York Times

“The miracle of the National Book Awards choices in 1983, which included Naylor’s The Women of Brewster Place and Walker’s The Color Purple, meant that books that sounded in me in new and more complete ways were held up as models of great literature. It meant that Walker’s and Naylor’s works could garner much wider publicity and acclaim, and more easily find their way to small, rural libraries around the country.(…)While Naylor provided witness and reason for my people, Walker provided witness and reason for my place.”
—Jesmyn Ward, The Washington Post

About the Author

Alice Walker won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for her novel The Color Purple. Her other novels include By the Light of My Father’s Smile and Possessing the Secret of Joy. She is also the author of three collections of short stories, three collections of essays, seven volumes of poetry, and several children’s books. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, Walker now lives in Northern California.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 10, 2019
Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0143135694
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0143135692
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 0.8 x 7.95 inches
Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ The Color Purple
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL670L

Best Sellers Rank: #6,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #190 in Classic Literature & Fiction
- #233 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- #276 in Black & African American Women's Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
27,658 ratings

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Alice Walker
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Alice Walker (b. 1944), one of the United States’ preeminent writers, is an award-winning author of novels, stories, essays, and poetry. In 1983, Walker became the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction with her novel The Color Purple, which also won the National Book Award. Her other books include The Third Life of Grange Copeland, Meridian, The Temple of My Familiar, and Possessing the Secret of Joy. In her public life, Walker has worked to address problems of injustice, inequality, and poverty as an activist, teacher, and public intellectual.
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Christopher A. Hubert
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27,658 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book emotionally engaging, with one review highlighting its theme of hope and love emerging from pain. The writing style receives mixed reactions - while some find it easy to read, others mention the dialect makes it difficult to follow. Customers appreciate the book's insight into life in the South and its vivid imagery, with one review noting how it draws readers in from the beginning. The storyline features a complex plot and strong female characters, while the pacing keeps readers engaged.

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Emotional content Insight Character development Storyline Pacing Beauty Color purple Writing style

223 customers mention "Emotional content"201 positive22 negative

Customers appreciate the emotional depth of the book, describing it as a heart-opening experience that evokes a range of feelings from sadness to joy, with one customer noting how it explores themes of hope and love emerging from pain.

"...It tracks every day people’s hardships, joys, growth and development." Read more

"...Her ability to craft scenes of sadness and such joy within the same few pages is incredible...." Read more

"...You are a life well lived - vulnerable, strong, unapologetic. “What if we be just friends?” has so much more meaning now...." Read more

"...I felt that the ending was satisfying, and that I could be happy knowing that Celie found peace in her later life...." Read more

163 customers mention "Insight"163 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insights, particularly its portrayal of life in the South and its observations about God.

"...It tracks every day people’s hardships, joys, growth and development." Read more

"It won a Pulitzer for a reason! Incredible insight on life in the South for a black woman in the early 1900’s...." Read more

"...She handles difficult scenes in such a real and honest way and with understanding that demonstrates how connected she is to her characters...." Read more

"...Told through a series of letters, I was never more engaged in a person’s life, in the heartbreaks, the love, the family, the friends who become..." Read more

110 customers mention "Character development"105 positive5 negative

Customers praise the character development in the book, noting that the characters feel alive and draw readers in from the beginning, with strong female characters who evoke both laughter and tears.

"...But as the chapters progress you being to see the characters aren't shallow and the events did impact them deeper than you saw on the surface...." Read more

"...For example, the novel has two strong female characters who helped teach Celie to be independent...." Read more

"...There are so many strong female characters in here, the resilience of these women is phenomenal...." Read more

"...But these are quibbles compared to the well-drawn characters, the wide scope, the emotional fulfillment, and the positive changes that most of the..." Read more

60 customers mention "Storyline"45 positive15 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, appreciating its complex plot and how it provides context to the narrative, with one customer noting how it drew them and their spouse into the story.

"...This is the great, American, novel. It tracks every day people’s hardships, joys, growth and development." Read more

"...author wrote this novel to elaborate on the fact that everyone has a different life story and that everyone’s stories are different...." Read more

"...This is a book about change, RESILIENCE, the passage of time, the nature of love, forgiveness, so MUCH that is profound and inspiring...." Read more

"...The story seems huge and the family tree is complicated with parents, step-parents, unacknowledged parents, forced marriages, lovers and mistresses,..." Read more

50 customers mention "Pacing"43 positive7 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, with one noting it keeps them turning pages, while another describes it as exuberant.

"...example, the novel has two strong female characters who helped teach Celie to be independent...." Read more

"...Walker utilizes the themes of friendship, family, bonding, and love as a means for this...." Read more

"...It was amazing to watch Celie become the woman she was meant to be with help from her friend Shug. It is a heartwrenching story of resilience...." Read more

"...I could better judge the pacing, the characters and their development throughout Celie's lifetime, and the undercurrent of her and Nettie's sisterly..." Read more

40 customers mention "Beauty"40 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's vivid imagery and incredible depiction of life, finding it realistic and eye-opening.

"...It uses detailed imagery to paint a picture of all of the characters, their physical and emotional attributes...." Read more

"...Also handled with astonishing subtlety and perceptiveness was the interplay between men and women, black and white, involving both need and..." Read more

"...The Color Purple does this beautifully and evokes many emotions...." Read more

"...What I enjoyed about this book is what I consider to be the mark of good art, whether it be literature, music, or painting, it captures some of the..." Read more

29 customers mention "Color purple"26 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the colorful descriptions and characters in the book, with one customer noting its use of authentic black vernacular.

"So glad at 59, I read this book. I have always loved THE COLOR PURPLE, the movie, the musical, the revival of the musical, the new movie..." Read more

"...Despite it's colorful characters and realism, The Color Purple also has a few flaws...." Read more

"The color purple is my favorite book. Can’t read it for the 100 times." Read more

"This is a must-read for everyone of any color to understand the importance of race relations. To work toward bringing people together in love." Read more

194 customers mention "Writing style"133 positive61 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book, with some loving how it was written and finding it easy to read, while others find it hard to read and note that the dialect makes it more difficult to follow.

"...It’s a very moving story overall & very well written." Read more

"This story is written as a series of letters. First the FMC writing to God, Then a mix of her letters to God and letters from her sister...." Read more

"...letters are written when Celie is very young, the sentence fragments are hard to piece together, as seen on page 2 when Celie says, “She ast me bout..." Read more

"...This is done in an epistolary format, and it worked so well given the tough subjects covered in this novel...." Read more

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J@YD944
The Color Purple
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2025
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Celie comes from a very poor family & her mother is very during her last two pregnancies. Being the oldest of the girls, she has to do most all the work around the house, cooking, cleaning, laundry & helping with her younger sisters & brothers. Her Pa doesn’t like her either & the only one she’s close to is her younger sister. As Celie’s mother gets sicker & sicker, her Pa begins visiting her room when she’s 14 y.o.to fill the needs her mother is no longer able to provide. Her mother passes away. Celie has 2 children by him, a daughter & a son before he tires of her & forces her into marriage to a man who beats & abuses her. Her father marries another young girl & Celia gets her younger sister, Nettie, to come live with her & continue her schooling. The man Celie marries is in love with another woman, Shug Avery, & is out late most nights & sometimes several days but he expects Celie to wait on him & his kids from a previous marriage & they don’t respect Celie ant more than her husband does. Celie is still trying to figure out how she feels about God & she writes a lot of letters to God expressing her emotions & doubts. This story covers the hardships & abuse of Celie & many of the people of color she knows. It doesn’t sugar coat the racism involved in their lives & the disadvantages as a result of this predjudice that carries over even in today’s world. Of course, black women were even less appreciated, treated as property & had a much more difficult time than even men of color. It’s a very moving story overall & very well written.

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AlexanderMyQueen
Beautifully written
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2025
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Although I saw the movie numerous times, I’m glad I read the book. The movie did a great job of capturing the story, but the book gave me some information I hadn’t known. This is the great, American, novel. It tracks every day people’s hardships, joys, growth and development.

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Rebecca Holmes
Touching story
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2025
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This story is written as a series of letters. First the FMC writing to God, Then a mix of her letters to God and letters from her sister. I struggle with the letter writing format of books, however the overall story was beautifully told.

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April The Great
A Truly Great Book...
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2012
Verified Purchase
I don't know where to begin with my feelings about this book. I think it would be fair to say that this is one of the few works of literature that will forever change my point of view of the world. I have never thought of myself as being anywhere close to being a feminist. Growing up in a Southern California beach community, what care did I have about all the women who came before me fighting for the right to be counted as a whole human being with thoughts, feelings, and ideas that are just as valid as any mans. As I delved deeper into this book, spanning across several continents, the reality of being "just" a woman and nothing more than whatever the men around us want or demand of us to be, is all we are.
I knew before starting The Color Purple, a major theme would be inequality, but other than having sorrow, pity, and disgust toward events that happened well before I was born, how close to home could this book possibly hit? Turns out as close as my own body.
I never thought of myself in terms of being a member of society that is oppressed, but as a women, you are born into a group that through out history around the globe has been traded, sold, used, beaten, raped, mutilated, held down, and murdered for no other good reason than what it between your legs. Major religions count women as nothing unless they are married and producing babes. In these same religions, claimed to be given from a loving and all knowing god, we are expendable once the men who think they know god's will can deem us as no longer valuable, clean, or worthy. Whole societies feel that women are good for nothing other than menial and tedious labor. In America things are better than in other parts of the world, but all you have to do is watch the news and see the seething rage that is invoked over women's reproductive rights to see that there is still a long way to go. I would dare any women to read this novel and not be changed.
Then there is the other "part" of this book that really spoke to me. At first I wasn't a fan of how shallow and matter of fact the people and events seemed to unfold. But as the chapters progress you being to see the characters aren't shallow and the events did impact them deeper than you saw on the surface. I believe that Alice Walker was trying to show that people are a very deep well that takes time to really draw from. We look at people and something reprehensible or noble that they have done, then we come to conclusions and usually hold that judgement to sum up he or she's whole existence. But the truth is good men can do bad things, bad men can do good things, and everyone if they are willing can learn, change, and grow.
I would hope that one day instead of trying to ban this book, high schools would embrace this as work of fiction that can actually improve society...

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Kris2890
Eindrucksvoll und emotional
Reviewed in Germany on September 24, 2024
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Da ich den Film schon mehrfach gesehen habe und ich ihn wahnsinnig gut finde, hab ich nun auch das Buch gelesen.
In die Sprache der Erzählerin muss man sich zwar ein wenig einfinden, dann ist das Buch aber nicht weniger eindrucksvoll als der Film.

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Claire Yong
Item cover was folded
Reviewed in Singapore on March 1, 2022
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D. P. Hardy
Excellent read -
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2020
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Funny at times. Sad at times. Enlightening all the way through. Written as a series of chats with God and letters to and from Celie and her sister, Nettie, this book takes place over 40 year in Georgia. It highlights the terrible prejudice toward Celie by her own kind. Her life is so bad, being abused, sexually, physically and emotionally by the man she thinks is her father, and having given birth to his two children, she is married off to an equally abusive womanising husband. She is separated from her sister, Nettie, who eventually goes to Africa as a help to a black missionary and his wife. This couple have adopted Celie’s children, unbeknown to her, whose parentage is not known to the missionary couple. Nettie experiences the terrible greed and lust for land and money of the rubber planters, and also the appalling culture of scarification and FGM within the tribe with whom they live. Celie’s life only turns a corner when she meets one of the women her husband is involved with. This lady, Shug, is a strong character who encourages Celie (eventually) to take a stand and be her own person; to fight for what she has a right to – Freedom and equality within the marriage; the right to say ‘No’ and the right to have the letters her sister has been writing to her for years but she has never received. Celie has never had such love and compassion from anyone before Shug and they become intimate. This intimacy is spoken of with sincerity and compassion in the book. Eventually, all things work out okay for Celie, Nettie and Celie’s children but not before they all learn some very important lessons about bigotry, discrimination, sexual and racial relations, their history and our relationship with God.

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Giomar Velasco
Una ventana al pasado y a las mujeres como hilo conductor.
Reviewed in Mexico on July 30, 2022
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¡No lo puedes soltar!

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La Louise
AMAZING
Reviewed in France on August 22, 2024
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This book is absolutely beautiful. It started very harsh so I was scared of how things would turn out but it was amazing. Strong message of sorority and feminine independence ! It also depicts a lot of other topics, equally important
A beautiful epistolary novel reflecting the condition of African-American in the rural South.
Loved it, 100% recommend
A must read !!!

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This is a wonderful book. I should’ve read the book before I watch the movie.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Color Purple

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written

4.0 out of 5 stars Touching story

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Great Book...

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Eindrucksvoll und emotional

2.0 out of 5 stars Item cover was folded

Item cover was folded

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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read -

5.0 out of 5 stars Una ventana al pasado y a las mujeres como hilo conductor.

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING

The Color Purple

Beautifully written

Touching story

A Truly Great Book...

Eindrucksvoll und emotional

Item cover was folded

Excellent read -

Una ventana al pasado y a las mujeres como hilo conductor.

AMAZING