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 58th greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1982
- Nationality
- American
- Type
- Fiction
- Pages
- 250-350
- Words
- 66,000
- Original Language
- English
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following lists:
- 5th on Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels (Radcliffe Publishing Course)
- 8th on Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century (themodernnovel.com)
- 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)
- 45th on Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Entertainment Weekly)
- 54th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 56th on The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians (Bookman.com)
- 92nd on The Greatest Books of All Time (Reader's Digest)
- 112th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 136th on The Big Read (BBC)
- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century (New York Public Library)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- #ThisBook (#ThisBook)
- 12 Novels Considered the Greatest Book Ever Written (Encyclopedia Britannica)
- The ZORA Canon: The 100 greatest books ever written by African American women (Zora)
- A Century of Reading (Lithub)
- 25 Books by Black Authors You Should Read This February (Oprah Daily)
- The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years (BookList)
- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life (The Daily Mail)
- The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950 (The Modern Library (Book))
- 75 Books by Women Whose Words Have Changed the World (Women's National Book Association)
- 100 Great 20th Century English-language Works of Fiction by Women (Feminista!)
- Latitude Festival's Top 20 Books by Women (Latitude Festival goers)
- 87 Books Written by Women That Are So Good, You Won't Be Able to Put Them Down (Pop Sugar)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- The Books You've Always Meant to Read (Waterstones)
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (Pulitzer Prize)
- National Book Award - Fiction (National Book Foundation)
- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
- The 50 Books Everyone Needs to Read, 1963-2013 (Flavor Wire)
- The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1893 – 1993 (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics (Book)
- 100 Life-Changing Books (National Book Award)
- Select 100 (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
- 50 Books to Read Before You Die (Barnes and Noble)
- The Great American Read (PBS)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Novels That Shaped Our World (BBC)