The Color Purple

I enjoyed this audio book and did not find the author was slow reading it. I think she was staying in character and that speaking faster would have sounded strange. I loved the way she read the book.

Enjoyed the book, enjoyed the movie, and enjoyed this narrative version. The author is as wonderful a narrator as she is a writer!

This is possibly the best audio book I have ever listened to (and I have listened to quite a few).

Despite the controversy that has surrounded this book regarding Walker's representation of men, to me the book is, at its core, about faith and spirituality. Walker's preface says it all: "Whatever else The Color Purple has been taken for during the years since its publication, it remains for me the theological work examining the journey from the religious back to the spiritual that I spent much of my adult life, prior to writing it, seeking to avoid." The story of Celie's brokeness and the courage to believe in life's beauty she finds through her relationship with Shug Avery is one of the most inspiring and uplifitng tales I have ever read. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, I can honestly say that, in a small way, this book changed my life.

Alice Walker's performance exemplifies, for me, what an audio book is at its best. Her cadence, emphasis, and emotion are all perfectly measured and timed. Her voice breathes life into the characters. In rereading the novel, I find myself hearing Walker's voice in my mind. I can remember the exact way she phrased particular sentences, so much so that the words seem to leave the page and enter my imagination as spoken voices.

I cannot say enough good things about this book, and particularly the audio book version narrated by Walker. It's beautiful, life-changing, worth listening to and re-listening, reading and re-reading.

The story starts with Celie's letters to God. She is poor, and abused. Life is bleak, but eventually gives way to love and happiness.

Watching Celie's journey, and her sister Nettie was moving. Feminist/black literature, the book doesn't flinch as it examines abuse, incest, lesbianism, Jim Crow, religion, and the Olinka tribe in Africa.

The author was the narrator, and it was wonderful.

Yes, since the true voice of the author (literally) can be heard.

Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy, for all the main character's suffering and personal growth.

Celie was my favorite. Her voice alone created a true, believable character.

I saw the movie before I listened to the book and thought I might be disappointed in the book. I was not. The book was beautiful and the performance was great.

Because of several negative comments about Alice Walker as the narrator of her book The Color Purple I almost did not download it. I am glad I ignored those comments. The book was well worth the time and Alice Walker did a fine job with the narration, reading her book in a way I thought fitting to the characters and content of the book. Dear God, Thank you for Alice Walker and her book The Color Purple.

This is an excellent book!!! I love that the author is narrating the book! I am very happy I purchased this book!!

I have only ever heard the story, but I can't imagine it being better than the author reading it.

I like the fact that the author read the book. It was read as she envisioned it.

Dear God...

The first two "sections" took me into Seely and Netty's experiences in a way that only Middlemarch matches (in my reading). The second half of the book seemed more talky or obviously calculated and far less engaging.

I liked the reader's pace and voice, although it is possible that a more experienced reader could have made the second half more interesting.