This has to be one of my favourite books I have ever read. At it’s core it is about growth and change and love, for others and the self. Every character is so real and loveable and the bond between Celie and Nettie that remains whole across so many decades is utterly beautiful. Celie’s self discovery, with Shug, with Nettie, with Sofia and eventually Albert is so heart warmingly magical in its earnestness, and Walker’s abundant emotional intelligence allowing her to write so meaningfully of painful lives reborn and always evolving is incredible to witness.

Yes, Celie, she say. Everything want to be loved. Us sing and dance, make faces and give flower bouquets, trying to be loved. You ever notice that trees to everything to git attention we do, except walk? Trying to chase that old white man out of my head. I been so busy thinking about him I never truly notice nothing God make. Not a blade of corn (how did it do that?) not the colour purple (where it come from?). Not the wildflowers. Nothing.
Now that my eyes opening I feel like a fool. Next to any little scrub of a bush in my yard, Mr _’s evil sort of shrink. Like Shug say, you have to git man off your eyeball before you can see anything a’tall.