Alice Walker, The Color Purple (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2011 edition)

The Color Purple is one of the stories that I thought I knew even though I had never read it and I never watched the movie. But both the book and movie were so powerful for those who connected with them that their stories made me think that I knew the book. So the book stayed on my list of books I wanted to read, but I put it off, grabbing other volumes from the library. However, during Holy Week, 2012, I decided it would be a good time to read the novel.

I didn’t expect to be surprised, but I was. The story wasn’t quite what I expected. It is masterfully written and the characters are complex ant incredible, while being believable at the same time. Alice Walker is a terrific novelist and I hope to read “The Temple of My Familiar” before much longer. You can easily tell how Walker was awarded a Pulitzer and a National Book Award. Both honors were well-earned.

I have no idea why it took me so long to get around to reading this book.