Reader Response

     When I looked at reader reviews for The Color Purple I tried to read a variety of different ratings to get a sense of what individuals were getting out of the book.  I read the reviews from lowest to highest ratings, my first one being one star, second 3 stars, and final review five stars.  The first review I read was from Barnes & Noble and the Anonymous reviewer gave the book 1 star.  They were very disgruntled about the novel, this was obviously shown by the title "If you're a man, don't read this garbage".  A particular part of his review that I found to be an interesting thought was "We learn that women are good and men are bad. Actually, I need to clarify that point. Black women are good, but white women are bad..." I thought this was an interesting way of looking at the story.  I feel like this reader was only looking at one side of the situation.  Not all men are bad, but the men in Celie's life were. I thought it was kind of disturbing that this reader didn't think that the men were also bad.  Although I don't agree with this reader the response and rating are still important in understanding how other individuals read and analyze a particular novel.
     A review that I found on Amazon also caught my attention because of how the reader commented on it.  Lizz saw the book as empowering to women and showing that women can overcome the assumption that men are stronger than women.  She also thought it was a good example of how a woman can "overcome" herself.  I think that she meant that women can grow and overcome their struggles and set backs.  I thought that this was an uplifting way to look at the novel and how Celie grows from a battered, abused child to a strong, compassionate woman.
     Goodreads had alot of reviews to choose from and it was hard to pick.  I chose a review by Christina who said the novel was "ah-may-zing".  I most closely related to her review in how she said that the book left you valnerable and sometimes confused.  I liked her honesty in saying that the book is uncomfortable and devastating to read at times but it sucks you in.  I also found it interesting that she watched the movie first and then read the book, saying that Alice "Walker's words are music. Sometimes a sweet melody, but mostly a cacophony of pain and sorrow."  I thought this was a very good comparision in that Walker's words have a way of coming alive in the novel.
     I thought that most of the reviews on Barnes & Noble, Amzaon, and Goodreads had interesting insight and comments on the novel, and in some cases the movie.  The vast majority of the reviews were 4 or 5 out of 5 stars and most of the readers seemed to really enjoy the book.  I chose to include some that gave it less than 4 stars because I think that all of the readers insight is important and it helps us to remember how differently people read and relate to confusing and depressing situations.