Our score
Outstanding
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The Color Purple Audiobook by Alice Walker— narrated by Alice Walker
Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Color Purple follows Celie, a poor Black girl in rural Georgia, through twenty years of letters to God and to her sister Nettie. It is painful, funny, and ultimately uplifting, and it rewards readers who come to it from the film or the musical.
Why the audiobook wins
Alice Walker reads her own novel. The book is a set of letters, first to God and later to Celie's sister Nettie, so the voice is the whole point. Celie's early letters are clipped and fragmentary, and here they come in the author's own voice.
At about eight hours, it suits a weekend or a stretch of commutes. The letters span twenty years, and as Celie finds her footing the writing opens up with her. Be ready for abuse and racism told directly in the opening stretch. Shug Avery and Sophia bring humor and snap that keep the story moving.
One Audible credit covers the whole book.
Audiobook questions
- Who narrates the The Color Purple audiobook?
- Alice Walker narrates the audiobook edition of The Color Purple.
- How long is the The Color Purple audiobook?
- The audiobook runs 7 hr 58 min.
- Is the The Color Purple audiobook worth listening to?
- We scored The Color Purple 4.6 out of 5. Alice Walker reads her own novel. The book is a set of letters, first to God and later to Celie's sister Nettie, so the voice is the whole point. Celie's early letters are clipped and fragmentary, and here they come in the author's own voice.
- Can I listen to The Color Purple free with an Audible trial?
- Eligible new Audible members can use a free-trial credit to listen in the Audible app. Eligibility and current offer terms are set by Audible.Listen free with Audible
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