The Temple of My Familiar

The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker
417 pp.Rating: 5 of 5
I'm ashamed to admit that this one sat on my shelves for perhaps 15 years. But clearly, there was a reason I held onto it: it is a beautiful, magical, devastating, lyrical treat! Even though the narrative drifts like a winding river among a cast of intertwined characters, plots, and settings, somehow they are all connected. I can't recommend this book highly enough, but I must warn you to be patient. I urge you to just pick it up and go with the flow. Not all questions are answered in the end, but...well, that's reality, isn't it? I'm sure the author would agree with me that, ultimately, all things are connected and the journey is its own goal.Best treat of all: We get to spend more time hanging out with the delightful Misses Celie and Shug from The Color Purple. I am just so pleased that they get to grow old together.The Temple of My Familiar is much longer, more complex, and intense than The Color Purple. It felt like an epic on the level of 100 Years of Solitude
(which believe it or not I had to read in Spanish back in college!! )
or Les Miserables (which no I have not read in French!)
only from a strong female-centered perspective.

It's not nearly as long as either of the above mentioned (only 417 pages). But it's every bit as intense.