A moving novel told in letters. So much heartache within, though I was so happy by the end and I'll admit I cried. There's many layers about what it means to be black, and specifically a black woman, in America...and though it is set in the past, a lot of it still rings true today. I loved that it painted a portrait of not just one kind of woman. Celie, Nettie, Shug are all three dimensional characters I feel like I know.