The Temple of My Familiar

A Novel

De: Alice Walker

Narrado por: Janina Edwards

In this “brilliant” (Essence) sequel to The Color Purple, Alice Walker weaves an intricate, rich tapestry of interrelated lives.

Celie and Shug from The Color Purple subtly shadow the lives of the dozens of astonishing characters in The Temple of My Familiar, all of whom are dealing in some way with the legacy of the African experience in America. From recent African immigrants to a woman who grew up in the mixed-race rainforest communities of South America to Celie’s own granddaughter living in modern-day San Francisco, they must come to terms with the brutal stories of their ancestors in order to confront their own troubled lives.

Described by the author as “a romance of the last 500,000 years,” The Temple of My Familiar creates a new mythology from old fables and history, and along with it a profoundly spiritual explanation for centuries of shared African American experience.

“The richness of [this] novel is amazing, overwhelming. A hundred themes and subjects spin through it, dozens of characters, a whirl of time and places. None is touched superficially: all the people are passionate actors and sufferers, and everything they talk about is urgent, a matter truly of life and death. They’re like Dostoyevsky’s characters, relentlessly raising the great moral questions and pushing one another towards self-knowledge, honesty, engagement.” —Ursula K. LeGuin

©1989 Alice Walker (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

My familiar

I read this after it was recommended to me. The story goes through many characters that require a bit of attention to understand their connections. At times, it wasn’t so clear what was happening as a whole story, but I the writing is thought provoking and beautiful. It does make one think and have perspective. I especially liked the pets as my familiar.

Thank you Sister Walker for putting this on audio

I’ve read this book many times over the past 3 decades and am so grateful to now hear it read to me. It is my favorite book. It speaks to my spirit. If I had to attempt to sum it up, the words “crosses all genres” would be it. Anyone interested in romance, fantasy, sci-fi, history, social, political, women’s/men’s , grief, intimacy, wholistic, spiritual, earth life issues….there’s so much for every reader❤️

Wow

Amazing listening experience. The depth of the characters and the messages shared know no bounds.

Compelling, Epic

In each (imperfectly human) character there is an echo of us all. Walker at her absolute best.

The favorite book of my 70 years.

I first read this book in 1991 and it was my favorite then. Now, in 2025, I have listened to the audiobook and love it even more. I love the richness of the characters, their relationships and their personal journeys. Great Story. Great Narration.

simply the best

This is the best book ever written. More of an experience than a read. Everyone should read this book at least once on their lifetime.

Fantastic!

The book was a little confusing in the first few chapters. Once I figured out the characters it became very interesting. It kept getting better and better as more characters emerged. This book is Fantastic! I really felt as I knew each character personally.

if your going to read this book, be sure to take notes so you can keep up

tooo many characters. Mix mash of different stories. it was too painful, unable to get thru it. The Color Purple was so much better.

Hard to connect with

I really wanted to like this book. However thr stories simply aren't interesting. Went into this with no expectations that it would be like the color purple. I might also have switched around a few chapters and started with the off spring of Celie and Shug.

I simply just don't recommend.