Purple Prose

by Rachel Robertson, Liz Byrski

Fifteen Australian women writers were asked to respond to the colour purple. In their hands, purple takes on many meanings. There are stories about Tyrian purple, a snippet of King George’s coronation gown, pigeon fanciers, the Dockers’ Purple Haze ­ and their layers are explored through themes of feminism, multiculturalism, artists and aging, mothers and daughters and aunts. This is a book for women readers everywhere.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2015

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essays in this collection by 15 Australian women represent the diversity of their backgrounds, ages, interests and life experiences, and each is a dramatically different reflection of the colour purple in its many and varied hues. Among the responses to the prompt are essays about feminism, family, foul language and even football (a la the Fremantle Dockers' Purple Army of fans and fanatics). Some are laugh-out-loud funny, others deeply serious and politically inclined. Several elicited tears, one or two brought forth frustration about issues associated with inequality and injustice, but all are beautifully crafted explorations of the ideas, memories, hopes, dreams and even the dilemmas that come to mind alongside the concept of the colour purple. Those that resonated most powerfully with me included Natasha Lester's emotional journey in attempting to come to terms with a sibling's gender reassignment, Amanda Curtin's contemplation of the invisibility of older women in western society, and Liz Byrski's ode to maiden aunts, each of which left a lasting mark on me, and led me to think long and deeply about my own responses to such issues. Purple Prose is another reminder of the depth and breadth of talent among contemporary Australian women writers -- and I'm hopeful at least some of them may be inspired to explore other shades in future volumes.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through Goodreads giveaway. I enjoyed the stories and the various ways in which the colour Purple are portrayed and what the colour means to each author.