The Third Life of Grange Copeland Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 1991

Walker is a great storyteller. The story line is prevalent to today's issues. The book shows the impact an uneducated man has on an educated and goal directed woman. Ladies beware and be care when dating and mating. It is also a story of generational trauma and the impact through biological connections.

A great book if you want to have a better understanding of generational trauma and the plight of many black families and communities stemming from slavery, Jim Crow, and even systemic racism today.

I love this author but had not read this book .. So .. I was taken by the scope of it time period 1930-1968 or so .And even though I found myself dreading the next paragraph in parts because of the futility of the situations and the depth of the pain that was surfacing everywhere I ultimately felt that I had been lead to a place of reveal that I could never have known on my own.And what does a wonderful author offer but that very thing. I found rooted in this the seeds of "the coulour Purple " and yet felt that this book was really far more significant to me then the luminious georgous "Colour Purple " was.This was a trip down a road that shows the times that were and the effects on the people who lived them and how that was visitied on the next generations whic are living yet today .. with all the wounding the pervious generations brought on them with this crazy making racial divide in this country.I believe that if some has graduated from High school in this country and HAS NOT read this book and discussed it inside and out .. thern we are in deed not providing the type of education our kids need .. and if you havent read it and have a college education .. get to it .

This novel mainly deals with Grange Copeland a black tenant farmer, his son Brownfield and granddaughter Ruth. It shows the effects of culture and alcohol on all the family members. I often felt sorry for the wives and children of Grange and Copeland, but I could see how they contributed to their own pain.I felt as if I knew each of the characters and I love character driven novels. However, it is not a pleasant novel. It is often dark and depressing especially when some characters seem to throw away their opportunities, so if you want to read a light or happy novel, this isn't for you. If you like to read books that dwell on personality, cultural influences and the choices people make, you may enjoy it as much as I did. Some reviewers disliked the detail and thought it slow, but I liked that. It helped me get to know the many people in this book.

This was probably one of the best novels I read this year, and to think it was written decades ago by Alice Walker who is still under appreciated for her obvious talent. Without giving the story line away, it's generally about growing up poor and Black in the rural South and all the quiet turmoil and despair of that life when not lived with courageously. It's about a father and son and how both determine their manhood (or lack thereof) in an environment where they are consider subhuman and turn that bigotry inward and outward. The ending was rather abrupt, I certainly would have liked Ruth and her Grandfather Grange to continue with Ruth finding a man worthy of her and Grange at least reconciling somewhat with his son Brownfield but that would have been unrealistic. I don't understand the 1 star comments without even sentence of explanation.

I cannot understand how I could have missed the reading of this poignant gem... this uncomfortable treatise into the painful sight of human beings stripped of their souls for generations. It was a raw, painful and yet beautiful work. I was watching something horribly tragic, but could not look away. I had to believe hope lay somewhere on the pages to follow. Even through immense suffering and violence, Walker shows us as always a path towards redemption and ultimately FREEDOM. She also shows us that freedom can come in many forms. The 3rd life of Grange Copeland was a difficult and breathless journey that I am fortunate as you will hopefully be to experience.

very interesting.

This was an awesome book! The author brought the characters to life! Being a native Mississippi girl, living in a small town until the late sixties, I could relate to some of the story directly.The author tugged on your heart strings in parts of the book, then, hardened your heart in the next pages!It was a fantastic read!!!

Absolutely brilliant read! Beautifully written and very moving. Quite brutal in places but that's how it was for some people during that time, sadly.I would highly recommend this book and any others written by Alice Walker.

bought this for a friend as I had read it many, many years ago and it absolutely flawed me. It is Alice Walker's first novel that not many people are aware of but it is an extraordinary read, quite devastating at times but redeeming. A must read

I enjoyed this book. Written in true Alice Walker fashion. You can really relate and feel for the characters. Good book

Good.

beautifully crafted story of one man's fall from Grace in his family and community and his eventual redemption through love.