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2.89k reviews for:

Let Us Descend

Jesmyn Ward

3.86 AVERAGE


Best book I’ve read this year. Beautiful, lyrical writing of a difficult, necessary story.
challenging emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

Exceptional, but very painful to read (by design) 

In this harrowing magical realism novel about the atrocities of slavery, Annis is sold by her slaveowner who also happens to be her father and endures a brutal journey into the deep South to be resold.
challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

Devastating, overwhelming and heartbreaking. Very well written and highly recommended.
challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was a really powerful book full of prose and poetry. I think it's one of those books that requires numerous reads to fully understand every scene and narrative. Some of the story is symbolic (especially when the magic realism bits came into play) and some of it is very heavy and matter of fact. My first reaction to the really graphic scenes of slavery was traumatizing, but I read somewhere that the author purposefully includes every detail, uncomfortable or not, to remind you that if you can't get through a written scene, then imagine how each and every one of those slaves felt during the harrowing time. This revelation has really stuck with me and given me a new perspective when reading heavy material. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

3.5 stars - this is a beautifully written haunting story about one enslaved woman’s journey through life. There are equal parts narrative and magical realism that made it hard for me to connect with, however over all an important story.
challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated