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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
this book is painful. grief - raw and aptly described. i wonder if some this has to do with ward confronting the loss of her partner during covid too [pretty much confirmed in the acknowledgements]. grief on top of grief on top of grief. she does an amazing job making the awfulness of slavery feel real. feel present. feel actual. feel terrible. i was more affected by the descriptions than i have been watching similar atrocities in films. this is not for the faint hearted. perhaps not to be read when in your own despair. but the weaving of the spirits. the resilience of love. the miracles of small acts of kindness, freedom, all told thru a connection to the world, to the earth, to mushrooms, to bees, to water. it’s powerful - and at times even beautiful.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Yes this book is a solid 5 stars for me, and I don’t give that amount easy if you follow my reviews you notice this already. This book publication day is 25 of October of 2023. Big shout out to NetGalley and Bloomsbury publishing for the access to this beautiful ARC. This book follow the story of Annis she is the daughter of a woman raped by a slave owner. This book is replete of brutality of the environment, very harsh life stories, got a bit of magic realism what I adore and is a BIG brilliant example of beautiful storytelling. Literally is written so beautiful that you can find some poetry in it, some of the verses are so lírica and beautiful. This is my first contact with the autor and what a beautiful contact was. The beauty on the book prose put it in a new level. Honestly it climb to one of my favourite books of 2023. Being a historical fiction is right in one of my favourite genres and I left this book in love with the work of the author.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Beautifully written and captivating, I couldn't put it down. Immediately, I found myself drawn into the story. A perfectly crafted book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Jesmyn Ward can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. She is right alongside Toni Morrison when it comes to Black authors who articulate Black history with exquisite poetry and pain. I loved Ward's framing for this book--a sort of Dante's inferno set in the American south circa early 1800s. I also love the merging of historical fact and magical realism--another reminder of Morrison.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated