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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
I may be in the minority, but unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book and I really wanted to!
This book was a hard read for me via Audible so I know if I had the actual book, I would not have finished it. I did not feel that it had a well-developed story and I just didn't understand the meaning of those spirits. Their stories were equally underdeveloped. I felt I spent the entire book attempting to understand where the book was going and for the completeness of it and then the book ended.
This was the first book I've read by the author and I plan to read another so hopefully that will work out.
This book was a hard read for me via Audible so I know if I had the actual book, I would not have finished it. I did not feel that it had a well-developed story and I just didn't understand the meaning of those spirits. Their stories were equally underdeveloped. I felt I spent the entire book attempting to understand where the book was going and for the completeness of it and then the book ended.
This was the first book I've read by the author and I plan to read another so hopefully that will work out.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let Us Descend was an incredible book, beautifully written, and devastating in its subject matter.
"I want. I want to grow my hair long, to find food and feed myself without hiding, to sit in the sunlight and scratch the worry out of my scalp, to breathe without fear and terror choking me, to choose my seconds, to choose my minutes, to choose my days. I done suffered enough."
This character-driven novel follows Annis, an enslaved girl who is sold by the white man who sired her and forced to make a brutal journey down to New Orleans to be sold again. Her only comforts are the stories her mother told her of her grandmother and their history, which opens a door to a world of spirits that reside in the world around her. There is so much here: love; loss; injustice; rage; and the ache of pining for what the world takes from you, and will keep taking.
This blend of magical realism and historical fiction had me hanging on to every word. Jesmyn Ward's prose is also simply stunning and I look forward to reading her other work.
"I want. I want to grow my hair long, to find food and feed myself without hiding, to sit in the sunlight and scratch the worry out of my scalp, to breathe without fear and terror choking me, to choose my seconds, to choose my minutes, to choose my days. I done suffered enough."
This character-driven novel follows Annis, an enslaved girl who is sold by the white man who sired her and forced to make a brutal journey down to New Orleans to be sold again. Her only comforts are the stories her mother told her of her grandmother and their history, which opens a door to a world of spirits that reside in the world around her. There is so much here: love; loss; injustice; rage; and the ache of pining for what the world takes from you, and will keep taking.
This blend of magical realism and historical fiction had me hanging on to every word. Jesmyn Ward's prose is also simply stunning and I look forward to reading her other work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Torture, Trafficking
Moderate: Death, Racism
Minor: Sexual assault
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Beautiful and heartbreaking. The horrors of slavery are something so hard to comprehend. This story was empowering and really pushes the reader to examine sense of self and the strength of the human spirit. The writing style was a little hard for me to follow, but overall a really good story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Violence
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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:
No
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Jesmyn Ward’s prose is so stunning. The story was beautiful and heartbreaking, like her other novels.
I loved this story. Of all the authors who I look forward to new books being published Jesmyn Ward is at the top of the list. This book was tragic with out being torture porn. The relationships Annis had with her mother, and others were caring and loving, with moments of sweetness intertwined into the horror. I wasn't sure how I would feel about the magical realism in the story because that isn't the stories I'm typically drawn to but somehow it worked. This is one of the best stories I've read so far this year.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No