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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Wrenching. I was afraid to pick this book up for a year. But it's so beautifully written that once I started I knew I was bound to finish it.
The ending is a reward. I obviously wanted more for the protagonist, Annis, at the end, but the lesson will stick with me. The world of spirits and and nature overlaid on the anthropological world felt like turning on a light in my mind when thinking about luck and tragedy and perseverance and who to blame and credit.
I almost wanted the story to continue. I think maybe the end is purposefully not a perfect happy ending, because it might distract from the theme of Annis's saviors being herself and her relationships (with her Mama, Safi, Phyllis, Mary and Ester, and the stories of Mama Aza). We have ourselves and our relationships. Also, to do it differently would betray the truth of the depravity of this part of American history.
I should also add: the bee on the cover made me nervous for a while also because I have an irrational fear of all insects, and was afraid of the role they'd play in this book, but that was unwarranted. The bees are a symbol, a metaphor, and a guide. Annis's relationship to the bees is admiration, respect, almost a kind of intimacy.
The word "descend" is used frequently in the book, and is an effective callback to the poem referenced in the book (Dante's Inferno). And in the last chapter of the book: ascending. Ascending from the water. Ascending through the vines to follow the bee.
There were times I didn't quite know where we were or what exactly was happening, but that sense of disorientation may be purposeful, since that kind of information would have been purposefully kept from the stolen people. And then, like surfacing from water after nearly drowning, there'd be some piercing sentence and you know exactly what you needed to know.
The author's narration of the audio version is almost lyric, and at the perfect pace. Truly exceptional.
The ending is a reward. I obviously wanted more for the protagonist, Annis, at the end, but the lesson will stick with me. The world of spirits and and nature overlaid on the anthropological world felt like turning on a light in my mind when thinking about luck and tragedy and perseverance and who to blame and credit.
I almost wanted the story to continue. I think maybe the end is purposefully not a perfect happy ending, because it might distract from the theme of Annis's saviors being herself and her relationships (with her Mama, Safi, Phyllis, Mary and Ester, and the stories of Mama Aza). We have ourselves and our relationships. Also, to do it differently would betray the truth of the depravity of this part of American history.
I should also add: the bee on the cover made me nervous for a while also because I have an irrational fear of all insects, and was afraid of the role they'd play in this book, but that was unwarranted. The bees are a symbol, a metaphor, and a guide. Annis's relationship to the bees is admiration, respect, almost a kind of intimacy.
The word "descend" is used frequently in the book, and is an effective callback to the poem referenced in the book (Dante's Inferno). And in the last chapter of the book: ascending. Ascending from the water. Ascending through the vines to follow the bee.
There were times I didn't quite know where we were or what exactly was happening, but that sense of disorientation may be purposeful, since that kind of information would have been purposefully kept from the stolen people. And then, like surfacing from water after nearly drowning, there'd be some piercing sentence and you know exactly what you needed to know.
The author's narration of the audio version is almost lyric, and at the perfect pace. Truly exceptional.
This book is beautifully written which is what gives it the power to be so devastating. I'm just not in the space for being devastated in this way and i'm not sure I will be at any point
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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
This book reminded me a lot of Octavia Butler’s Kindred. We quickly’descend’ on a journey with Annie, a young enslaved woman, straight into hell. After being ripped away from her mother, who is sold to another enslaver, she is forced to walk in a long procession to New Orleans, to labor on a sugarcane plantation. Her mother’s memory, her stories, and her spirits keep her alive to fight another day, clinging to a chance to find freedom.
A powerful, heart breaking story that is brutally honest about the American past, as it must be. The days of enslavement were nothing less than pure hell.
A powerful, heart breaking story that is brutally honest about the American past, as it must be. The days of enslavement were nothing less than pure hell.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Heart wrenching at times but spirt of strength and triumph prevail.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
This book has the paradoxical power to make me yearn to know what’s next but dread it at the same time.
This story is steeped in hope, love, and endurance.
The tragic and beautiful many meanings of “descent” in this story are poetic and mischievous.
A classic.
This story is steeped in hope, love, and endurance.
The tragic and beautiful many meanings of “descent” in this story are poetic and mischievous.
A classic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Rape
Minor: Sexual content
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes