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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
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
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not bad but not memorable
A difficult read. This didn't quite blow me out of the water in the way Sing, Unburied, Sing did but was still phenomenal. It's got some P. Djeli Clark adjacent vibes.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I agree with a lot of other reviews that the writing was gorgeous but the story and characters lacked something. They, and therefore the story as a whole, just struggled to be compelling, in the way that I have found Jesmyn Ward's writing to be before.
I will keep reading from her, but this was a bit of a letdown!
I will keep reading from her, but this was a bit of a letdown!
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
emotional
Strong character development:
Yes
Double National Book Award-winner Ward has had a difficult time lately. (She wrote about her husband’s COVID-related death in “Vanity Fair.”) So it’s probably unkind to say “Descend” is not her best work. It’s a mother-daughter slavery story with heavy magical realism. The tone feels all wrong. Characters can’t decide if they should speak in the dialect of illiterate slaves or the jargon of proud poet-warrior women. It seems misguided to surround slavery’s horrors with dancing bees & enigmatic spirits who impart wisdom like “Only the Water knows all.” (This ghost apparently speaks in caps.) Ward’s earned a pass.