A review by julesmq
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

adventurous challenging emotional 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

5.0

LET US DESCEND is the most beautiful, horrific, poetic, tense story I’ve ever encountered: simultaneously telling a story of American slavery and the fierce determination of enslaved women. The novel has done what every great book does, set me out on further study (of the plaçage system, of free women of color in the South, of Louisianan culture). It enchanted me (terrible though its narrative details are), and it became my favorite read in an instant. I challenge anyone to come away unchanged after reading this. 
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