Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Este mundo ciego by Jesmyn Ward

28 reviews

campredwood's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I’ve never wanted so badly to be finished with such a beautifully written book. Gut wrenching. I dreaded picking it back up and following Annis’s story. But if some atrocities had to be lived, if this author out this much into this book- it deserves to be read. 
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lyricalsoul's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Beautifully written and read like poetry by the author.
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kell_xavi's review against another edition

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challenging emotional medium-paced

4.5

Perhaps the most heartfelt writer I have read. Jesmyn Ward writes Annie and her mother, her companions, with strength and depth; she writes their daily struggles as the subjects of unending cruelty in sharp detail, from a character full of determination and despair, until both she and her reality are stark and fully imagined before us, until we are immersed in that dark place—and in the bloom of scents, the pain of cut palms, the seeping presence of spirits to watch and intercede. It is a hard story, because the history, the knowledge that these acts of enslavement, brutality, rape, starvation, torture and confinement were common and that thousands of people lived through them and bear their legacy. Ward reminds us, much like the spirit who records the names of those who cross the sea remembers, so the lives, the harms, and the fires can be felt in the land and the people we are among today. So that we can imagine what bodies were forced to bear, and the poetry and love that those extremely resilient people still found and shared, the will to live that carried skills and knowledge from person to person, and across generations unto freedom.
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haley313's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Gut-wrenching and emotionally taxing from start to finish, but written beautifully. I love Jesmyn Ward’s prose - it’s so raw and visceral. An important story.
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natalieba's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

5.0

 Loved this one, even though it was tough to get through at times. Her writing is beautiful and I wanted to pick it up despite the difficult content. The main character was interesting and well-drawn, and I enjoyed the spiritual/magical aspect of the novel -that Annis drew strength from the spirits around her was compelling and thought-provoking. Highly recommend the audio, which is ready by the author. 
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qkitten's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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zalouis's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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kathrynjl's review against another edition

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challenging sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Let Us Descend is a beautifully crafted but challenging read; truthfully, I don’t know how to rate it. Ward’s prose is lyrical and evocative, but this story is so slow-paced and deeply sad that I’m not sure if I actually enjoyed reading it. Things started to pick up for me in the last third of the book, and the ending is hopeful. I look forward to reading more of Jesmyn Ward’s books because her style is magnificent.
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laurynsbookshelf's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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mariavdl's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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