Reviews

Powerful and painful, this is a must-read. Actually, it may be a must-listen. Jesmyn Ward reads the audio book. Her voice truly speaks the pain that is felt throughout the book. The book sits you in the middle and is written in a way that helps the reader feel what they feel in a time when we weren’t there. It’s a time where I feel like we often distance ourselves from and try to make it seem less abhorrent than it was. Jesmyn Ward, however, brings it to life and refuses to allow us to distance ourselves from it. It’s real. It’s raw. It’s beautiful. It’s painful.

andrearebekah42's review against another edition

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4.0

Let Us Descend tells the heartbreaking story of Annis, a young, enslaved woman who is sold by her white father. Annis is an unforgettable character whose inner and physical journey illuminates the many evils of slavery while also revealing how deeply rooted our love for one another can be. Ward uses a lot of magical realism throughout this novel, and there were scenes when it didn't work for me and left me unsure of what was happening. Despite that, Let Us Descend is a powerful book I'm sure will become a classic.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

shanelleg90's review against another edition

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challenging slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

ablumeyer's review against another edition

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3.0

The magical realism/spirits in the story really detracted from my ability to understand and sympathize with the main character, ultimately making the whole thing fall flat for me. I’m bummed because I was really looking forward to this one - it just never grabbed me.

rmdockery's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5/5

leahtylerthewriter's review against another edition

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See full review on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution website:

Two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward’s “Let Us Descend” is a searing and lyrical historical novel that voyages through the antebellum South in a stunning adaptation of Dante’s “Inferno” — the legendary 14th century poem chronicling an allegorical descent through hell.

Raw, transcendent and ultimately hopeful, Ward’s envisioning of American slavery follows a young woman who is guided by the ghost of her warrior grandmother on a harrowing journey from a Carolina rice farm to a Louisiana sugar plantation while desperately seeking freedom.

https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/magical-realism-infuses-slave-narrative-with-hope-in-let-us-descend/BGMZXQRHQNFLNLFNJMG7NBBCZA/

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