An interesting tie-in to this book is Slavery’s Exiles: The Story of the American Maroons”, about escaped slaves who lived in hiding (sometimes near the plantations from which they had escaped). Unfortunately, “Let us Descend” had too much magical realism in it for me to enjoy it. The story of Annis was really quite compelling, however every time I was drawn into what was happening to her I got pushed away by her engagement with her ancestors, or trees or some other fantasy. I know people love this book, but it is just not my style.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I received this advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. A brilliant novel! A worthy read for anyone interested in American history and seeking unusual perspectives. Highly recommended!!

Annis is a slave during the early years of the country, when stories of her grandmother, a warrior wife sold to a slaving ship by a vengeful husband, are recent and powerful. Jesmyn Ward’s newest novel takes its title from Dante and it tells of the Hell on Earth, where spirits abound and life is a desperate search for remnants of love aid in survival. Out of all the current authors that I read, I think Jesmyn Ward’s books will be the ones that last. While, I do think her novels set in the more recent times are better, the writing in this is too powerful to be forgotten.

This is one of those unforgettable books. Whose imagery still floods into my mind. Whose characters will live in my memory, reminding me that we must look to history to know who we are and find the strength to carry on anew, both as individuals and as a society.

Ms. Ward takes the reader alongside Annis in her journey to the depths of hell, where the hellscape is our own brutal history of slavery. On this journey, we are experiencing Annis' senses and observations up close as she is forced into different circles of enslavement's hell -- working in the house with the looming threat of the master assaulting her, having her soul cleaved when her mother is sold away, being forced on a brutal march to slave markets in New Orleans, being "examined" and bought and sold, surviving starvation and the elements and being worked to the bone, enduring the harsh environment of a sugar cane plantation under the rule of a cruel mistress. The prose is so tactile, so intimate -- she is real and we feel it.

So now you might be thinking, wow... sounds really good and important but I don't know if I have it in me to experience such an upsetting and depressing book. I want you to know that there is such beauty and strength and tenderness also. As Annis endures the harsh elements of her physical existence, she also loves and connects deeply with others. She communes with the spirit world, being fortified by the love of her mother and her grandmother, and listens to the natural world, gaining wisdom and fashioning her own sense of self and path to liberation. The lyrical storytelling enthralls, gorgeous and haunting. I have seen reviews criticizing the magical realism of this book, but I think that's the element that enriches the storytelling, gives it an extra dimension, made me stop to contemplate why Annis is seeing and hearing these things, and what it means.

I can't imagine what Ms. Ward went through to write this book. The research into the dark and brutal history and envisioning life through Annis' eyes, surely contemplating her own experiences and those of her family. I regard Ms. Ward with the highest of respect and admiration. I listened to the audiobook in addition to reading a hardcopy, and she narrates herself. Listening to her voice tell this story is all the more moving. Thank you, Ms. Ward, for bringing this story from the depths and into our world so we may bear witness.

I'm grateful to Scribner and Netgalley for the opportunity to review a DRC of this incredible book.

I am a huge Jessmyn Ward fan from page one of Sing, Unburied, Sing, where I started my journey with her works. A major plus to her work is the visceral embodiment of various themes by characters and nature. This is her first foray into the period of enslavement in the US. I looked forward to see how her visceral language and themes would manifest in this most difficult era.

There are many things I liked here. The spirits and their independent wants and needs were a dimension that added much to the story. Our protagonist is compelling. Even thought her voice moves in and out of a very mild dialect, neither voice seems forced or inauthentic. The things she holds on to in the swirl of change and misery ground us, the reader, as well.

Ultimately it's just lacking the force of her earlier works. There is something distant here that was uncomfortably close in her other works that is what makes her stories. It felt like there was maybe an attempt to pack in too much so that no theme got its just attention? The end of the story feels like it just stops and cuts off instead of the cyclical pattern to her other works as well.

I look forward to her next one to see if and how she explores some of the themes begun here.

Jesmyn Ward is an instant read for me. This book is heartbreaking and beautiful. This is a must read for anyone and everyone. Be ready to have your heartbroken in the most beautiful way.

I tend to avoid books about slavery because it’s an aspect of Black history that receives so much focus in America at the cost of others. If it weren’t for the notoriety of the author, I would have passed this one over and it would have been my loss. It was the most visceral account of slavery that I’ve ever read. You feel the character's desperation. I’m not a big fan of magical realism but it makes sense in this context. ARC from NetGalley

Jesmyn Ward is an author I will never pass up. A reimagining of slavery, Ward tells the story of Annis, a young woman sold to the south by the man who enslaved her father. Naturally, Annis goes on a great personal and spiritual journey. She relies heavily on the memories of her mother and grandmother to get her through and, ultimately, to come out the other side.

Although difficult to read at times, Ward is a masterful author, and her writing is incredibly beautiful on its face. The story tells of strong bonds between women, which I loved. I think the story is an important one and a unique one. Taking a topic heavily covered like slavery, Ward turns it on its head, and tells a story you could never expect.

I didn't want to put this one down. It's 100% worth the read, not only for the story, but even just to be able to take in the beautiful writing. 4.5 stars.

Simply put, this is one of the most exquisite and beautifully written books on one of the most horrific parts of our history I’ve ever read.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author which was outstanding. This harrowing and magestic novel follows an enslaved girl named Annis from the rice fields of the Carolinas to New Orleans slave markets and Louisiana’s sugar plantations. Early on her mother taught her to be her own weapon, and along her treacherous journey Annis draws upon that strength as well as the spirits of her ancestors and the earth, water and land who guide her.

Ward’s lyrical prose envelopes you on every page and her haunting storytelling will mesmerize you from the start. Genius is the only way I can describe this immensely talented writer.

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read this powerful new novel by Jesmyn Ward, Let Us Descend.
Wow, what a book! Jesmyn Ward's novels always delve deep into a tumultuous time, throwing a punch to the gut in the best way possible.
In her newest, Ward tells the story of an enslaved girl, Annis, and her connection to family and the land, prior to the Civil War.
I couldn't put this book down! I was haunted and mesmerized by Ward's depictions of grief and survival. There were times when the writing went above my head and tempted to confuse me. But overall, the writing was amazing and addictive and beautiful.
I will read anything Ward writes!

It’s going to take me awhile to recover from this one. The writing is beautiful. Each sentence more lyrical than the next. The subject matter and descriptions of the brutality were gut punching.

Set prior to the Civil War, an enslaved girl is sold by the man that fathered her. She suffers unimaginably while walking to New Orleans to be sold at a sugar plantation. Annis finds her strength to endure from stories passed to her from her beloved mother about her African warrior grandmother.

With elements of magical realism and poetic writing, this story is about the ugly and horrific treatment of slaves and at the same time about the beauty of the spirit world and the strength found between women.

I could not finish this book. Maybe because I was on vacation and it was just so raw and so tough to read.

This was my first Jesmyn Ward and I can see why she is so loved as an author. Impactful and poetic writing is some of my favorite and there is plenty to go around here.

Briefly, Ward takes us along the grueling journey with Annis, a slave in NC, as she is tied to other women and walked to New Orleans through a treacherous landscape. Once she’s there she continues to suffer at the hands of slave owners. All the while, she is visited from her ancestors who try to guide her through the brutal landscape that is her life.

To be honest, the parts with her ancestors only did it for me some of the time. They weren’t my favorite parts (just a time when magical realism *didn’t* work for me) but eventually I could see the big picture of what Ward was doing with them and I gave in to it😜.

I did love Annis’ strong, stubborn voice throughout the entire story though. You could tell after being sold, abused, starved and bought that she was always going to do what SHE wanted, given the opportunity. It was a stark contrast to what her ancestors were trying to tell her and I appreciated her hope and will to fight based on what she thought she deserved rather than what her ancestors told her she did. I also loved how in tune Annis was with nature - those were some of my very favorite parts!

Overall it isn’t perfect but still a beautifully written and impactful story that I think most people will love

I'm in awe of Jesmyn Ward and the way she can craft a story. Her newest novel, Let Us Descend, is lyrical and poetic as we follow along with Annis as she's sold in New Orleans to a woman on a sugar plantation. The horrible nature of slavery is ever present in this tale that will have the reader heartbroken but hoping for the spirits to listen to Annis help her. Its been awhile since I've read Dante's Infero, which was an inspiration for this novel, so I know I missed quite a few references. Let Us Descend is a masterpiece in storytelling. Jesmyn Ward will be known as one of the greatest writers of her time, although really she already is. Although it's a tough story, I look forward to re-reading Let Us Descend in the future to further dissect the story as Ward packed so much into this short novel.

Ward's stories are always haunting in the reality. Even though this is considered magical realism, it doesn't make it any less visceral in its story beats. I'll definitely recommend this title.

Jesmyn Ward never disappoints!

The story begins in the Carolinas where Annis and her mother are enslaved to the man who fathered her. He sells them off one by one and they begin the long walk to New Orleans to the slave markets. Annis, wrecked by grief and pushed to physical limits by the grueling walk, encounters Aza, a spirit who knew her mother and grandmother.

As she is sold in New Orleans to a sugarcane plantation, Annis encounters other spirits and previous slaves who found a semi-freedom in the borderlands. Under horrible conditions, she finds a strength within herself that even the spirits can't conquer.

I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25. It is a heavy story. It's not a light read! Detailing the atrocities and expectations of slavery, your heart breaks as Annis experiences loneliness, grief, constant fear of sexual assault, starvation, cruelty, and pushing her body to its absolute limits. Beautifully written as all of Jesmyn Ward's books, it is a necessary and unforgettable read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written and unrelenting. I have no idea how Jesmyn Ward inhabited the headspace of Annis for as long as she must have in order to write this novel; it must have been excruciating at times. I found that I could only read a few chapters at a time before my heart needed a break because the story of Annis, her mother, and grandmother, as well as the women she shared space with was filled with deep love, horror, and devastation. It was only at the end that there was a sense of hope and hints of happier days to come.

This will be a hard read for anyone who picks it up and I'm still suggesting it to anyone who will listen. Poetic, heart wrenching, beautiful, and wise--I hope this novel wins all the prizes.

Jesmyn Ward is an extremely talented writer, telling stories of a shocking and brutal part of American history that need to be heard. A first edition of Sing, Unburied, Sing has a place of honor on my bookshelf.

Annis is a complicated, haunted character. The voices of her mother and grandmother tether her to sanity in an unbearable situation.

One of Ward's many gifts is to describe a time and place with immersive prose. I felt the tendrils of Spanish moss and smelled the tidal marsh as I read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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/

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for this eARC. I've become such a fan of Jesmyn Ward's work over the last several years. I know that I can always count on Ward's writing to intensely depict the Black experience, usually employing magical realism to mirror some of the traumatic experiences of the characters. Ward's premise is immediately engaging; she equates the descent into the southern half of the US during the TransAtlantic slave trade with Dante's journey into hell. Ward continually uses Dante's language, repeating the phrase, "Let us descend" in new and evocative ways. I will say that I found myself comparing this novel quite often to Morrison's Beloved, but this was equally brilliant in its own right.