The story of Annis will stay with me. Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward is a powerful statement about finding strength in family and traditions. Born into slavery, fathered by her enslaver, we see how life was like when you are born and raised as a slave, knowing you have sisters who illustrate class and race. Where people are bought and sold on a whim tearing apart families and no one’s life is certain. The story takes us the journey from the Carolinas to New Orleans with every imaginable tragedy along the way. This is a story about women, class, race, perseverance, and ultimately rising above to survive. Stories about American slavery remain critical to provide perspective of the challenges that humans faced at the hands of other humans who held all of the power. This story highlights the power of women across generations from Annis’s Grandmother who was a warrior, to her mother who worked to protect her own child while raising the children of her enslavers, to Annis who fights to protect herself and those she loves most. This book reminded me in ways of Beloved by Toni Morrison and would certainly appeal to her readers as well. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not so sure about this one.

The story was written beautifully. The imagery and emotion was vibrant and immersive. And while the book itself has a powerful tale to tell, it didn’t feel like it packed the punch I was expecting.

I found myself kind of wandering off feeling a bit bored with the book, as it got lost in the descriptions. And I didn’t really feel the magical realism was necessary, as it didn’t really seem to have a reason in being there.

It was a good book that really drops you into pre Civil War America, but it just didn’t hit me like I thought it would.

There is no doubt about it-- Jesmyn Ward is a brilliant writer. She writes with a poetic lyricism that evokes such deep emotion in the reader. I don't even think that I have the ability to fully appreciate the layers and layers of symbolism and depth in this ingenious work.

The story is told in first person narration by Annis, the daughter and product of rape of her black enslaved mother by the white plantation owner they are enslaved to. Separated from her mother, and eventually sold herself, Annis documents the arduous journey on foot, bound by ropes to other slaves, from her North Carolina plantation home to the slave markets of New Orleans and onto the brutal sugar plantation that she was later sold to. The story has heavy supernatural elements in addition to the lyrical prose skillfully written by Ward. This story evoked a lot of emotion, and while the ending left me yearning for a little bit more, I think this is one well worth picking up.

It must be so difficult to write about the atrocities of slavery, but Ward somehow does it beautifully. Her prose is truly poetic. Above all, this is a story of love, hope, and family.

Jesmyn Ward is always amazing, and this book is no exception! SO touching and emotional with excellent writing.

I was looking forward to this novel. It is my first Jesmyn Ward.
Sadly I have decided not to finish. It is quite a bleak novel, and I'm not finding much hope in there to keep me going.

This is a dark book that through beautiful writing explains the horror of slavery through the eyes of a teenage slave. She is sold, starved, tortured and lives a miserable life and yet somehow has hope. I am not a huge fan of magical realism and while that element of the story was not my favorite, I did like that it provided a sense of the strength of the women that came before. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This one will stay with me. 4/5

Mesmerising, poetic, horrific, but, uplifting at the end. Ward’s new novel takes the reader back to slavery in the American South. The protagonist is marched from a plantation in the Carolina’s to New Orleans, where she is sold to the owner of a sugar cane plantation. She remains alive through memories of her mother and stories of her warrior grandmother. She has visions of spirits. Will she survive? Each of Ward’s novels amazes me more - such a powerful writer.

"Let Us Descend" marked my first foray into Jesmyn Ward's work, and I was immediately captivated by this unique take on the subject of slavery. It's a challenging read, yet the beauty of Ward's prose makes the pages turn effortlessly.

Unlike traditional narratives about slavery, this book brings a fresh perspective, seamlessly blending poetic prose with a mesmerizing storyline, enriched by elements of magical realism. It's a swift and impactful read, though there were moments when I felt the magical realism might have been a tad overwhelming.

The emotional resonance of this book is undeniable, with its vivid imagery and powerful storytelling making me envision a compelling screen adaptation. Ward's distinctive style has convinced me to explore her backlist, starting with "Salvage the Bones," a book that has been patiently waiting on my shelf.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let Us Descend follows Annis as she walks from the rice fields of the Carolinas to a sugar plantation in New Orleans, after being sold by her master/father. Her walk is reminiscent of Stephen King's The Long Walk. As Annis walks she finds comfort in the spirits of her ancestors remembering the stories from her past. They continue to help her survive her new master at the sugar plantation.
This is a truly gut wrenching novel, what Annis must go through is almost incomprehensible. It's is both a reminder and a wake-up call of what slavery and the slave trade did to over 15 million people. Jesmyn Ward is able to beautifully, poetically bring many of the atrocities of slavery to the forefront while highlighting the unimaginable strength those like Annis must have had in order to endure.

This is a beautifully written story of tragedy, violence, shame, privilege, jealousy and heritage. Though some parts of the story were hard to follow due to the magical realism element. It is still an incredibly poetic work, that grew on me as the book progressed.

Delighted to include this title in the October edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

First, let me start of by saying that this book is very heavy, obviously, as we are reading about Annis who the daughter of an enslaved woman and fathered by their white owner. The writing, although describing and absolutely brutal life, is incredibly beautiful and almost poetically visual during times of Annis' story.

The magical realism in the story was not something that I was expecting and I feel like maybe there is some sort of symbolism that I am missing out on, but it is a read that makes you feel deep in your soul for every person who has been mistreated at the hands of another.

I find it quite difficult to review a historical fiction novel such as this one that deals with the incredibly dark history of slavery in the United States. First, I do not feel that it is right to give my own "star rating" of this book. I can't rate such a book based on my enjoyment of the reading experience. This is book is a very difficult read that deals with very heavy topics. I needed to take several breaks while reading this book, and I recommend having something lighter to also read on the side.

The writing in this book is very poetic and lyrical. Personally, I found it hard to follow at times, mostly because it was such a different style compared to what I typically read. There is also a very prominent element of magical realism in this story, which also made it more challenging for me to follow along.

This book is quite unlike anything I've ever read. I recommend this book to those who have an interest in both American historical fiction and magical realism.

⚠️ Potential trigger warnings: thematic elements related to slavery, rape, graphic physical violence, death (may not be an exhaustive list)

🙏 Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the gifted electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An incredibly powerful and moving story set in pre-Civil War South that follows a young biracial slave girl, Annis as she tries to survive and moves from one horrible situation to another. The prose is so lyrical and the audiobook experience was even better read by the author herself! This newest Oprah pick is sure to be another bestselling award winner for the author and there's no question why. Recommended for fans of books like The conjure women or Washington Black by Esi Edugyan. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is a slave narrative with strong elements of magic realism.

Arese, known as Annis by most people, is born on a rice plantation in North Carolina, the daughter of an enslaved black woman and the white plantation owner. She is eventually sold at a slave market in New Orleans to the owner of a Louisiana sugarcane plantation. Separated from her mother, Arese tries to find comfort and strength in the memories of her mother and the stories she was told about Mama Aza, her African warrior grandmother. She also opens herself up to the spirit world and connects with a wind spirit who oversaw both her grandmother and her mother. This spirit, who calls herself Aza after Arese’s grandmother, is fickle and not very helpful so Arese is uncertain about trusting her. Arese comes to realize that the spirit world teems with spirits but they often seem more manipulative than nurturing.

I am not fond of magic realism and its use in this novel certainly affected my enjoyment. As the novel progresses, the spirits become more prominent. Unfortunately, they left me confused because I was never certain of their role. Arese does mention that Aza’s “coming, strange and new, made me forget the rope and my wounds,” but it is Arese’s mother who teaches her the most important lesson: “’In this world, you your own weapon.’” On the march to New Orleans, she reminds herself, “Didn’t Mama say I was my own weapon? That I was always enough to figure a way out?” In the end, she repeats, “I am my own weapon” and even alludes to this in her last conversation with Aza. So do the spirits help Arese to find her inner strength and help her realize that she must trust herself and her abilities?

The novel’s pace is slow and the reader probably won’t learn anything new about the horrors of slavery. There is not a strong storyline; it could easily be summed up in one sentence. As a result, I had difficulty connecting with the story. And the more time Arese spent focusing on the spirits, the more quickly I found my interest waning.

What stands out about the book is its language which can only be described as lyrical and beautiful. In the first chapter, Arese describes her mother as “a woman who hides a tender heart: a woman who tells me stories in a leaf-rustling whisper, a woman who burns like a sulfur lantern as she leads me through the world’s darkness.” On the long walk to the slave market, Arese describes her loneliness: “My longing for my mother spreads over me in a great fishing net and tightens, so whole I can feel it from my head to my middle to my feet.” Poetic language is even used to describe pain: “The men and women around me struggle upright, backs curled to the downpour like armadillos. My body is one great bruise. I groan, roll over on my stomach and retch. I scuttle as well as I can away from the sick, but the rope tenses, so I crouch on all fours like the others, trying to inch out of the muddy ground. The sky bellows over us. I bow my head to the deluge, to the pain ricocheting through me.”

For me, however, this lyrical prose is incongruous. Describing the brutality of slavery in such beautiful words seems inappropriate. I also want more than just gorgeous diction: more plot and more nuanced character development. And less magical realism.

I think it was in the intro, Jesmyn Ward mentions that she wanted to write this story on American slavery, while giving all the power and authority to Black people, and I think she really did that with Annis. This is a devastating yet powerful read. Despite her circumstances, Annis is written with agency, beauty, and power.

Powerfully and beautifully written. It is a story that will stick with me for a long time and deserves to be read again.

This was a good book, the first I have read by this author, I may have to read her others. Annis lives with her mother, both are enslaved with a group of other black people on a farm. Her mother teaches her defense/warrior type skills that she had learned from her mother, and shares stories of her past to show her daughter that they came from a line of strong women. Annis is the daughter of the owner, and catches his attention one day, she is saved by her mother, though she is then sold, Annis is sold not long after. She endures a long walk with several others from North Carolina to New Orleans where she is again sold at a slave market to a woman who owns a sugar cane plantation. All the slaves are treated poorly, under fed, worked to the bone and beat if they don't work hard enough. Annis has a 'spirit' that she talks to, who she looks to for guidance, sometimes helpful, sometimes not so much. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Scribner for the ARC.

A stunningly beautiful book that describes the inhuman horrors of slavery; while depicting the unending power of love: