Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

29 reviews

_annika__'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Death of parent, and Colonisation

natalieba's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

mugsandmanuscripts's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense

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

5.0

 It's hard to write a book about slavery that strikes the balance between a realistic portrayal of the brutality of the institution and the resilience of the human spirit. I think Jesmyn Ward mastered it in this book. 

 

The violence of slavery—physical, emotional, and sexual—cannot be overstated (and should never be understated). For that reason, I was hesitant to read this book. As I work on decolonizing my bookshelves, I've been adding books that speak to the experience of being Black in America, and part of that is reading slavery narratives (both historical and fictional). These narratives are always heavy and never easy. But I keep reminding myself that if people experienced this violence, I have no excuse for not reading about it. 

 

That said, Let Us Descend is heavy, but artfully crafted and beautiful in its portrayal of the human spirit. The book follows Annis (nicknamed Arese by her mother) on her harrowing journey from the plantation on which she was born (the product of the slaveowner and one of his slaves) to another plantation to which she is sold and beyond. It starts with her close relationship with her loving mother and follows the other relationships Annis cultivates in spite of (and because of) her status as a slave. 

 

The relationships Annis develops—some more intimate/longer than others—form the heart of the novel and the life of our main character. Each relationship becomes a part of who Annis is. Along her journey, she becomes acquainted with several ancestral spirits, one in particular who has followed three generations of women in Annis's family line. 

 

Over the course of the novel, Annis fights to develop her own sense of self, which is especially difficult given that she lives within the confines of slavery. The result is a beautiful story woven with strings of loss, strength, love, grief, oppression, resilience and self-discovery. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence

zalouis's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Abandonment

kathrynjl's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

any_bethany's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Slavery, Violence, and Deportation

ginabelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.0

An essential and uncomfortable read depicting American slavery, sprinkled with supernatural elements. The spirits were a little beyond me at times, but the concept of descending into hell to hone your weapons, wit, and power of self to ultimately ascend into true freedom (in every sense) was so beautiful!! This was my first Jesmyn Ward book and she is amazing!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Grief, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual harassment

laynemandros's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Glad I started off the year with such a banger, and if my first book of 2024 indicated how the rest of my reading year will go, then we’re off to a good start. 

One thing about me is that I love Jesmyn Ward, she’s hands down one of my top five favorite authors of all time. I expected to be blown away by this book because I’ve had visceral, emotional reactions to all of her work (I’ve read all of her books except “The Fire This Time), but I wasn’t. To be clear, I enjoyed this read, but I wasn’t as enthralled with this one as I have been with Ward’s work in the past. I guess it might be a little unfair to compare her books to each other when so many of them are my absolute favs. 

I have no bones to pick with this book, if you like beautiful, moving writing with layered prose and incredible plot execution then you’ll want to pick this one up. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I felt the middle of the novel lagged for me a bit. I feel like this might be twofold, I’m not really a fan of historical fiction or magical realism— two things that dominate this novel. 

As always, the climax and falling actions of Jesmyn Ward’s writing absolutely captivated me. This is a beautiful and complex story of ancestry, particularly motherhood, of Black women who were enslaved in the south. The motif of water and the reclamation of water after the trauma of ancestors being forcibly transported to America via the Atlantic Ocean was particularly poignant for me throughout this read. 

Not much else to say about this one, Jesmyn Ward never misses. In 2024 I hope to check off the last book of hers that I’ve yet to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation

mariavdl's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

memoirsofabooklover's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

this story was so poetically written, it was beautiful to read.
it wasn’t too long, the perfect time to tell the story as needed without dragging on.
annis’ story is just so tragic and you think it can’t get worse but it continues to do so.
although difficult this was a really important read; exploring a young woman’s perseverance through loss, grief and insurmountable odds, with magical realism interwoven through the pages to provide hope and guidance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal death, Infertility, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy