Jesmyn Ward’s Let Us Descend is a stunning, harrowing novel that blends history, mythology, and spirituality with her signature lyrical prose. Annis’s journey is heartbreaking yet beautifully rendered, and the writing is so immersive that I felt every moment of her struggle and resilience. It’s a heavy read, but Ward’s storytelling is breathtaking and unforgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC of Let Us Descend!

Let Us Descend is a reimagining of American slavery, as beautifully rendered as it is heart-wrenching. Searching, harrowing, replete with transcendent love, the novel is a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans and into the fearsome heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation. Annis, sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her, is the reader’s guide through this hellscape. As she struggles through the miles-long march, Annis turns inward, seeking comfort from memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother. Throughout, she opens herself to a world beyond this world, one teeming with of earth and water, of myth and history; spirits who nurture and give, and those who manipulate and take.

This book is so incredibly written and soooooo heartbreaking. The language is gorgeous but the subject matter is horrendous. Its been weeks since I read this but I cannot get it out of my head. I highly recommend this book. Annis is an incredible character and the strength of familial love in this book is astounding. The fantastical elements were at times difficult to follow but ultimately add immense depth to the story. I really enjoyed them.

Jesmyn Ward writes in a lush, gorgeous, visceral way that not many other living writers come close to. This is an extremely harrowing and devastating read, but is beautiful and absolutely worth making the descent.

Jesmyn Ward's 2017 book "Sing, Unburied, Sing" made me feel almost breathless with the way the story moved and made me feel. I used to live just a few miles from Parchman Farm, which helped.

This book, which felt more akin to magic realism than the grittier realities of earlier books, didn't gel as much for me. It's not really hopeful, it's bleak in story and presentation. It's bold, yes, but it doesn't feel like it comes together in the same way that I'm used to for Ward's books.

I am an enormous Jesmyn Ward fan, and I remain so, but I can't say this will be a book I plan to revisit anytime soon.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this advanced reader's edition. Unfortunately, I will not be able to give it the time required to write a thorough review and will be unable to read it for this purpose.

Jessmyn Ward never fails to hit all of the emotional notes, both high and low, in her writing. Let Us Descend is no exception. This book should be read far and wide.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me, and I wasn’t able to finish it. The pacing didn’t hold my attention, and I struggled to connect with the characters. However, I appreciate the opportunity to review it and think it will resonate with other readers who enjoy magical realism!

Jesmyn Ward’s "Let Us Descend" is a masterfully written exploration of resilience, identity, and the unyielding spirit of its protagonist. Ward’s prose creates a visceral and deeply emotional narrative, pulling readers into the life of a young enslaved girl as she navigates unimaginable hardships and dreams of freedom. The blend of historical realism with poetic imagery makes this novel both haunting and beautiful. Ward’s ability to capture profound human emotions is unmatched, making *Let Us Descend* a truly unforgettable reading experience.

Jesmyn Ward is one of the greatest living American authors. Each new book she authors is a gift, and I was delighted to have the chance to read her newest novel, Let Us Descend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Even though this was a hard read, I still enjoyed it! It aroused emotions which inspired me to keep me reading.

Reading Jesmyn Ward always hurts so good. In Let Us Descend, she conveys the heartbreak and sense of betrayal a young girl, Annis, faces when she and her mother are sold separately by their owner—who is also her father--and the ways that she copes, and also the ways she is helped by the spirits of her ancestors.

My thanks go to Scribner and Net Galley for the invitation to read and review. I’m sorry to be so late here, and am grateful that the literary world has recognized this book for the masterpiece that it is.

You may have seen other reviews in which I complain and gnash my teeth over historical inaccuracies; sometimes I rant over an author’s failure to portray a child in a way that is developmentally inaccurate. There will be none of that here. Ward has taken the time and done the research, and so her well crafted characters aren’t compromised by sloppy background details. I had to take this story in small bites because it is excruciatingly sorrowful. For part of it I listened to the audio version; this is a treat in itself, as Ward reads her own novel.

Some reviewers have taken issue with the amount of magical realism Ward employs. I disagree with them. How can any novelist portray such a story and such a character as Annis with any glimmer of hope, unless they employ these literary devices? Does anyone really want to read a book that is miserable at the outset, miserable in the middle, and miserable even at its bitter, wretched conclusion? Without hope, there’s not much incentive to keep reading, nor would it have been satisfying to write; but Ward will not and does not revise history simply to make her readers more comfortable. There was only one way to tell this story and be true to history and her characters, and Ward found it.

Yes, it’s a rough read, but it’s so well written that many readers must have smiled through their tears. Know that, of necessity, this story is absolutely loaded with triggers; assuming that you can navigate them without coming undone, I highly recommend this story to you.

This deals with the brutality of slavery told through the story of Annis, a young woman sold by the enslaver who fathered her. First he sells her mother, then her. There is the journey south on foot to the seller's block and the further enslavement and cruelty at the hands of her new owner. Visions of her grandmother and mother help sustain her and the spirituality runs throughout. It's a necessary reminder of our history that cannot be forgotten.

It was more of a lyrical poem than a novel. I really liked it, but not as much as her novels. I will keep reading everything she writes!

Another amazing book by the amazing jesmyn Ward. The beginning gripped me right away. Well developed characters, a heart wrenching plot. This one has it all.

Some nice writing here, but I felt like the story was just a sequence of random events about a character who didn't feel particularly defined.

very beautifully written about a very tough subject. When the owner of a plantation decides to sell his most rebellious lover, Annis is separated from her mother and is forced to "serve" her father. When she refuses, she is sold to a woman running a larger plantation while her husband is out making babies with several others. You'd think this plantation might be better but its not. Tough read.

Let Us Descend is set in the years before the Civil War. We follow teenaged Annis, the daughter of an enslaved woman and the owner of the plantation. When Annis is sold, she and countless others are chained together and forced to walk the long, hard journey from North Carolina to the New Orleans slave market. Jesmyn Ward’s writing is masterful - so vivid you can feel the pain in Annis’ every step. Upon her arrival in New Orleans, Annis is eventually sold to the owner of a sugar plantation. Throughout the book we learn of Annis’ family history - how her grandmother was ripped from her home in Africa, where she was a warrior. Annis is visited by the same spirit who visited her grandmother and mother before her. This is a story of grief and resilience, a story with the most lyrical prose about such a brutal topic.

This is for readers who enjoy magical realism mixed in with their historical fiction. I believe it is a book that needs to be read more than once to fully grasp, and I look forward to purchasing upon release so I can reread it one day!

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner Books for the advanced copy.

"Let Us Descend" is a beautifully written, devastating story of one young girl's experience of slavery. Annis, held as a slave by the man who is also her father, endures an endless series of tortures and cruelties that somehow does not extinguish her will to live. A sort of retelling of Dante's "Inferno," the novel also fits into the tradition of Toni Morrison's "Beloved." It's a book that can help a modern reader confront the particulars of life in the pre-Civil War South in a new way. Jesmyn Ward masterfully blends elements of magical realism into a work of historical fiction. This book is as difficult to read as it is necessary.

This book was beautifully written. The prose was gorgeous. But I just could not connect to the narrator/story. I had trouble distinguishing real from fantasy at times and I found the story a bit hard to follow.

Loved this! It was difficult to read only because of the subject matter but Ward writes with such gorgeous, imaginative prose that it draws the reader in. This is about a slave girl, Annis, before the start of the Civil War and all the things she goes through. I will read anything Ward writes — she is incredibly talented. I have also read her Sing Unburied Sing, which I loved, and plan to read her other work. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an advanced readers’ copy.