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Jesmyn Ward has the gift of prose. I‘ll say that. I had a hard time putting this one down, even though it‘s a miserable subject. I can‘t add to the conversation about this novel, so I won‘t try. I‘ll only say that I will continue to read Ward‘s work.

This book reminded me a lot of Octavia Butler‘s Kindred. We quickly‘descend‘ on a journey with Annie, a young enslaved woman, straight into hell. After being ripped away from her mother, who is sold to another enslaver, she is forced to walk in a long procession to New Orleans, to labor on a sugarcane plantation. Her mother‘s memory, her stories, and her spirits keep her alive to fight another day, clinging to a chance to find freedom. A ⬇️

This was tough, but such a good read. Jasmyn does a fantastic job of capturing the stories and hardships of those forced into slavery, while also sharing the beauty of comfort amongst the pain.

A raw and powerful book. This is a hard read, set in American slavery times right before the civil war this book is brutally honest about how enslaved people were treated. Ward's writing is immaculate. She writes with such conviction and grace. It was a moving novel.

#Yellow
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Soft pick. Had to ponder my feelings about this one for a while. The writing is gorgeous, but so lyrical and mesmerising that I felt removed from the characters. Which might be a blessing due to the trauma and misery inflicted upon them. I liked the whole spirit angle, but this is another book where I'm not sure about the magical realism label because it could all be in her head. The ending left a lot of loose ends, but didn't feel abrupt.

The Spouse asked me if we have any plans for the long weekend.
The pic is my plan 😅
All three of these are due back in seven days and can't be renewed. 😬 So I'll be reading James in advance of #CampLitsy

The novel follows Annis who is an enslaved person. It begins in her younger years before she was separated from her mother who was sold to another plantation and chronicles the many losses of her life. Annis grows and struggles through her time and it is a memorable and moving story. 4/5

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Soft pick.

#botm

April #bookspin

March Reads.
4 🌟
Let Us Descend: Jesmyn Ward 📖
Enter Ghost: Isabella Hammad 🎧
3 🌟
Man‘s Search For Meaning: Viktor E Frankl 📖
2.5 🌟
In The Upper Country: Kai Thomas 🎧
2 🌟
Hangman: Maya Binyam 🎧
#Womensprizeforfiction
#Carolshieldsprize

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Quite a different story on today‘s bracket for #LitsyToB24 - a runaway win for Let Us Descend!

Only 5 people voted for Same Bed, including your esteemed hosts, Meg and Barbara, plus Erin, Tracy and Ruth - everyone else went with Let Us Descend.

What did you think of this bracket and the voting? Both of these books had an element of history in them, but told in very different ways. What did you like about/ dislike about each of the styles?

Poetic slave narrative with mythical elements. Her writing is brutal and lyrical. A must-read for literary fiction fans. 4.5 🌟

Another 5⭐️ book club read!

This one‘s a work of beauty, even as it contains so much ugliness & agony. The prose is lyrical, amplifying Annis‘ emotional journey of despair & hope, longing & remembrance, alongside her physical journey through the hells of enslavement.

I hadn‘t realized the book‘s strong ties to Dante‘s Inferno, so I do wish I‘d brushed up a bit on that first. But because I‘m a nerd, not because that context was needed.

Loved the prose in this book, which was just gorgeous. The first half was excellent but the second half lost me a little, but still appreciated this for its beautiful writing about truly horrific things. #LitsyTOB24 #botm

I think I would have loved this so much, but the spirits were distracting for me and took away from Annis and her story.

I don‘t know how to rate or review this book. The point of it didn‘t seem to be to write a book anyone would like. It‘s a tough subject, and magical realism isn‘t my thing. I am glad I read it though. #LitsyTOB24

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Full of magical realism, this story of slavery in the southern USA hits pretty hard. I love Jesmyn Ward (Definitely recommend Salvage the Bones!) but there was a bit too much about spirits for me and the subject is very heavy.

Still fantastic writing & I liked the story, so 4 stars.

Here‘s my #cataoflitsy snuggled up on this cold, snowy New York City morning.

Lots of tags for this one:

#lgbtq2024 #LitsyToB24 #BlackHistorymonth #BOTM

A soft pick. If I think of it as poetry, it makes a real impact. As a novel, too much magical realism for my taste.
#LitsyToB24

I don‘t know how to review this. The writing was beautiful. The subject matter was hard. I didn‘t particularly enjoy it, but enjoyment was not the point. I wasn‘t sure what the rules of engagement were for the magical realism part. The ending felt unsettled, like more of a brief pause for the MC, but I hope things work out for her. #LitsyToB24

Current reading location: Orlando Florida!

I‘m here for a conference and spending a few days in Crystal River afterwards to see the manatees!

Starting this today!

I wanted to get through some of my TBR and prioritize black authors for #blackhistorymonth!

I loved Salvage the Bones so I have high hopes for this one!

#BOTM #LitsyTob24

Poetic, tragic, inhumane…. My heart aches for fictional Annis and all she represents. Although this story didn‘t provide new historical fact from my own past readings, that‘s okay. We cannot allow this uncomfortable history to be whitewashed away.

Beautiful writing so far

Gorgeous writing, a haunting story, and unforgettable characters make this latest from Ward a fantastic, though brutal reading experience. Let Us Descend takes readers along with Annis on a horrific, visceral journey south, down in the mud and literally into the earth. The nature writing is beautiful and the mother-daughter connection is heartbreaking. Slavery is a difficult subject to read about but vital. #LitsyToB24

“The first weapon I ever held was my mother‘s hand.”

#FirstLineFridays
#Sharreadathon
#LitsyLove

🐝 📚 🍯 🍷 (watermelon pear wine)

Ward writes beautifully and soulfully about Annis‘s journey through the hell of an enslaved life. Ward uses spirits of the past, which seemed to me to represent generational collective consciousness of grandmother, mother, and Annis. But in this novel, the reliance on spirits felt heavy-handed and distracting in the last half of the story.

#InsectCover #NewYearNewBooks
#JoyousJanuary Readathon Day 6
#ReadAway2024

#InsectCover 🐝
#NewYearNewBooks

📚🐝📚🐝📚🐝

The reviews are spot on. Jesmyn Ward is a very poetic writer. 🐝

I got this as one of my BOTM picks. It's a very deep book. A very emotional one. At least for me it was. This is truly a heartbreaking account of one young ladies journey through being a slave. Time with her mother. Watching as her mother was sold and she was left behind. Alone. Scared. In the bosses sights. Her own biological father who wanted her in a bad way. A white man. A slave owner.

Full review: http://tinyurl.com/yp2sr6s6

@jesmynward

Starting this evening.

January pick! ❤️💛❤️💛 Jesmyn Ward her writings is like reading poetry. A phenomenal writer.

I found it mesmerizing, fiercely hopeful. Toni M influenced this and Ward gave her character agency. Powerful.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ This first line is a gut punch, but this didn‘t hold my attention. About 100 pages in, I remembered how much I disliked Sing, Unburied, Sing, so was left wondering why in the world I chose this BOTM? Ward is clearly a talented author, but this writing style is too flowery for me. The focus becomes lost in the writing. It‘s a worthwhile story, but I didn‘t care for the magical realism elements. I also wanted more of the woman warrior aspect.

I think this is an important read. It delves into the horrors of enslaved people in a new way. Yet, still didn‘t sit well with me. Maybe that was the point. No happy needing, just horrors switching. Annis comes from a warrior family, grandmother stolen to America, and raped. Which is why I hoped more of her mom‘s teaching, of fighting, would be utilized. Disappointed in that regard. The spirit through me a loop every time she spoke with Annis.

Reading for #LitsyToB24 I agree 💯 with @BarbaraBB on this one. I feel like I‘ve already read this one. Beautiful writing, for sure, but nothing really new here.

I went into this with really high expectations and truly loved parts of this book. The writing was gorgeous and Annis‘s story harowing . However this is only a light pick for me because while I typically enjoy magical realism, overtime I found the spirits increasingly distracting from what I found powerful about the novel. Less would have been a lot more. #litsytob24

“Her voice lingers in the air: the crust of pie around the edges of the pan, the pan that we scrape to savor in the hot corners of the kitchen, the buttery crumb rich in mouths, but only enough to hint at the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the sugar… p1887-188

#iLovePie #pieinlit #litpie

#UnpopularOpinion

This was a hard read. I know this is an important subject but I‘ve read so much about it already and to me this book didn‘t add much to what I already knew. The lyrical writing is beautiful but to me the spirits surrounding Annis distract from the story instead of taking it a higher level. #LitsyToB24

I like Ward for a similar reason as Lauren Groff: The beauty of the language is equal to or even greater than my enjoyment of the story, which is a really special experience, especially on audio!! Ward tells an often dark, sorrowful story of a young girl‘s experience of slavery and being sold away from her mother and marched to Louisiana. It is bleak. But there are fleeting moments of hope and strength that build her up. #LitsyToB24

Everything Ward writes is masterful, and this was no exception. Her writing is simultaneously lyrical and heartbreaking. Sing, Unburied, Sing still ranks as her best in my book, but this is another powerful offering.

The second full audiobook I listened to on my drive. Read by the author. As most of Ward‘s books are, this is heavy and dark material. I thought the MC was great, and the supernatural element was strong. Excellent, and if you‘ve read Ward you know to expect that.

We are all happy to be out of the car, hanging out on the new bed as the movers unload the trailer. Here‘s to a new life adventure! Thanks for all your well wishes. Now- food and sleep!

Thank you, Leanna!! I came so close to buying this book for myself last night, but didn‘t simply because I wondered “what if?” I‘m so glad I didn‘t! Thank you very much for everything; cordial cherries are one of my favorite chocolates! Happy #JólabókaflóðSwap and have a very Merry Christmas! ? ??
#jolabokaflodswap

Thrifted some great books yesterday 🤩

I was in a FLURRY when the TOB Long List was announced but it has taken to today for me to start again on figuring out how to read what for the next few months. I appreciate all of you here at Litsy giving me new avenues to read widely and deeply and having fun doing so. 🤩 Pictured is my paper tracking guide. 🥸 About to tackle a re-org of my gr bookshelves. And then look again at Libby 🥺

#LitsyToB2024 Tagged book on 14-day loan. #Hardcover

Sure-footed, farseeing women. (...) How the whitewash of starlight would buoy them along. How they dance with the rocking deck. How them sing. 😍😍😍

At about 5pm on December 9, an EF2 tornado came within a quarter mile of our house. Thankfully, we are ok and so is our home. 🩶 We‘ve now been without power for over 48 hours. We borrowed a generator and can heat/light a couple of small areas, so here we are cozied up in my 11 year old‘s room. We *should* have power sometime tomorrow.

Edit: After 50 hours, it just came back on!! 💡

No one needs me to convince them that Jesmyn Ward is a great writer. I don‘t know that I grasped all the literary references in this one but on a sentence level it is excellent.

I listened to the audiobook and it is narrated by the author. I think she did a great job, and it was a good experience hearing her words in her voice.

This was one of the books I read in November.