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blurrypetals's review
2.0
I am so sad about this. I wanted to like this book so much. This month, I'm trying to read a few books that reach outside my comfort zone and I figured this would be a good start.
I can't quite put my finger on exactly what went wrong for me here, but I can say most of the reason I've chosen not to finish this book is due to it's lack of coherent storytelling. The only reason I grasped what was happening in the first bit was because I pulled up the Wikipedia article and read a little about what was happening; the book sure didn't provide me with that, that's for sure.
In the first chapter, I found myself likening this to As I Lay Dying, which also has a large cast of characters (although not one anywhere near as large as this book's cast; I'll get back to that in a moment) and features a dead person describing what it's like to be dead and in a coffin. However, I very quickly realized this was an incredibly generous comparison on my part, because after that first chapter, the book loses any chance at straightforwardness (which is fine) and became a chaotic mess that made little sense to me. I tried very hard to focus and figure out what I was listening to, but I reached the halfway point of the book and, when I tried to take stock of what was happening, who wanted what, etc. I found my reading comprehension to be very, very, very low.
I think most of this issue is just due to the insane way the book is written. It could be better if I had the actual book in front of me, but they put so much effort and sheer manpower into the audiobook I felt like that wouldn't help me all that much. There are, however, so many people on this audiobook. The track listing the cast goes on for five straight minutes, just listing names. The amount of characters and the speed at which we flit to and from each person and the voice actor playing them only served to confuse me more. I usually am a huge fan of innovative, different audiobooks, but in this case, I felt like it was at the detriment of the book instead of its benefit. Again, I think that's more the fault of the writing of the book, not the performance or editing of the audio, but the fact remains: it's distracting and disorienting and did not add to my experience..
And so, with that, I'm going to bid this book and its absolutely gigantic cast adieu. It's possible I'll return another time, but not probable.
I can't quite put my finger on exactly what went wrong for me here, but I can say most of the reason I've chosen not to finish this book is due to it's lack of coherent storytelling. The only reason I grasped what was happening in the first bit was because I pulled up the Wikipedia article and read a little about what was happening; the book sure didn't provide me with that, that's for sure.
In the first chapter, I found myself likening this to As I Lay Dying, which also has a large cast of characters (although not one anywhere near as large as this book's cast; I'll get back to that in a moment) and features a dead person describing what it's like to be dead and in a coffin. However, I very quickly realized this was an incredibly generous comparison on my part, because after that first chapter, the book loses any chance at straightforwardness (which is fine) and became a chaotic mess that made little sense to me. I tried very hard to focus and figure out what I was listening to, but I reached the halfway point of the book and, when I tried to take stock of what was happening, who wanted what, etc. I found my reading comprehension to be very, very, very low.
I think most of this issue is just due to the insane way the book is written. It could be better if I had the actual book in front of me, but they put so much effort and sheer manpower into the audiobook I felt like that wouldn't help me all that much. There are, however, so many people on this audiobook. The track listing the cast goes on for five straight minutes, just listing names. The amount of characters and the speed at which we flit to and from each person and the voice actor playing them only served to confuse me more. I usually am a huge fan of innovative, different audiobooks, but in this case, I felt like it was at the detriment of the book instead of its benefit. Again, I think that's more the fault of the writing of the book, not the performance or editing of the audio, but the fact remains: it's distracting and disorienting and did not add to my experience..
And so, with that, I'm going to bid this book and its absolutely gigantic cast adieu. It's possible I'll return another time, but not probable.
jwilding's review
4.0
A distant cousin to the graveyard book by Neil Gaiman, as strange as that might sound and as inaccurate as it might be. So very beautiful and weird and hard to read.
macknz_p's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
cf1990xxx's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
jorghahaq's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Anyone want to read the paper I wrote about this for class exploring the Buddhism the book is bare in? XD
brunogcarr's review against another edition
5.0
A forma usada por Saunders é estranha (e original, há que dizê-lo) e, inicialmente, deixou-me de pé atrás, mas a verdade é que o livro me tocou mais vezes do que muitos livros de estrutura mais convencional. E , se a literatura se quer para mexer com o leitor, Saunders conseguiu. Tocante muitas vezes, cómico outras tantas, Lincoln no Bardo foi uma bela surpresa. Voltar a Saunders é questão de tempo.
story_toflat's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
deannamartin113's review
3.0
This book has a major trigger. Do your homework. Know the subject matter. It's not about only about Lincoln, the president.
mobymartin's review
5.0
esta novela se podría llamar Lincoln en el Páramo por todo lo que tiene de Comala, una Divina Comedia (tristísima, conmovedora) contada por la Antología de Spoon River. lo que más me gustó: el cruce multitudinario entrecruzado por los testimonios históricos que deben juntar polvo en las bibliotecas presidenciales, y sobre todo la voz de Lincoln. qué desafío que era, y con cuanta altura (o más bien qué cerca del suelo) responde Saunders.