Scan barcode
lyc4nthropes's review
4.0
"the rope: i am a collar, / a strangler, / i float in the wind like a flag on holidays. / i inspire national pride."
this begs to be re-read, and i'd love to have my own copy of it to just write all over. i had no idea of any of this about mary todd lincoln. i don't think she's someone we learn very much about in any of our high school or college classes. not surprising, given how heavily revised even her husband's history is in the textbooks. i did know of the mass public execution that inspired this book, but i don't think i ever really stopped to learn more about it. this book has given me a lot of extra material to read.
i loved the writing in this, and how carefully crafted all of the wording was. it's such a unique piece. this definitely feels like a book that you could find something new in every time you read it. i've never read anything by leanne howe until now, but i'd really like to pick up some more of her stuff.
this begs to be re-read, and i'd love to have my own copy of it to just write all over. i had no idea of any of this about mary todd lincoln. i don't think she's someone we learn very much about in any of our high school or college classes. not surprising, given how heavily revised even her husband's history is in the textbooks. i did know of the mass public execution that inspired this book, but i don't think i ever really stopped to learn more about it. this book has given me a lot of extra material to read.
i loved the writing in this, and how carefully crafted all of the wording was. it's such a unique piece. this definitely feels like a book that you could find something new in every time you read it. i've never read anything by leanne howe until now, but i'd really like to pick up some more of her stuff.
florecita_lectora's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, and Racism
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Forced institutionalization, and Self harm
tynathereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
murdalannd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lindsayerin's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Confinement, Death, and Murder
archytas's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was much trippier than I had expected it to be, and to some extent, reinforced that I don't really excel at reading plays: my brain struggles to bring the scene to life. Having said that, I came in with very high expectations: I loved LeAnne Howe's Shell Shaker to little bits, and I am fascinated, as many are, with Mary Todd Lincoln, so a play looking at her haunting by a Dakota victim of her husband, felt irresistible.
The play has some compelling dialogue, mostly from the character named only "Savage Indian" and the unforgettable repetition of the "the Rope Seethes". But I struggled more with Todd's role in the text - a figure of extreme emotions - and the mixing of themes of filicide and genocide, Todd's crimes and her husband's. Howe's research is excellent, and she gets a lot of nuances in around this - from Todd's family to where the Lincolns were aligned - but the price is that it becomes hard to follow the train in a short work with a lot packed in. I guess I got more out of it as an essay than a drama.
Still - I'd be keen to see a performance, just to get what I was missing.
The play has some compelling dialogue, mostly from the character named only "Savage Indian" and the unforgettable repetition of the "the Rope Seethes". But I struggled more with Todd's role in the text - a figure of extreme emotions - and the mixing of themes of filicide and genocide, Todd's crimes and her husband's. Howe's research is excellent, and she gets a lot of nuances in around this - from Todd's family to where the Lincolns were aligned - but the price is that it becomes hard to follow the train in a short work with a lot packed in. I guess I got more out of it as an essay than a drama.
Still - I'd be keen to see a performance, just to get what I was missing.
reneereads's review
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gabriellejane's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not sure if reading this was the right format for me. I think it would have been better as an audiobook. I do think this play would be perfect for an academic discussion and I think it would have been a better experience to talk about it with other people.
ozhaawashkogiizhig's review
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
natsthecats's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75