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mwalter02's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. I tend to enjoy books that work creatively with their form. My only critique is that readers really need to understand what the Bardo is prior to reading to understand the concept and structure of this novel.
As for content, the novel plays with real historical figures which often gives me pause as many authors do not represent real individuals well. This novel however represented the real people in a way that fit with the creativity of the plot but also did not feel unrealistic for the real person. The novel dealing with the concept of death and the afterlife was emotional in a way that wasn’t sad necessarily but instead offered beauty to life, death, and love.
It has been awhile since I have read something that I have felt deserves not just praise from readers but literary recognition for the craft and skill it exudes. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a unique literary novel.
As for content, the novel plays with real historical figures which often gives me pause as many authors do not represent real individuals well. This novel however represented the real people in a way that fit with the creativity of the plot but also did not feel unrealistic for the real person. The novel dealing with the concept of death and the afterlife was emotional in a way that wasn’t sad necessarily but instead offered beauty to life, death, and love.
It has been awhile since I have read something that I have felt deserves not just praise from readers but literary recognition for the craft and skill it exudes. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a unique literary novel.
hdss's review against another edition
1.0
hate, hate, hate this book. if a tory could be a novel it would be this one. pretentious, up its own ass and trying to be something that its not.
suzecluez's review against another edition
2.0
I listened to the audiobook, which I didn't fully realize had a stacked cast until the credits. At first I was a little lost by the structure with so many citations, and characters, wondering if I should switch to actually reading the book, but grew to appreciate the audiobook format. This is a weird book- definitely not for everyone but I found it moved quickly, and it was interesting. I'd say folks more familiar/interested in Lincoln's presidency may have enjoyed it more than I did. I give it 3/5 though!
saffytriesherbest's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Self harm, Death, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death
Moderate: Slavery, Murder, Racism, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Homophobia
Minor: Rape
ellathelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Listened to this as an audiobook with a full cast, it was really impactful and engrossing!
finnjer's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
justplainbecca's review against another edition
4.0
Really glad I made time for this book this year. I'm a fairly well-read person and it was truly unlike anything I've ever read. The audiobook is narrated by every famous human ever; George Saunders' entire family; and all your second cousins and it is SO good. It meant I was reading this book while commuting, not necessarily the best time for such intense subject matter, but it was still worth it.
This book is a moving meditation on grief, something I wasn't sure I was ready for so close to my first really intense experiences of grief in the last year and a half. It's also a surprisingly fresh take on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War (didn't think we could still have fresh takes on that particular topic). The descriptions of the spirits occupying the same space and thus coming to truly know one another so perfectly capture empathy and what it is and how it feels and why it's important. And somehow, despite all this, it's also completely absurd and kind of funny.
A word I keep coming back to is "weird," which has such a negative connotation. But this is a wonderfully weird book.
This book is a moving meditation on grief, something I wasn't sure I was ready for so close to my first really intense experiences of grief in the last year and a half. It's also a surprisingly fresh take on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War (didn't think we could still have fresh takes on that particular topic). The descriptions of the spirits occupying the same space and thus coming to truly know one another so perfectly capture empathy and what it is and how it feels and why it's important. And somehow, despite all this, it's also completely absurd and kind of funny.
A word I keep coming back to is "weird," which has such a negative connotation. But this is a wonderfully weird book.
dburke's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
I can't really say I understood what even happens in this book. There's not really a narrative, and even the way it's written makes me feel like I'm just sort of skimming the book half the time. Normally, I like reading books which have a different style and format, but this just didn't seem to add up to... anything.
scottnap's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
3.75
cator_and_bliss's review against another edition
5.0
My book of the year.
An incredible novel. The experimentation with form took me a while to get used to (four or five chapters IIRC) but once the structure had ‘clicked’ with me, I found that it worked very well indeed. Saunders also plays with language -there are moments when a character’s speech starts to disintegrate and descends into profanity and mis-spelling- and I found that this blended surprisingly well with the ornate antebellum language found elsewhere in the text.
The Lincolns, both Abraham and Willie, appear as marginal figures, filling lesser page space than Vollman, Bevins and the Reverend. This ran contrary to my expectations on first picking up the novel (I thought it was going to be more of a dialogue between a father and his dead son) but it became one of the things that I enjoyed most about reading it. It’s a polyphonic novel (almost a literary mellotron), drawing a coherent piece from a variety of voices. It expanded the book’s scope considerably and gave Saunders a exceptionally rich palette from which to illustrate his ideas on desire, regret and self-knowledge.
Even at an early stage in my reading, I knew this would be a book that I would return to again and again. It strikes me as something that will only expand on further readings.
An incredible novel. The experimentation with form took me a while to get used to (four or five chapters IIRC) but once the structure had ‘clicked’ with me, I found that it worked very well indeed. Saunders also plays with language -there are moments when a character’s speech starts to disintegrate and descends into profanity and mis-spelling- and I found that this blended surprisingly well with the ornate antebellum language found elsewhere in the text.
The Lincolns, both Abraham and Willie, appear as marginal figures, filling lesser page space than Vollman, Bevins and the Reverend. This ran contrary to my expectations on first picking up the novel (I thought it was going to be more of a dialogue between a father and his dead son) but it became one of the things that I enjoyed most about reading it. It’s a polyphonic novel (almost a literary mellotron), drawing a coherent piece from a variety of voices. It expanded the book’s scope considerably and gave Saunders a exceptionally rich palette from which to illustrate his ideas on desire, regret and self-knowledge.
Even at an early stage in my reading, I knew this would be a book that I would return to again and again. It strikes me as something that will only expand on further readings.