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mparkerfl's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sorry but I can't get in line with all the people that have given this glowing reviews. It's weird, but not in the good way. Different can mean special and ground-breaking but in this case, I don't think so. I had a really hard time getting through this book. There were parts that were very sad I could almost start to relate but then it went back to being nonsensical.
jeanninelthompson's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? No
5.0
I flat-out loved this book. I devoured it all in one sitting because I had to find out if Willie escaped the bardo. I started rereading it immediately, with the intention to go slower and savor the writing. I used to think that the bardo was just for the dead. As I read this book, I started to wonder if I was in a bardo state in my life and if so, what steps could I take to escape. Reading this book made me more curious about the Tibetan Buddhist teaching on the bardo and how I could use it in my own life. Have to say it again, I loved this book.
mllejoyeuxnoel's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely stunning work. A masterpiece. Beautiful, poignant, and hopeful take on life, death, and perseverance - both for America and its people. Some of these passages stole my breath away. Fortifying, too, for the spirit in these trying times of 2017. Cannot recommend this book enough.
lbarsk's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating meditation on death and grieving and memory. I loved the portrait of Lincoln Saunders paints and I found the structure of the story to be fascinating. Just was a little off-put by some of the more graphic / gruesome depictions of bodily harm in the book.
morgob's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book was really clever. It went by super fast, and it was a really good story. What really shocked me was the way it was written, as small quotes from the different characters, alternating with chapters of citations from many different sources. I can't imagine the research that was put into this. It had me hooked from the beginning and it was difficult to put down. For the chapters featuring the made up characters, I pictured them as narrating the whole night out loud, which was pretty entertaining. I know that is not probably what the author intended, but that's how I read it. Just some old ghosts talking out loud and narrating what others are saying. Besides that bit of rambling I just did, I loved how there were so many different characters, and I loved the world-building the author did. I didn't really get the full picture of what the world was like until very near the end, which was cool. It was like slowly putting pieces together throughout the whole story. I also loved that it was written almost in the format of a play, with the bits from each of the characters and then their name at the bottom. Overall, I found this a very enjoyable, and also heart-wrenching book. It definitely made me think about death some more, especially early death, before I grow old. This book was great to read. It was something outside of what I would normally read, and I love expanding my reading taste.
hilaryannbrown's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I could give this 1 star and 5 stars at the same time. 5 stars for certain moments where the writing was so good it made me gasp. 5 stars for Nick Offerman on the audiobook. 1 star for the format being just so weird and experimental and for what??? Maybe there is a reason "no one has ever written anything like this before"
aftaerglows's review against another edition
5.0
stories about grief hold a very special place in my heart, and this one in particular – with its revolutionary structure and style – was such a fascinating read that will be hard to forget