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ehagedorn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Violence, Sexual content, Homophobia, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and War
chalkletters's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Lincoln in the Bardo is one of those books that's been on my radar for a long time, but I don't really know why. I knew nothing about it, except the name, so had no strong feelings either way when it was the only book nominated for January's book club. I know very little about Abraham Lincoln, so much so that I initially assumed the first section of the book was about Lincoln, when it very definitely wasn't. So at least Lincoln in the Bardo would be an opportunity to learn some (fictionalised) history.
George Saunders composes his story from snippets of text supposed to be drawn from and attributed to actual historical documents. Many, if not most, of these are completely fictional, but the attributions get repetitive fairy fast, as well as breaking the flow of the story. If you skip over these, it's difficult to distinguish which character is which, so each reader will need to decide for themselves which is more important. (The story is still enjoyable, even without a crystal clear understanding of who does what in every moment.)
Despite the title, neither Abraham nor Willie Lincoln is really the main character. Instead, the story focuses on the Bardo itself, and the personalities which have haunted it for many years after their lives ended. While that might sound difficult to relate to for readers who, inevitably, have no yet come to the end of their life, George Saunders manages to build in many fears and themes which are just as applicable outside the Bardo. The focus on community and giving back to others instead of focusing completely on the self is particularly well done. (Lincoln in the Bardo would make an interesting companion piece to the musical In the Heights.)
I'm not sure I'll read Lincoln in the Bardo a second time, especially as I usually reread things via audiobook and I suspect the attributions would become extremely annoying extremely fast in that medium.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicide, Sexual violence, Slavery, War, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
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