Scan barcode
lizziaha's review against another edition
3.5
It’s hard to rate this one because some parts of it struck me so deeply, while others fell short. Lincoln’s grief was exquisitely portrayed, and though it was devastating, I almost wish I’d seen more of it. Saunders’ take on ghosts is intriguing and manifests in an interesting way. But because of this, the huge cast of characters can make the book confusing and hard to follow at times. I also felt a little uncomfortable with the portrayal of BIPOC characters (though I understand the book is set during the civil war, there were still moments that I felt could’ve been handled differently).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Death, Slavery, Grief, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, and Child death
Moderate: War, Blood, Pedophilia, Confinement, Cursing, Infidelity, Classism, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Drug use, and Excrement
dylan2219's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So emotionally overwhelming and completely gripping once you get a grip on that style. There is truly no book like this, it is completely original. There is so much in here that blew my mind. The polyphony of all those voices, the multivocal nature of history itself, creates almost a kind of Cubist narrative where we are given multiple perspectives of the same event all at once, memories blurring together and giving form to one another. It aims to capture little more than the entire collective memory of America and all its traumatic wounds on a kind of spiritual battleground. Some of the descriptions and images are brilliant. I am so deeply moved by this
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicide attempt, and War
Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual content
More...