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marybethdelgado's review against another edition
1.0
I had this pre-ordered first thing when I heard it was coming out. Dissapointed, so much hatred and bordom came from reading this.
talliereadsandwrites's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
3.5
A strange and unsettling account of Mary Todd Lincolns descent into madness. She is haunted by one of the nineteen Dakota men that were executed by her husband years prior. I really enjoyed the graphic depictions of the haunting and thought it was interesting because it was a play in verse. A quick read with a lot of depth and social commentary.
nataliedc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.0
An ingenious genre-bending work that combines playwright and poetry to tell a historical tale of Mary Todd Lincoln and her haunting by a "Savage Indian" after her husband ordered the mass execution of 38 Dakota men. This was an incredibly informative read about a little-known horrific event that occurred on American soil. The verse was incredible, the footnotes/citings were informative and the use of limited characters (the "Savage Indian," the Rope and Mary Todd Lincoln herself) made this work all the more powerful. I do wish there were more scene changes and the placeholder for images were actually images themselves but, nevertheless, this is a novella I'll never forget!
genesisvp's review against another edition
3.0
Savage Conversations by Leanne Howe; Rating: 3/5
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I didn’t know it was a play at first so when I found out I was kind of skeptical. I honestly just acted it out myself while reading, it made it more entertaining
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I didn’t know it was a play at first so when I found out I was kind of skeptical. I honestly just acted it out myself while reading, it made it more entertaining
rabbithearth's review against another edition
fast-paced
5.0
a well-written and thoughtful blend of drama, prose, and poetry that interrogates us history in general and the legacy of lincoln in specific. i would recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Murder, Racism, Violence, and Genocide
Minor: Child death
jocedun's review against another edition
4.0
“Your husband was so busy killing Indians / He didn’t notice his wife was killing his sons.”
Mary Todd Lincoln was a complex woman with difficult life, she witnessed the death of her 3 young children and the assassination of her husband, as well as the destructive Civil War declared by President Lincoln. She was also likely addicted to pain killers. In “Savage Conversations,” Leanne Howe uses prose to re-imagine the real event of Mary’s involuntarily admission to a psychiatric asylum.
I heard Leanne Howe speak at Loft Wordplay in May 2019 and immediately put this book on hold at the library. She participated in a discussion about character trauma, which comes across in this book both in terms of Mary’s life and Native American trauma, specifically the Dakota people. This is a powerful perspective that does not paint the Lincoln family as saints, which they so often are.
The year before I read "Savage Conversations", I read “Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders, which also explores the grief of the Lincoln family in losing their son Willie. Like “Savage Conversations,” Saunders uses the form of a play and ghostly characters to tell his story. Yet, comparing these two books is stark. One is sympathetic, one is condemning. I would highly recommend reading them together. Both books are hauntingly sad. Pun intended.
Mary Todd Lincoln was a complex woman with difficult life, she witnessed the death of her 3 young children and the assassination of her husband, as well as the destructive Civil War declared by President Lincoln. She was also likely addicted to pain killers. In “Savage Conversations,” Leanne Howe uses prose to re-imagine the real event of Mary’s involuntarily admission to a psychiatric asylum.
I heard Leanne Howe speak at Loft Wordplay in May 2019 and immediately put this book on hold at the library. She participated in a discussion about character trauma, which comes across in this book both in terms of Mary’s life and Native American trauma, specifically the Dakota people. This is a powerful perspective that does not paint the Lincoln family as saints, which they so often are.
The year before I read "Savage Conversations", I read “Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders, which also explores the grief of the Lincoln family in losing their son Willie. Like “Savage Conversations,” Saunders uses the form of a play and ghostly characters to tell his story. Yet, comparing these two books is stark. One is sympathetic, one is condemning. I would highly recommend reading them together. Both books are hauntingly sad. Pun intended.
kjboldon's review against another edition
5.0
A play, in verse, with three characters: Mary Todd Lincoln, the "Savage Indian" who appears to her at night, and the Rope that hanged the Dakota 38. Fascinating, powerful.
ericgaryanderson's review against another edition
5.0
JUST published, and in the week or so since it showed up on my front porch I've already read it THREE TIMES. It's absolutely brilliant. LeAnne's new book is a play, mostly in verse, set in June 1875-June 1876, with three major speaking characters: Mary Todd Lincoln, Savage Indian, and The Rope. MTL insists that she's being visited by an Indian ghost/spirit who does violence to her (cutting her, sewing her eyes open so that she has the opportunity to see....something, and even scalping her on occasion). In LeAnne's vision, Savage Indian is one of the Dakota 38, Dakota men wrongfully executed by decree of Abraham Lincoln in 1862. The Rope is, well, the rope—one of the nooses—and he's more than that, too. This is powerfully written work. Each time I reread, I see so much more.
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 against another edition
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