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ce_read's review against another edition
3.0
Weird, eerie, uncomfortable, left lots of lingering questions. It took me a little bit to get on board with this experimental ... are we calling it a novel? It's laid out like a play written in verse, but it includes footnotes and nameplates for images that aren't shown. (I really, really wanted to see those pictures!!)
I didn't know about MTL's mental illness before reading this book. And it's chilling that her hallucinations are so directly related to the abhorrent acts of genocide that her husband (and by proxy, she) carried out.
The sexual stuff included seemed really unnecessary, but I'm definitely willing to have my mind changed about that. Maybe I missed the point of something along the way as I tried to orient myself in the weirdness.
I didn't know about MTL's mental illness before reading this book. And it's chilling that her hallucinations are so directly related to the abhorrent acts of genocide that her husband (and by proxy, she) carried out.
The sexual stuff included seemed really unnecessary, but I'm definitely willing to have my mind changed about that. Maybe I missed the point of something along the way as I tried to orient myself in the weirdness.
abby_griesmar's review against another edition
4.0
Not what I was expecting from the book’s description. I liked how it was written as play meets poetry. Although it was fiction I do feel like I learned a bit (like how we should probably question the white version of history that is commonly taught to us a lot more than we currently do). There were some “erotic” parts that felt a little out of place and really didn’t need to be included but to each there own. I really liked the idea of the rope being included as a character. I thought the personification of it really brought some extra dynamic to the story as a whole. Overall, a good quick read and an interesting take on what might have played out in history.
kayla_loper's review against another edition
4.0
Read this one for next month's book club, and I really enjoyed the structure of the play. I would be VERY interested in seeing this one performed, and I think I would like it even more. Thinking about the intersection between mass executions of indigenous people while fighting the civil rights movement is fascinating. I think a lot of the moral issues within this topic should be considered in today's climate as well. I know this story will sit with me for quite a while.
jzarin98's review against another edition
dark
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
crankylibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
A disturbingly beautiful series of conversations between a half mad Mary Todd Lincoln and the ghost, (or is he a ghost?) of an Indian hanged (on the orders of Abe Lincoln) for participating in a revenge attack against white settlers. While institutionalized, Mrs Lincoln did in fact claim to see the figure of an Indian who forced her to perform unspeakable acts and pinned open her eyes. Was this a veritable ghost, or the manifestation of a guilty conscience, forcing Mrs Lincoln to open her eyes to the atrocities performed against Native Americans?
lizareadsnthings's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
johnaaron's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was originally nominated for our book club’s “Native American Voices” theme, and I bought the book even though we didn’t decide to read it. This book follows former First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln as she has a bit of a psychotic break and develops a laudanum dependency. Most of the scenes occur within a psychiatric hospital in Illinois. There are only three characters in the book: Mary Todd Lincoln, “Savage Indian,” and The Rope. When former President Abraham Lincoln was in office, he led the largest mass execution in U.S. history with the hanging of 38 members of the Dakota tribe of Native Americans. When Mary Todd Lincoln was having her bout of psychosis, she claimed to be haunted by a Native American who would come into her room and threaten her.
Overall, I found the story to be a quick but compelling read. I learned a lot about U.S. history that I’d never known before.