Lincoln in the Bardo

“I love a book that makes me ask—multiple times—in the first few chapters “Where are we? What are we doing again?” To call Saunders’ prose inventive vastly undersells this book, but man. It’s so inventive! And interesting and heartbreaking and exhilarating. A masterpiece of modern literature for sure.”

“This book has a large, talented cast, many of whom are comedians. The readers bring all sorts of performance decisions to the jokes (and the terror, and the sorrow, and the rest of it) and it feels like another dimension is added to the work. Saunders is often so dark, and this book is dark, but the voices help the listener understand light shining through it.”

“This book sits apart from most anything I’ve read. It’s artistic, unraveling, and makes me happy to know novels like this exist.”

“Stop it, George. You're breaking our hearts.”

“This book breaks from traditional form and hooked me in like a hungry fish. I swooped through these pages. I’ve never read anything so swiftly. It’s extraordinary, and you’ll be challenged and rewarded and touched meaningfully at the close. One of those authors who gets human nature better than you do.”

“An absurd premise: a chorus of ghosts are present for Abe Lincoln’s son’s interment. At times poignant, at times hilarious, always profound. Several moments had me downright sobbing.”

“the pain and sorrow and absurdity and the enormity of grief. and it’s somehow funny as well.”

“A singular work of beauty. I’ve never read anything like it before and almost can’t believe he pulled it off. Sometimes there’s a you before you read a book and a you afterward, and they’re both completely different people. This one changed me.”

“Stick with it! The met is apparently turning this into an opera, which I guarantee will be better than Oh Mary”

“The text is interesting, but difficult to read IMHO. The audiobook is sooooo good.”

“Incredible read, Saunders is one of a short list of male authors I'll always read, ha!”