George Saunders is one of the most brilliant writers working today, and also seems to be an extremely wise and generous writing mentor. I subscribe on and off to his substack, which is really for writing devotees. 'Swimming in a Pond in the Rain' is a brilliant piece of lit crit with each Russian story analysed by him printed in English translation in the book, so it is well worth investing in a copy! His shory story collection is outrageous and funny and sensitive and definitely one of the most memorable modern collections I've read, not at all slight. So, to this one, what an unsual novel - I've never read anything like it! I kept expecting the many-voiced form to break through and flow into more of a single narrative. But it defied expectation and is completely itself - a work of amazing imagination, full of hauntings but also heart and humour.

Having had this book on my shelf for quite some time, I decided to take the plunge. I am so glad I did. I rarely describe a book as a masterpiece, but Lincoln In the Bardo is certainly that. So fresh and different, so moving and so beautifully conceived. I wish I hadn't read it yet so i could read it again for the first time.

It is hard to believe this is George Saunders first novel. Not surprisingly he won the Booker Prize for it.
I laughed, I cried and I was lost in the night described. It is certainly going to make me feel differently about death and grieving. I am not a spiritual person, but I am intrigued by the idea that somehow our dearly departed exist in the bardo.

It wasn't what I expected and the style of writing takes a little bit of getting used to. There are a large number of characters, but it works - totally. I loved it and will be telling anyone who hasn't read it, ( i imagine there are some, like me, who have delayed) to do so right away. It won't disappoint, and it certainly will be one of their more worthwhile reads.

I would give it 6 stars if I could.

President Abraham Lincoln’s beloved young son, Willie, dies and finds himself in a sort of in between space, ghostlike. Lincoln visits him in the graveyard and it feels like we are watching the drama that ensues. Difficult to review as I loved so much of it but equally found so much of it over long, and the multiple narrators confusing. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t stop reading this book - I loved the writing, the concept, the characters. Basically this is about Lincoln’s son who is trapped in a kind of limbo between life and death and the souls that try and help him there. It was kind of like Corpse Bride for adults, absolutely just amazing.

There are multiple narrators in it but I still found the story easy to follow and was really emotional at the end. It’s just a wonderful idea and for me there was just something magical about it that made it all come together. It’s really hard to explain but I think when you experience this novel yourself you will understand the surreal hold it has on you.

Bardo means "transitional state" in a middle world between life and death. It is in this world that Willie, Lincoln's 11 year old son, finds himself after his tragic early death. His broken hearted father can't resist one final visit, to the as yet unsealed crypt, to hold Willie one last time.
We accompany him and, thanks to Saunders, find ourselves privy to the bickering of all the conversations of those in the Bardo. Whilst Lincoln remains totally unaware of the mayhem his visit is causing, we enjoy the transformative effect of his visit on the graveyard's occupants.
The whole story takes place over one night but what a night! If you can have a happy ending in a graveyard this book surely provides one. Whether you agree with this opinion or not, you are in for a night of surprises.

What did I just read?

I loved the reflective writing when it was the Abraham and his son sections, However the sections in the grave yard were a chore for me. This book is very popular though so I respect that this might be just my taste.

A wonderfully unique book that intrigued me and enthralled me from page one. Once I worked my head around the storytelling format, I was blown away by how intelligently-written it was; the format really adds to the emotion of the story. An unconventional yet unforgettable read.

A magical idea but too repetitive for this reader’s taste. To have to read through three or four descriptions from different characters, mostly identical but not always, I found tedious. I was amazed to see how many highly favourable reviews of this book are around but I have seen it described as inducing mixed reactions. Certainly true in my case. I see that he is a highly regarded short story writer and perhaps this should’ve been one of those or I novella instead.

Wow - what an utterly impactful book. It's extraordinarily written - it is no wonder at all it won the Man Booker prize in 2017.
This is the story of Willie Lincoln, third son of President Abraham Lincoln, who died of typhoid at the age of 11. In this story he has passed over into the Bardo - a limbo or purgatory of sorts. He would normally have gone straight to Heaven, but for his father's grief, which tempts him to stay. Three other characters are there to assist Willie avoid the fate of being stuck in this liminal space for an eternity.
I found the book very emotional without being overly sentimental and I would put that down to the style of writing: there are a number of voices all crowding to be heard in Oak Hill cemetery.
This book is no doubt Marmite: you'll either love it or hate it and I'd suggest you need to be in a good frame of mind to read it.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing and George Saunders for a copy of this ARC.

A strange and poignant book, it took a while to get into but it was hugely worth sticking with. Beautifully written, it's full of emotion and at times heartbreaking. Very clever, and refreshingly original.

I don't know why I waited so long to read this book - it's fantastic! It took me a while to get into the rhythm, piecing together the fragmented narratives surrounding the death of Willie Lincoln, but once I did there was no looking back. The inventive narrative structure works so well and the end result is both moving and spellbinding.

George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo is the most extraordinary imaginative feat and unlike anything I have read before. There is great heart and compassion at its centre as well as humour that makes this strange and sometimes gruesome read well worth the time. The images from this novel will stay with me for a very long time . Quite astonishing.

This was such a funny, quirky and poignant book that really took me by surprise. It tells the story of Willie Lincoln, son of Abraham, who dies of Typhoid and finds himself inhabiting the 'Bardo' - a liminal space between heaven/hell and the real world. This place is populated by some fabulous characters, all of whom are fantastically well drawn that range from incredibly funny to genuinely unpleasant. The structure of the narrative, being told alternately in brief snippets from other works interspersed with conversations taking place in the Bardo, is very interesting and ensures that the narrative is well paced. I found myself flying through the pages, constantly surprised and delighted by the quality of the prose and the wry tone throughout. There is some incredibly emotional content here, but it is always lightened by the antics of the Bardo residents, making this a quite simply delightful read.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was one of the most unusual books I have ever read! I found it extremely difficult to get into, so much so, I started from the beginning after reading the first 100 pages. I'm glad I did as I was rewarded with one of the best reads this year. The story is undoubtedly strange and the narrative as told by many voices sometimes confused me but the journey was worth it. A worthy Booker prize winner.

I know this book has been hyped and the idea was interesting but I really couldn't get into it. I would definitely be interested in reading more by the author in the future because he writes beautifully.

Having followed the 2018 Man Booker, I wanted to read work by the previous winners. I've read some short stories by George Saunders before and enjoyed them thoroughly and Lincoln in the Bardo was no different. It was a refreshing way to read a compelling story, admittedly confusing at times, but kept me interested throughout.

An interesting book! Not your standard novel! President Lincoln’s son dies, and the story of “Lincoln in the bardo” takes place in the graveyard, told by various narrators- all ghosts..who want him to “move on”.

The whole story is told initially, by quotes of various authors/newspapers, etc. Then it is taken up by the ghosts.

It’s unusual, but I have to say that I followed it easily, and I really enjoyed how different this book was.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing, and the author George Saunders.
I was excited to read this book after all the Man Booker hype, and I wasn’t disappointed.
There is no denying it is written in an extremely unusual style, but I found it incredibly refreshing and a novel and original approach to storytelling.
It was incredibly lyrical and descriptive, with characters and subplots which were moving and involving.
I can guarantee that this will be different from your usual reading experience. It clearly isn’t for everyone, but I would recommend the venture!

As the American Civil War raged on, Abraham Lincoln was devastated by the death from typhoid of his eleven-year-old son, Willie. He was laid to rest in Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown and newspapers reported that Lincoln was in the habit of returning to the crypt to hold the boy's body. So far, so apparently factual, but in this extraordinary first novel George Saunders weaves a magical, surreal tale of familial love and loss which breaks free of the earthly and moves to the supernatural. Sometimes it's funny but more often it's terrifying. We are in the bardo - in the Tibetan tradition, a state of consciousness between other states of consciousness in which it will be determined whether Willie ascends to nirvana or falls back and has to be born into a new body. A struggle erupts over Willie's soul and it will be fought out over a single night.

We've long known George Saunders to be the master of the short story, but this is his first excursion into the long form - and what an entry. Ghosts, squabble, argue and moan and we are introduced to a vast range of voices: occasionally it's difficult to keep track of them all. (I've determined that when I next read this book - as I surely will - I'll download the audiobook. I'm sure that it will be easier to follow what the spirits are saying.) The book's theatrical and wide ranging. Some of the ghosts are living. Some are dead. Some are real, historical personalities: others are fictional. All are utterly compelling.

Lincoln in the Bardo confirms Saunders as one of the most influential writers of his generation and possibly over an even wider time frame. There's theological complexity in the book and I doubt that anyone would describe it as easy reading. Occasionally you're tipped into horror, particularly with the appearance of the spirits with their numerous deformities, but Saunders is always quick to lighten the mood with his elegant humour, but it has to be said that this book is unlike anything which Saunders has written before - and not just because of the length. There's even a Gothic feel in places.

I was not entirely convinced by the ending, but I feel ungenerous in saying that as the book stands above most other contemporary fiction. I can't say that I enjoyed reading it, but I'm delighted to have done so and I'd like to thank the publishers for making a copy available to the Bookbag.

"Lincoln in the Bardo" is quite a distance away from what I usually am attracted to reading but there was something about the synopsis that captured my attention and I knew then I was a goner. Luckily, I had my wish kindly fulfilled by Bloomsbury and here I am writing the review. This novel was the winner of the Man Booker Prize 2017 and written by the Folio Prize-winning, National Book Award-shortlisted George Saunders. Quite a collection of accolades don't you think? And if all that wasn't enough amazingly this is his debut. A talented man, I reckon we all agree.

It's 1862 and the American Civil War rages while President Abraham Lincoln's eleven-year-old son Willie lies upstairs in the White House extremely ill and close to death. In a matter of days, Willie passes away and is laid to rest in a cemetery in Georgetown. “My poor boy, he was too good for this earth” the president says at the time. “God has called him home”. Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returned to the crypt several times alone to hold his boy’s body. Willie then finds himself trapped in a transitional realm called the bardo. and as ghosts mingle, squabble, gripe and commiserate, and stony tendrils creep towards the boy, a monumental struggle erupts over young Willie's soul.

From that seed of historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a thrilling, supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying.

"Lincoln in the Bardo" is a highly original concept that is executed exceptionally. The fact that it walks the line between historical fiction, literary fiction and the paranormal makes it a unique and inspiring read. I certainly felt an emotional connection to the story and the characters, which is unusual for me. Saunders is adept at injecting the story with prose that evokes a number of different feelings.

I can genuinely see why this won the Man Booker, it is well deserved. I am not normally a reader of titles that have their basis in love and loss, death and grief but I am so glad I gave this a chance as it is at its heart a beautiful novel. I enjoyed how imaginative, powerful and honest it was.

I will wait with anticipation for George Saunders' next book. The sky is the limit here as with such an imaginative first title there must be many more exciting stories floating around in his head!

Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for granting my wish! I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.