As the 2017 Booker Prize winner, George Saunders “Lincoln in the Bardo” has naturally garnered hundreds of positive and glowing literary reviews. However, it confirms my belief that Booker winning novels are mainly intended to showcase just how intelligent and discerning all those reviewers who get a chance to have their name in print actually are, whilst the rest of us book-buying public are left to wonder at our ineptitude and inability to grasp quite what all the praise and fuss is all about, and to mourn our complete lack of taste and understanding.

It must be very difficult to create original and innovative literature when everything has been done before, so if the Booker is a prize for this, Saunders has fulfilled the brief. Based upon the death of President Lincoln’s young son, Willie, and set in a grotesque, purgatorial after-life, the book was written as a series of quotations and eye-witness accounts throughout (some historical and taken from publications of the time, others totally invented). This is something I have never encountered before. However, should originality win over literary quality?

I didn’t dislike it, and at 700+ pages, I read it very quickly (probably because soon I almost completely ignored the quote attributes thus cutting out at least 45% of the book), simply reading it as an elongated conversation or text scroll. At times the imagery was moving, at others weird, freakish and obscene. It was also meant to be humorous, but for me it didn’t so much raise a smile. Some of it was thought-provoking, some of it unintelligible, a lot if it repetitive and quite boring.

At the end I was simply left thinking what the.........?

An elegiac, thought-provoking read which gives great insight into a lesser-known aspect of President Lincoln's life. The structure - numerous epitaph-like quotations and asides gathered together - is unusual but very readable and a great source of literary gems, as well as invoking the cemetery setting.

This book took a while to get into, and isn't the easiest of reads, but I did marginally enjoy it. The writing style was quirky, which lead to getting confused throughout, but then it all made clear by the end - I thought the ending was interesting too.

I can't decide whether this is really good, or it's a case of the Emperor's New Clothes.
Either way I'm afraid it was not for me. Other, no doubt wiser, people than I thought it was marvellous but I could not manage the mental gymnastics needed to work out what was happening.
Thank you anyway to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

In this award winning piece of historical fiction, a blend of fact and fiction, Saunders writes of 1862, the American Civil War has been raging for less than year, now intensifying to unbearable proportions with the rising tide of the dead. Amidst this background, Lincoln is facing his very own personally traumatic and testing times. After having already lost a son earlier, his gravely ill 11 year old son, Willie, dies and is laid to rest in Georgetown cemetery with a devastated Lincoln visiting. From here, Saunders spins an emotionally powerful, wildly imaginative, heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful tour de force. The bardo is a Tibetan Buddhist term referring to the time period, 'transition', between death and rebirth, with time spent there determined by the kind of life lived and the nature of the death. Willie is in his bardo, where nothing will ever be the same again, trapped there by the love of his father.

The echo of Lincoln's deluge of suffering is writ large amongst the bereavement and grief of a nation at war. In the bardo, a cacophony and confusion of narrators, the ghosts of the dead, a myriad of voices, have their own stories to impart, chaotic, anarchic, and harmonic. Lincoln does not have the luxury of drowning in a sea of black at the loss of his precious Willie, and despite being riddled by doubts and guilt, the country needs him at the helm in these troubling times. Saunders gives us a wonderfully inspiring, lyrical, humorous, witty and offbeat read, which to be honest I found rather hard to read on occasion, but never less than moving, on the fundamental themes of life and death. Simply extraordinary and highly recommended. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC.

I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book. I'm not particularly interested in Abraham Lincoln, despite an abstract political interest in American history, and books that carry the prestige of being the current Man Booker Prize holder would typically suggest a difficulty level that could make work of a hobby. At least so I thought.

From the first few pages one could immediately make presumptions as to why this novel was so critically acclaimed. Stylistically innovative, clever use of language; it certainly had the hallmarks of high level literature. At first the constant use of citations feels a bit of a hurdle, but one soon becomes accustom to the format and learns to read in this way. I know, I know... Many of us casual readers don't want to "learn to read.. again!!!" but it really does become normal quite quickly. And the reward is a great and unique story! It's full of imagination, and insight into both humanity and the nature of reality and existence. It had a tiny bit of trend-politics/themes, and from a purely personal perspective, I'd have dropped a chapter or two at the end, but that's because the last but two chapter or so was terrifyingly brilliant, and I suspect the true ending of the story.

There were some fantastical scenes in this one, with the author creating incredible images and worlds my mind had never ventured before. Bonus points for being a quick read: started yesterday, finished today; highly recommended and worthy of its acclaim.

I have to admit this wouldn't be my first choice of book however it was picked for my book club read. I started it with trepidation - I was not going to like this novel. How wrong can you be?

The story itself is very simple, Lincoln is grieving for his lost son Willie and can’t let him go in death, while Willie is stuck in a place he doesn’t understand, surrounded by ghosts who are also having trouble letting go. Written in a script style, interspersed with numerous historical quotes, each character recounts their bit of the story to build the whole.

It is how it is all told that I found amazing. When I started the book with its unconventional style I first thought “Here we go, bit weird this…” then without releasing you drop into the prose and are taken along on an incredible ride of extraordinary imagination. I know this is what happens when you read but for me this was on another level all together. The eloquence of the writing and the imagery created by the smallest of paragraphs, and even sentences, was astounding.

Stuck between the worlds, the story hints at the lives the ghosts had, the terror at not knowing what comes next, the missed opportunities from life, the sense of inevitability and loss - all very powerful stuff.

I would definitely recommend this book.

I Didnt particularly enjoy the style of the book.
To begin it felt disjointed.
Once I'd got into the swing of things,I didn't have the patience to remember who said what.
Very clever I'm sure,just not for me.

This may have won a prize but I would not have voted for it. It is disjointed and the idea behind it is unlikely to lead to a riveting read. It is hard even to comment on the quality of the writing as it jumps from one quotation to another with little readable in between. Good luck to those who find something in it to hold their attention!

This book has been absolutely huge and now that my wish was granted to read it (Thank you Net Galley & Bloomsbury!) I completely understand why!
This is an intensely rich, emotional and interesting! Saunders has created a masterpiece that I imagine will enter the school curriculum before long.

Now the basis of the story is this:
President Abraham Lincoln's eleven-year-old son dies of typhoid fever and is buried in Oak Hill cemetery where his father visits him on least two occasions. This is all historically accurate. The main narrative of the story is told by three characters, all of which are spirits or ghosts in this cemetery. They cannot move on to the afterlife and so are stuck in this intermediate state - a "bardo".
Lincoln's son is expected to move on to the spirit world quickly but because of his father's sorrow decides to stay and the three spirits try their best to help him move on.
The three main spirits are hilarious and insightful and betwixt the intriguing story of them and Lincoln's son, Saunders peppers the book with authentic quotes from Lincoln himself.

This is a highly intelligent and weird piece of work. I learned a lot about American history, President Lincoln and grief in general. Its multi-layered, with stories framing other stories and there is a lot here to unpick, but I thoroughly enjoy this sort of thing.

I understand that this wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but I look forward to going back to this book again and again.

I am a huge fan of Kindle books. They are practical and often open up novels for people who might not always be able to read in excess, due to financial restraints (Kindle Daily and Monthly deals, for example) or disabilities (very few books are published in large print). Yes, I would rather have a physical book in my hands, but it is ableist, privileged and unwise to dismiss ebooks.

That said.

I don't think Lincoln In The Bardo translates well into a Kindle book.

I have said this about a couple of titles, but that is nearly always because they contain illustration. Lincoln In The Bardo does not, but requires either great attention or complete immersion and I don't think that lends well to the Kindle. The Kindle which (usually) has fewer words on the page than a page spread from a hardback or paperback, the Kindle which has a far faster page turn than a physical book. I found myself often lost, and not in a good way.

I really struggled to get into Lincoln and I think, at least for me personally, it would be a book I would love to curl up with. Just not on Kindle. A slow, considered, physical read is the right reading experience for this book.

I was prepared for the unusual narrative structure of this novel but not for the warmth and humour. The voices of the dead, their tales, lives and sometimes crimes are strong and engaging. I’ve dropped one star as occasionally I found the narrative a little repetive and the humour a bit grating but overall a worthy booker winner.

This is one of those novels which it felt like everyone was talking about.  And then it seemed as though everyone was talking about the audiobook.  There are lots of reasons why this is; George Saunders is a celebrated short story writer but Lincoln In The Bardo is his first novel, then there's the book's subject, the tragic death of Abraham Lincoln's young son Willie Lincoln, a haunting episode within America's history.  These would probably have been enough to draw my attention, but the audiobook has broken records in terms of the size of its cast, with 166 participants, making it more akin to a film or radio play rather than a novel.  Since my adventures with Audible began a few months ago, I have really enjoyed re-experiencing the joy of being read to, but Lincoln in the Bardo is the first book that I truly felt more suited to audio rather than print format.  While I picked up the book in a shop and leafed through it, it felt somehow 'less' than the disorientating and kaleidoscopic experience of the audiobook.  Lincoln in the Bardo is one of those truly unique experiences that leaves you feeling speechless afterwards, it takes a hold and I wandered through my life with headphones in, possessed by this chorus of voices demanding to be heard.

The word 'Bardo' is a Buddhist term referring to the intermediate state between life and death when the soul is not connected to a body.  Accordingly, the novel is set in Oak Hill cemetery, where young Willie Lincoln has been taken to lie in a marble crypt - he is the Lincoln who is trapped in the Bardo, unable to return.  It is a matter of historical record that on at least two occasions, President Lincoln visited the crypt and wept over the boy's body.  Indeed, historical record is a huge part of Saunders' novel with contemporary observers being quoted at length about the lavish state banquet being thrown as Willie grew ill, how President and Mrs Lincoln decided to go ahead with it, how the boy grew weaker and finally died while the revellers enjoyed themselves downstairs, the evening a great success.  The parents' grief, the heart-breaking chemical process as young Willie was prepared for the grave - there are so many moments within Lincoln in the Bardo which have the power to take one's breath away, this long-gone grief rendered horribly close.

Yet still, the heart of the novel's action is in the Bardo of Oak Hill where a teeming host of spirits linger, unable for a variety of reasons to complete their journey.  I read that Saunders stated that he had chosen the word Bardo so that readers did not come to the novel with the usual expectations of the Christian depiction of the afterlife and indeed, these are characters who feel a long way away from God.  The main trio are Hans Vollman, a middle-aged printer who was hit in the head shortly before the intended consummation of his marriage to his young wife, Roger Bevins III, a young man who suffered from a certain proclivity and who attempted to end his own life after his lover declared his intention to cease his own proclivity and live decently, and then the elderly Reverend Everly Thomas who seems far more aware of his surroundings than the others.  Vollman, played with gusto by Nick Offerman, declares that he is in his 'sick-box' awaiting recovery when he can return home to his wife, while Bevins explains that having changed his mind about suicide part way through the act, he is now awaiting discovery and assistance by his family on the floor in his home.  Bevins is voiced by David Sedaris and the inflection in his voice as he recalls the realisation of how beautiful life truly is - it brought yet more tears.  The reader can see what they are not ready to accept - it is far too late.


Willie Lincoln
Long-standing inmates of Oak Hill, these three men know that the young 'are not supposed to tarry', that they must go to 'the next place'.  While one's actions on earth will influence one's physical form in death (Vollman has an engorged member, Bevins is a mass of limbs), the children who attempt to remain in the Bardo are doomed to a very dark measure of half-existence full of hideous and painful growths.  The trio recall the fate of Miss Traynor who has become a 'girl-sized crow' and determine to try to save Willie from a similar fate.  Willie is the heart of the story - it is his father's grief for him which binds him to the earth, he is the 'little Prince of America', he is 'sort of child people imagine their children will be, before they have children'.  We watch his spirit run towards his father, expecting the customary embrace but the President walks past, unable to see him.  The tragedy of these two people who love each other so dearly, miss one another so keenly but forever separated - tears, again.  Standing aside, the watching spirits are fascinated to see the father's love for his child, his embrace of Willie's body, amazed to see one like themselves being 'touched so lovingly, so fondly, as if one were still —'

Despite being a full-length novel, Lincoln in the Bardo still does have certain attributes of Saunders' past work in short fiction.  As the spirits travel through the Bardo, we encounter other long-term inmates, each of whom have their own tale to tell, their own reason for stopping and waiting.  There is Mrs Ellis, the mother preoccupied by her three daughters, the angry husband and wife (one of whom is voiced by Nick Offerman's wife Megan Mullaly), the mute slave girl traumatised by repeated rapes - we are treated to a cacophony of human experience, of unlived opportunity, disappointment, unhappiness.  One imagines Oak Hill cemetery and all of its tombs and gravestones - it is easy to forget that each one of them mark a life, a human story, and Lincoln in the Bardo reminds us that this is so.  I remember when I was eighteen and visiting Washington with school, I stumbled across the grave of Abraham Lincoln's eldest son Robert at Arlington - the only one of his children to live to adulthood.  Having only ever heard of the President himself, I was startled to think of his wider family and what their loss must have been - learning that three of their four children died in childhood or early adulthood, it suddenly became far less peculiar that Mary Todd Lincoln had so many mental health issues.

Saunders seems hesitant to draw his own version of Lincoln too clearly, relying far more on the words of others with lengthy passages of primary and secondary sources peppering the novel.  Still, through so doing offering a version of the man markedly different to that commonly shared in the modern day.  Yet still, the very variety of voices point towards the difficulty of finding a final truth; there is even disagreement over whether the moon shone on a particular evening.  When we cannot even agree on something as simple as that, how are we ever going to see to someone's heart?  The spirits who watch the tall man approach Willie Lincoln's mausoleum have no idea that he is the President (Vollman and Bevins have not yet accepted that they are dead, let alone that enough time has passed to require a new president).  They only know that he is young Willie's father and his grief is tempered with guilt - guilt over the party, the boy's death, the Civil War - the tall man is suffering and he must be made to return to his boy to say goodbye and to set him free.

Lincoln in the Bardo is a sorrowful book, with Saunders describing Lincoln as inclined 'toward the fact that the world was full of sorrow, that everyone labored under some burden of sorrow; that all were suffering; that whatever way one took in this world, one must try to remember that all were suffering (none content; all wronged, neglected, overlooked, misunderstood), and therefore one must do what one could to lighten the load of those with whom one came into contact'.  These words stuck in my mind afterwards - they remained in my mind as I went to Australia, travelled around, saw people I had not seen since early childhood and then returned.  The world is full of sorrow and though it may be hard to take a deep breath and set down one's own burden to be kinder than one needs to be, how much harder would it be if we did anything else?

I read that Saunders had been many years in the planning of this novel and that he had long been caught by the image of Lincoln cradling the body of his son in the mausoleum.  The image of the father in his grief is an incredibly poignant one - for me the moment of the novel that has lingered in my memory is the account given by the undertaker of how the President walked in on the child being embalmed in one of the downstairs rooms of the White House.  The father was caught off guard and stepped away, leaving the undertaker unhappy that he could not have delivered Willie with the process completed, clothes put back on, so he might have looked almost alive again.  The idea of that naked child on the table, of the father seeing his beloved boy so brutally displayed as departed - we can imagine the shock that must have jolted through him as he walked through the door.

Yet still, for all that there is sorrow and sadness, there is still an avenue of hope.  Reverend Everly has far greater reason than the others to fear the next place, but yet still he is willing to set this aside to do the right thing.  Saunders does not flinch away from the grief that the spirits suffered, from the injustice of lives cut far too short, but yet they still have the chance to choose courage.  Through their encouragement, the President is encouraged to overcome his grief to become the true father to his people as well as his children and in these times of uncertainty, a novel such as this which exhorts us to be the best possible versions of ourselves feels more welcome than ever and all the more to be treasured.  Each one of these characters feels worth remembering and Lincoln in the Bardo is a passionate and big-hearted celebration of all that it means to be human - a work of true art.