Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel

One of the more creative and entertainingly philosophical pieces of fiction I've read in a long time. I couldn't have picked a better book to listen to on my drive from Atlanta to D.C. The ghosts that narrate this book seem to be haunted by themselves, by their inability to let go of the characters and emotions that defined their lives, by their good, bad, and ugly companions. It's one of those stories that shows how allegory can be the most lite...read more

This may well have been one of the strangest things I've read in a while. It is an incredibly imaginative view of some kind of limbo/Bardo in the Tibetan tradition/ through which souls move after they have died. A plethora of undead characters populate this strange place, in which President Lincoln accidentally intrudes after the death of his son. These characters each have their own stories to tell, and this telling is historically appropriate ...read more

I'm declaring this the best audio book of the year!!! I can't imagine how the written form looks because the audio was almost play-like with citations of sources all over the place. This really was a brilliant way to portray the death of Willie Lincoln and the grief of his father.

The bardo is the Buddhist concept of the space between life and moving on. The mid-life? Almost like purgatory, but, as is with most Buddhist concepts, leaving the decis...read more

I neither loved nor hated this book. I thought it was an interesting, albeit choppy, read. It had moments of great beauty, but also moments of real pretentiousness. To me, the plot was right out of Sunday school with heaven, hell and purgatory (the Bardo).
Perhaps the most relevant messages for our times were in the fleeting and contradictory way we view politics and politicians.

Recommended for readers who are willing to put in the effort requir...read more

Beautiful, sad, and creative