Literary Fiction / Historical · Entrée review
Lincoln in the Bardo Audiobook Review
George Saunders’s Booker Prize-winning novel becomes an extraordinary ensemble performance, using more than 160 voices to explore grief, history and the space between life and death.
A little more about the listen
Lincoln in the Bardo is an unusual audiobook even before the cast list begins. George Saunders places Abraham Lincoln in a cemetery after the death of his son Willie, then builds the novel from historical fragments and the competing voices of the dead. The result is literary, mournful and formally demanding rather than a conventional plot-led listen.
The listening experience
The ensemble is the point. Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Julianne Moore, Ben Stiller, Don Cheadle and more than 160 performers give the ghosts distinct identities, while the historical excerpts provide a contrasting documentary texture. The shifts in voice make the novel’s grief feel communal, although listeners need to pay attention to follow its fragments.
Best for
Listeners who want ambitious literary fiction, large-scale ensemble performance, historical atmosphere and an audiobook that treats sound as part of the novel’s form.
The honest note
This is not the easiest first full-cast audiobook. The fragmented structure, large cast and sombre subject matter reward focused listening more than casual background play.
Worth considering for listeners who want ambitious literary fiction, large-scale ensemble performance, historical atmosphere and an audiobook that treats sound as part of the novel’s form. The honest note is the deciding reservation to weigh before spending a credit: This is not the easiest first full-cast audiobook. The fragmented structure, large cast and sombre subject matter reward focused listening more than casual background play.
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