Lincoln in the Bardo
A Novel
by George Saunders
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“Lincoln in the Bardo is heavy stuff for a summer book, but I’m really glad I picked it up. It’s a quick read thanks to its playlike format, and some of the ghosts’ stories are surprisingly funny given the subject matter. If you’re an Abraham Lincoln buff like me, you won’t regret taking this one on your next vacation. | Today is a cheat because I didn’t pull it down randomly from The Shelves but rather just finished reading it for the first time, but it’s very good, sort of a purgatory stage play imagining Abe Lincoln in mourning through the perspective of ghosts who don’t know they’re ghosts.”
Source →Recommended by 3 notable people, including Bill Gates and Frank Chimero
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Reading Profile
Should I read this?
Reading Lincoln in the Bardo feels like listening to a choir of restless voices stitched into a narrated experiment: short, theatrical fragments alternate with reported historical notes and intimate confessions. What works best is its emotional reach — Saunders compresses grief, mortality, and dark humor into striking, image-driven scenes that linger. The main limitation is the form: the chorus of competing speakers and deliberate repetition can feel fragmented or mannered, which tires readers looking for a single, steady narrative or conventional plot payoff.
Read this if...
- •an MFA student or fiction editor studying voice and form who wants to see a short-story writer expand into a novel; useful for dissecting how tone and fragmented perspective carry emotional weight
- •a reader navigating recent loss who prefers imaginative, character-driven reckonings with mourning rather than didactic or self-help approaches; the book dramatizes shared grief through uncanny scenes
- •a history teacher or reader assembling examples of historical fiction that intentionally blurs fact and invention to humanize a past moment rather than to document it chronologically
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when the repeating chorus and fragmentary anecdotes feel like the same emotional beat restated — readers who want a clear plot will lose patience
- •annoying if you prefer realistic, tightly plotted historical novels: the book favors theatrical, invented voices over straightforward historical narrative
- •annoying if you dislike formal gimmicks or abrupt tonal shifts — the mix of comic asides and solemn mourning can feel uneven or mannered
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE The longawaited first novel from the author of Tenth of December a moving and original fatherson story featuring none other than Abraham Lincoln, as well as an unforgettable cast of supporting characters, living and dead, historical and invented Named One of the Ten Best Books of the Y...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:medium
Audience Fit
- an MFA student or fiction editor studying voice and form who wants to see a short-story writer expand into a novel; useful for dissecting how tone and fragmented perspective carry emotional weight
- a reader navigating recent loss who prefers imaginative, character-driven reckonings with mourning rather than didactic or self-help approaches; the book dramatizes shared grief through uncanny scenes
- a history teacher or reader assembling examples of historical fiction that intentionally blurs fact and invention to humanize a past moment rather than to document it chronologically
- you'll likely put it down when the repeating chorus and fragmentary anecdotes feel like the same emotional beat restated — readers who want a clear plot will lose patience
- annoying if you prefer realistic, tightly plotted historical novels: the book favors theatrical, invented voices over straightforward historical narrative
- annoying if you dislike formal gimmicks or abrupt tonal shifts — the mix of comic asides and solemn mourning can feel uneven or mannered
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Why recommended
Recommended by 5 sources and appears in Historical Fiction, Most Recommended Books, and Fantasy.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Frank Chimero
Designer and writer
“Lincoln in the Bardo is heavy stuff for a summer book, but I’m really glad I picked it up. It’s a quick read thanks to its playlike format, and some of the ghosts’ stories are surprisingly funny given the subject matter. If you’re an Abraham Lincoln buff like me, you won’t regret taking this one on your next vacation. | Today is a cheat because I didn’t pull it down randomly from The Shelves but rather just finished reading it for the first time, but it’s very good, sort of a purgatory stage play imagining Abe Lincoln in mourning through the perspective of ghosts who don’t know they’re ghosts.”
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Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Recommended by 5 sources.
“This sprawling, detail-rich historical novel follows cathedral builders, nobles, and townspeople across decades, delivering immersive scene-setting and a steady accumulation of plotlines. Its useful part is the sustained attention to craft—architecture, politics, rivalry—that makes the medieval world tangible. The main limitation is repetitive melodrama and swings in pacing: long, satisfying set pieces sit beside stretches that feel slow or contrived. Better read slowly rather than skimmed; readers who stick it out will find payoff in the concluding convergences.”
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How recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.