Review: Lincoln in the Bardo

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
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Actual Rating: 3.9 stars
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I have considered DNF-ing this book numerous times halfway throughout. I'm so glad I didn't. The format takes a lot of time to get used to and the different tones adapted by the different characters constantly threw me off-balance. When I was just in the process of getting used to a character's specific way of speaking, a different tone and language will be adapted by the next character. During the first half, it was really difficult to follow. I can truly understand why a lot of readers didn't bother finishing this book. But I pushed through, because however difficult the format was, the story was so beautiful, and the characters were all so interesting.

The entire story revolved around the night of Willie Lincoln's internment, during which President Lincoln visited his son after the funeral. A war had just started, both in the world, and inside Abe Lincoln's heart. The turmoil and grief within President Lincoln was depicted holistically in the book; it was impossible to not get pulled in. Willie's arrival in the bardo became a source of excitement for the other "citizens" of the graveyard. During this night, characters from the graveyard got to tell their stories, and each story was as unique and heartbreaking as the next. I was rooting for Willie, but I was rooting more for Bevins, Vollman, and the Reverend. It was Willie's story, but it's as much as Bevin's and Vollman's stories too. While it revolves around historically facts of Willie's death, the entire book was wholly imaginative and unique, my mind refused to put it down.

I would have enjoyed this story much more if the format followed a more conventional type. But even with how it is written now, it was still beautiful and unforgettable.

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Review: The History of Love

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
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This is one of the most beautifully poignant books I've read EVER. There's a tightening of my chest as I finished it. The entire book is a mystery (on how each character is connected with each other) written in an ode so pure and sincere. The tone all throughout the book is melancholic with hints of death, loneliness, and loss, but that last chapter was the most heartbreaking. Each revelation is accentuated with a punch-in-the-gut sadness. How Leo constantly obsessed and watched on his lost son's life, and his constant reflection of his never-ending love for Alma broke and inspired me at the same time.

But oddly enough, despite the tone of the book--the story is strangely uplifting, leaving you gasping with the immensity of feeling. The writing is beautiful; I always highlight captivating passages I read on books, but with The History of Love, my hand wouldn't stop. It seemed like the entire book shone yellow with the admiration and awe I showered it. Each line on Krauss' novel will leave you breathless--constructed simply but laden with profound insight. After reading this book, I have fallen even more in love with stories and words--on how words create worlds and keep people alive. For me, they all come alive. Leo lives. Alma lives.

P.S. Oh, the injustice! This deserves a higher rating in Goodreads, people!

(To follow: most captivating lines from the book.)

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