I Judge Books By Their Covers: Lincoln in the Bardo

Hi, my name is Lindsay, and I judge books by their covers.

I read the much-hyped "Lincoln in the Bardo" by George Saunders a couple weeks ago, and I haven't yet written my review (and maybe won't ever get around to it) because I haven't quite sorted out my feelings about the book. On the one hand, I totally appreciated the VERY unique and creative format once I finally got used to it, and the story was interesting, but I was sorta left wondering just what I was supposed to get out of it. Definitely a different kind of book, and really a reading experience. But would I recommend it? I'm not entirely sure. What I can talk about with some authority, though, is which cover I like better!

U.S. // U.K.
Holy cow, I think we have one of the rare instances in which I actually like the U.S. cover better than the British one! I often gravitate toward botanical covers, and I don't dislike the U.K. version, but I do find the bright green to be slightly incongruous with the sepia portrait of Willie Lincoln. It's like it's both too busy and too bland at the same time: the tilted "Lincoln" and the vines going every which way make it look a bit messy, but then nothing really catches the eye either. I also don't love the mix of serif and sans-serif fonts here. (I will say, I have a feeling this one might be better-looking in person than it is on the screen.)

On the other hand, the U.S. cover is much more visually appealing to me. I like the teal tones and the eye-catching white handwriting-style font, which is a bit more clean-looking than the U.K. font. The only problem I have is that the cover gives you no idea whatsoever what the book is about. What is that scene, even? It sure doesn't look like a cemetery in Washington, D.C. However, on aesthetics alone, I'd definitely be more likely to pick up the U.S. book.

Do tell: which cover do you prefer?