What's the record for the most narrators on one audiobook? Because, with 166 celebrities tapped to narrate the Lincoln in the Bardo audiobook, I think we might have just broken it. The cast for George Saunders' novel features a lot of familiar names, including the author himself.
In Saunders' highly anticipated debut novel, Abraham Lincoln visits his 11-year-old son's crypt on the night of his funeral in 1862, sorting through his grief at losing Willie to illness and a large portion of the U.S. to war. Lincoln in the Bardo treats readers to the stories of Willie's graveyard neighbors as well, making for a funny and touching novel.
With 166 voice actors, listening to the Lincoln in the Bardo audiobook is sure to be an experience you won't soon forget. In fact, the title seems destined for the Audie Award runnings this year. Saunders's short-story collection, Tenth of December, was shortlisted for the National Book Award in 2014.
Here's a small sampling of the Lincoln in the Bardo audiobook cast:
- Nick Offerman as Hans Vollman
- David Sedaris as Roger Bevins III
- Carrie Brownstein as Isabelle Perkins
- George Saunders as The Reverend Everly Thomas
- Miranda July as Mrs. Elizabeth Crawford
- Lena Dunham as Elise Traynor
- Ben Stiller as Jack Manders
- Julianne Moore as Jane Ellis
- Susan Sarandon as Mrs. Abigail Blass
- Bradley Whitford as Lt. Cecil Stone
- Bill Hader as Eddie Baron
- Megan Mullally as Betsy Baron
- Rainn Wilson as Percival "Dash" Collier
- Jeff Tweedy as Captain William Prince
- Kat Dennings as Miss Tamara Doolittle
- Jeffrey Tambor as Professor Edmund Bloomer
- Mike O’Brien as Lawrence T. Decroix
- Keegan-Michael Key as Elson Farwell
- Don Cheadle as Thomas Havens
- Patrick Wilson as Stanley “Perfesser” Lippert
- Kirby Heyborne as Willie Lincoln
- Mary Karr as Mrs. Rose Milland
- Cassandra Campbell as Your Narrator
Listen to the audiobook version of George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo on Feb. 14.
