In Jordan's prize-winning debut, prejudice takes many forms, both subtle and brutal. It is 1946, and city-bred Laura McAllan is trying to raise her...
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Aug 26, 2011
Jeanette
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There's a lot of depth here for such a fast, cleanly-written read. Several themes are woven into the lives of the various characters.
First, the senseless intensity of the racism in the deep South of the 1940s. Second, the haunted struggles of men who came home from WWII and couldn't make a place for themselves back among their own people. Third, the frustration and loneliness of an isolated Mississippi farm wife, building into desperation and rage. The combination of these difficultie More...
First, the senseless intensity of the racism in the deep South of the 1940s. Second, the haunted struggles of men who came home from WWII and couldn't make a place for themselves back among their own people. Third, the frustration and loneliness of an isolated Mississippi farm wife, building into desperation and rage. The combination of these difficultie More...
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Apr 29, 2008
Karlan
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This is a fast paced moving novel with several narrators. Set in the deep south immediately after WWII, the story examines the lives of hardworking farmers, passionate wives, members of the KKK, and the returning soldiers both black and white. The characters are fascinating and seemed real to me. I didn't want to see the story end.
Aug 13, 2011
Will
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 21, 2009
Eleanor
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I had sworn off any and all novels dealing with racial themes set in the South. There is only so much self-flagellating I can do in a year in penance for things in which I had no part. Certainly I realize that the theme is worth exploring, and that if you want to write a book set in the South, especially between the years covering Reconstruction through the Civil Rights era, race is going to play a part. This is all well and good, and admirable in that examining the past through the gauze of fic
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10 comments
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(33 people liked it)
Mar 14, 2008
Like millions of other NPR Morning Edition listeners, I learned that Hillary Jordan's first book, Mudbound, is the 2008 recipient of the Bellweather Prize, founded by Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Poisonwood Bible (which I haven't read, but am familiar with). After hearing the description and listening to excerpts, I was reminded of Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, one of my favorite works of American literature--the voices are unforgettable, the story line disturbing and real. I'm looking forwa
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Apr 21, 2008
Amy
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I simply could not stop reading this book! Combining several voices the story traces a tragic incident in post World War II Mississippi. Not only does this book address Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and the hardships of farming life, it also covers class issues, family issues, sexism and racism. These are characters I will not soon forget!
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Jan 30, 2012
Marleen
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Aren’t there times you wish you could give a book more than 5 stars? Like The Help or The Kitchen House, this is one of those books I guess which will continue to resonate, and linger in the mind. It's told by each character in turn, so we hear lots of different voices as the tale progresses, and we can witness the way they see the events unfolding. It reads a bit like a thriller, where the tension is building up and you know something bad is going to happen.
It's set in the Delta (Mississ More...
It's set in the Delta (Mississ More...
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Jan 27, 2012
Debbie
rated it:
Wow. This amazing book had me enthralled from the very first sentence. The writing is beautiful and the different perspectives of each character ( Laura, Henry, Jamie, Ronsel, Hap, and Florence) dovetail neatly together in this meticulously crafted story.
The book opens with the digging of a grave. Then we meet the characters. Laura, a teacher resigned to spinsterhood, who marries steady, dependable Henry, mainly because he's the only man who ever asked. Henry isn't a bad guy, More...
The book opens with the digging of a grave. Then we meet the characters. Laura, a teacher resigned to spinsterhood, who marries steady, dependable Henry, mainly because he's the only man who ever asked. Henry isn't a bad guy, More...
Jun 19, 2008
Erica
rated it:
From my blog post for Darien Library:
At any given moment in time, I'm usually reading a non-fiction book (or two or three). It's my thing. I love reading about new perspectives on true-life occurances. If I were stranded on a deserted island and I had to choose whether to bring a fiction or non-fiction book, the answer would be as clear to me as whether to choose between brussels sprouts and a scoop of mint-chocolate chip ice cream. (Uh, hello, it's mint, it's chocolate, it's heaven! More...
At any given moment in time, I'm usually reading a non-fiction book (or two or three). It's my thing. I love reading about new perspectives on true-life occurances. If I were stranded on a deserted island and I had to choose whether to bring a fiction or non-fiction book, the answer would be as clear to me as whether to choose between brussels sprouts and a scoop of mint-chocolate chip ice cream. (Uh, hello, it's mint, it's chocolate, it's heaven! More...
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Jul 02, 2011
Angie
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A quickly-paced, well-plotted page-turner. The characters, though maybe a bit one-dimensional, are engaging. I felt like she pulled out all the stops trying to add some unexpected kinks to an already twisty plot--I like more subtlety. I am not a huge fan of novels that shift perspective with each chapter--I do admit some exceptions to this prejudice, but in this book some characters were written better than others (a few passages came off as cheesy or forced). Obvious influences are Faulkner
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Mar 29, 2009
Tracy
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Sad little book :-( Was it really like that? Probably. People are so inhuman.
I liked this line, from the midwife "When I met Laura McAllan she was out of her head with mama worry. When that mama worry takes ahold of a woman you can't expect no sense from her. She'll do or say anything at all and you just better hope you ain't in her way. That's the Lord's doing right there. He made mothers to be like that on account of children need protecting and the men ain't around to do More...
I liked this line, from the midwife "When I met Laura McAllan she was out of her head with mama worry. When that mama worry takes ahold of a woman you can't expect no sense from her. She'll do or say anything at all and you just better hope you ain't in her way. That's the Lord's doing right there. He made mothers to be like that on account of children need protecting and the men ain't around to do More...
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(8 people liked it)
Jan 24, 2009
Melissa
rated it:
Book No 100 for 2008! This is the type of books that critics like..interesting characters, nice prose, historically significant time period, and everybody is undone by their own character flaws. I found it sort of depressing and I could have done without knowing about some of those character flaws.
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Dec 21, 2007
Alicia
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This book's plot is vaguely reminiscent of another book I read a couple years ago, involving a husband, his wife, and his brother on a farm. The story starts with the burial of the brothers' father, and flashes back to the events leading to his death. Things are made more complex by the time and the setting--Mississippi in the 1940s--and by the presence of a black family whose oldest son is a war hero and chafes at returning to his previous subservient ways. The story is told from the perspectiv
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(1 person liked it)
May 29, 2008
Sarah
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This book really didn't grab me until near the end. It's a believable enough story, tragic, and gives insight into the racist, segregationist legacy Mississippi has been stuck with that I have witnessed first hand. Of course, the racism in Mississippi seems a little more latent nowadays, but does that make it less violent/harmful? One big thing about this book...it made me very uncomfortable from the moment I saw the author photo and read her bio. The language can be very raw, and coming from a
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Jun 13, 2008
Susan
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Mudbound is a first novel for this author, the winner of the Bellwether Prize for Fiction. As I read, I could almost feel the humidity and tension in the air of Mississippi in the 40’s. The story of Laura McAllan struggling with family and farm on the Delta interweaves issues of race, marital faithfulness and hardship and it wrenched my heart with every page of compelling writing. As good as The Secret Life of Bees, in my opinion, with a glowing recommendation from Barbara Kingsolver, this st
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Sep 28, 2011
Callie
rated it:
For book group!
Read for my first book group, and it will be interesting to see what kind of conversations result.
I very much enjoyed the story, my only qualm is that since the story is told from many points of view, the narration felt jumpy, and not all of the characters seemed fleshed out. The book was very possibly too short, and I don't feel like I feel that way very often. But the story did illicit a strong, emotional response from me (happiness, sadness, anger), and it w More...
Read for my first book group, and it will be interesting to see what kind of conversations result.
I very much enjoyed the story, my only qualm is that since the story is told from many points of view, the narration felt jumpy, and not all of the characters seemed fleshed out. The book was very possibly too short, and I don't feel like I feel that way very often. But the story did illicit a strong, emotional response from me (happiness, sadness, anger), and it w More...
Oct 07, 2009
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan was an exquisite piece of modern Southern literature. In her debut novel, Jordan crafted a story of family, race and farm life set in 1940 s Mississippi. Heart-wrenching, Mudbound will leave any reader stunned by the tragedy of the American South from not too long ago.[return][return]The book has several narrators: Laura, a Memphis belle who reluctantly moved to her husband s farm; Henry, her husband who loved his farm more than anything; Hap, one of Henry s tenants
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Mar 30, 2009
In Jordan's prize-winning debut, prejudice takes many forms, both subtle and brutal. It is 1946, and city-bred Laura McAllan is trying to raise her children on her husband's Mississippi Delta farm—a place she finds foreign and frightening. In the midst of the family's struggles, two young men return from the war to work the land. Jamie McAllan, Laura's brother-in-law, is everything her husband is not—charming, handsome, and haunted by his memories of combat. Ronsel Jackson, eldest son of the bla
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Feb 08, 2009
Erin
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MUDBOUND is the winner of the Bellweather Prize which is given to first time authors for excellence in writing a novel on social justice, proving that if you narrow a category just enough, any book can win a prize. The book wasn't terrible, but my expectations were pretty high on account of the huge golden stamp on the book. (I am a sucker for books with stamps of approval on them.)
This is the account of two war veterans, one black and one white, who return to Tennessee after World More...
This is the account of two war veterans, one black and one white, who return to Tennessee after World More...
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Feb 05, 2009
Winner of Barbara Kingsolver's Bellwether Prize (2006), which recognizes an unpublished manuscript promoting social responsibility, Jordan's debut novel exposes the racism and sexism of the Jim Crow South. Most critics embraced this topic, even while recognizing its heavy-handedness; the Washington Post noted that "the book doesn't challenge our prejudices so much as give us the easy satisfaction of feeling superior to these evil Southerners." Reviewers disagreed somewhat on the comple
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Nov 20, 2008
1morechapter
rated it:
Hillary Jordan has written a very good debut novel that speaks on war, racism, marriage, and living off the land. The story is told by various narrators throughout the book. Henry and Laura are a white married couple who move to the Mississippi delta to raise cotton. Henry loves the land, but Laura misses city life and is deeply unhappy. She also has to live and deal with her racist father-in-law for the first time.
Hap and Florence are a black couple living on Henry’s farm as renter More...
Hap and Florence are a black couple living on Henry’s farm as renter More...
Feb 06, 2012
Kendra
rated it:
Once I started reading Mudbound, I did not want to put it down. I was hooked from the very first chapter. The author, Hillary Jordan, is an excellent storyteller; it was easy to feel the weather, picture the house and farm, and visualize each character, especially the blood, sweat, and tears. The writing flows and is poetic at times. But, I recommend keeping a dictionary nearby (easy with a Kindle)...this author definitely likes to test your vocabulary skills.
Mudbound takes place More...
Mudbound takes place More...
Feb 05, 2012
Jo
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I so enjoyed this book,it is a historical fictional character study, and was it was written from many of the characters' points of view, which added richness and perspective to the story. The transition from one character to another flowed easy. The language of the story was like poetry in prose. The story centers on Henry and Laura McAllan during the time (pre-WWII to post WWII) leading up to and the decades following their marriage. But it is also a story of White and a Black family,sibling ri
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Aug 31, 2011
Heidi
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This is amazingly satisfying yet troubling debut novel by Hillary Jordan that won the 2006 Bellweather Prize. The story is about a family living in the Mississippi Delta during the 1940s. Omniscient narration passes between several main characters which enables the author to show several points of view. The characters are very believable, complex and well written.
Laura McAllen is a wife, mother and college educated schoolteacher who has been convinced by her husban More...
Laura McAllen is a wife, mother and college educated schoolteacher who has been convinced by her husban More...
Aug 11, 2011
Alison
rated it:
This is my kind of story - relationship-driven, straight-forward, simple, and painfully honest. I like to read about characters dealing with the hardships their lives dole out to them, which sometimes include other people - even family members. Typically, I like there to be a little romance thrown in, some historical basis and significance, engaging people with realistic interactions and dialogue, and a couple laughs. This book met all these requirements and because of that I contentedly bree
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Jul 30, 2011
I started reading this book after learning that Barbara Kingsolver was a champion and that it was on favorite lists along with Toni Morrison and Jonathan Safron Foer: all three my favorite authors. It had a lot to live up to.
It didn't get there.
It's a good book though, not great. It's a bit derivative (Faulkner, of course, seems who Jordan is most trying to channel, as it's about rural Southern life and the tragedies that can befall those most disenfranchised because of the many tiny (and so More...
It didn't get there.
It's a good book though, not great. It's a bit derivative (Faulkner, of course, seems who Jordan is most trying to channel, as it's about rural Southern life and the tragedies that can befall those most disenfranchised because of the many tiny (and so More...
Jul 25, 2011
Karen
rated it:
WOW. This is big to say, but Ms. Jordan's book brought the writing of Flannery O'Connor to mind. Though MUDBOUND has more characters with actual redeeming qualities, the book throws a harsh light on a few particular aspects of life in the Jim Crow south: the impossibilities of life as a sharecropping family, and the horrible situations African American men who fought in WWII were put in when they returned home. That is, we asked the ultimate sacrifice of them, but it didn't make a damned dif
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Jul 06, 2011
Gayle
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jun 27, 2011
Kiki
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I usually avoid reading a lot of Southern lit like this. I got burned out a few years ago, and aside from reading the help right when it came out, I really don't seek out this genre at all. But when a fellow Yankee recommended this one, I decided to give it a go. And it was totally worth it.
Jordan's writing is lovely. The story is Shakespearean in scope, and you kind of get that in the opening of the book. I like the alternating viewpoints Jordan employs to tell a complete story, wi More...
Jordan's writing is lovely. The story is Shakespearean in scope, and you kind of get that in the opening of the book. I like the alternating viewpoints Jordan employs to tell a complete story, wi More...
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Jun 21, 2011
Raquel
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This is not an easy book to read--it's easy to get lost in, but it is a painful portrait of the aftermath of World War II and of Southern racism. There were points where I actually clapped my hand to my mouth in horror. The writing is excellent, the characters entirely believable, the physical setting a character in the story. I actually finished this book in one day. I just couldn't stop turning the pages.
There's no feel-good ending. There's no peace at the end of the book. Everyone's More...
There's no feel-good ending. There's no peace at the end of the book. Everyone's More...
