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Mudbound

by Hillary Jordan (Goodreads Author)

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 23,920 ratings · 3,428 reviews

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 e...more

Paperback, 340 pages

Published March 17th 2009 by Algonquin Books (first published January 1st 2008)

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Dec 29, 2012 Emma rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, united-states, 2-stars

Social justice (and literature) lite

This book and I hit it off at first. It’s a quick, easy read and I enjoyed the first 2/3 or so. But looking back, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

Mudbound is about two families living in the Mississippi Delta: one black and one white. It’s 1946 and racial tensions are high: the black GIs returning from WW2 are no longer willing to put up with being second-class citizens, but the white population is equally unwilling to allow change. The book is written in th...more Social justice (and literature) lite

This book and I hit it off at first. It’s a quick, easy read and I enjoyed the first 2/3 or so. But looking back, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

Mudbound is about two families living in the Mississippi Delta: one black and one white. It’s 1946 and racial tensions are high: the black GIs returning from WW2 are no longer willing to put up with being second-class citizens, but the white population is equally unwilling to allow change. The book is written in the first person from 6 (six!) different viewpoints (and a debut novel at that.... had I not loved Jordan’s When She Woke I would never have attempted this), including Ronsel (a black soldier), Hap and Florence (his parents), Jaime (a white soldier), Henry (his older brother) and Laura (Henry’s wife). To her credit, Jordan does do a passable job with the multiple narrators, who don’t sound too much alike--the streamlined nature of the writing, without much figurative language or description, helps with this, and the dialect works well enough without being impenetrable.

As I said, I liked the story at first; it drew me in quickly and entertained me. But there isn’t much more I can say for it. So, then, the problems:

THE PLOT: Terribly predictable (and melodramatic). One-third of the way through I predicted all the dramatic events that would happen in the rest of the book. And I’m not usually good at that.

THE CHARACTERS: The black family are stock characters of the “sympathetic victims” variety: hardworking, family-values folk. Hap is the forgiving, scripture-quoting preacher. Florence is the closer-to-earth midwife. Ronsel is the bright young guy who's beat down by the system. They have potential but are too stuck in their stock roles and personalities to realize it.

The white family is more complex (they’re allowed to have flaws), but not much more. Henry is a simple man who loves farming: exactly the same on the inside as he appears from the outside. His father, Pappy, is the stock evil racist with no redeeming qualities. Laura gets a lot of page time (and her voice feels the most authentic), but she’s pathetic; she’s pathetically grateful to Henry for marrying her at the ripe old age of 31 and despite a few attempts to act for herself, she’s still pathetic at the end. (Bizarrely, in an interview in the back of the book Jordan states that Laura is based on her own grandmother, but "much more fiery and rebellious"--since neither adjective describes Laura in the slightest, I can only conclude either that Jordan's grandmother was an automaton, or, more likely, that Jordan utterly failed at turning the idea in her head into a character on the page.) Jamie is the most interesting of the bunch: he seems like a basically good guy whose PTSD leads him into destructive behavior, and he’s racist in a subtle, Huckleberry-Finn kind of way (at least, the other white characters make him look subtle; more on that later).

THE SETTING: Black and white, in more ways than one. Essentially, the rural South = bad; cities, or anywhere in Europe = good. “Violence is part and parcel of country life,” Laura tells us, and to prove the point, Jordan includes a family of bit-part characters that do nothing but rape, murder, and drunkenly shoot off guns (and these are the only farm people we meet aside from the main characters). The Mississippi Delta is full of violent racists, while the Memphis-bred Laura has apparently never even heard of Jim Crow. Europe, meanwhile, is a colorblind paradise; even German women are happy to sleep with black men and have their babies mere months after their own government finished murdering millions of pale-skinned people for not being white enough. (I’m not disputing that similar liaisons happened, but I do dispute the “colorblind paradise” portrayal; read Andrea Levy’s Small Island for a more nuanced portrayal of wartime and post-war England.) Finally, Jordan’s failure to get even easily verifiable facts right makes me doubt her overall portrayal. The two closest towns to the McAllens’ farm are Greenville and Marietta.... and while Greenville really is a Delta town, Marietta is actually over 200 miles away in the northeast part of the state.

THE MESSAGE: Several underwhelmed reviewers have mocked the Bellwether Prize, which is meant to recognize a book that advances social justice in some way. I think the prize is a good idea. But the Washington Post nailed this one: “the book doesn't challenge our prejudices so much as give us the easy satisfaction of feeling superior to these evil Southerners.” The thing is, to advance social justice, you have to be timely. Tackle, say, the drug war’s disproportionate impact on minority communities, the poor quality of education in inner-city schools, the location of environmental hazards in minority neighborhoods. There’s no end to current social justice issues that Jordan might have written about. Instead, her message is one that even most unreformed racists of today wouldn’t dispute: racially motivated hate crimes are bad, folks! It's no wonder most people like this book: its message is so uncontroversial that nobody is uncomfortable with it. But you can't change society by hammering home points everybody already agrees with.

(In fairness to Jordan, her second novel does take on timely, controversial issues; predictably, its reception has been more mixed. But it’s also so much better.)

In the end, I don’t hate this book. If you want a quick, unchallenging read about the evils of southern racism, it may be the book for you. If you’re looking for some redeeming social or literary value, though, best look elsewhere.(less)

19 likes · like · see review

May 10, 2009 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Jeanette by: Rach

Shelves: all-fiction, america, four-star-fiction, cultural-and-social-commentary

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 difficulties causes t...more

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Apr 29, 2008 Karlan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: adults

Recommended to Karlan by: ALA galley

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.

17 likes · like · see review

Sep 15, 2008 Will Byrnes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A family tale set in Mississippi between the 1930’s and the 19??s

Jordan uses multiple narrators to offer varying perspectives on the happenings of the story. Laura is on the fast track to old maid-hood after her 30th birthday when she is introduced to Henry. He is smitten, and she likes him well enough. Marriage is fine with her, but when a death in the family throws long-term plans onto the scrapheap, Henry announces that in two weeks they will be moving to a remote part of Mississippi to take...more A family tale set in Mississippi between the 1930’s and the 19??s

Jordan uses multiple narrators to offer varying perspectives on the happenings of the story. Laura is on the fast track to old maid-hood after her 30th birthday when she is introduced to Henry. He is smitten, and she likes him well enough. Marriage is fine with her, but when a death in the family throws long-term plans onto the scrapheap, Henry announces that in two weeks they will be moving to a remote part of Mississippi to take over a farm. It comes to be called Mudbound, for obvious reasons. The novel tells of race relations in the deepest south, offering several views of the hardships of farming life.

Two soldiers return to town from World War II in Europe. Henry’s brother Jamie is a much (19 years) younger man, charming, a pilot, damaged by his war experience, (turning to alcohol to try to smother his recent visions of war and his still-sharp recollection of a near-death experience he had as a child) and of dubious character in any case. (Is there really any there there?) He becomes friends with Ronsel Jackson, the black son of one of Henry’s tenants, a successful, handsome member of a black tank corps. He had been a hero in Germany, was accepted there and in other parts of Europe as a man, not as a black, but back home, the deep south remains the deep south and bigotry defines the limits of civilization.

This was a very fast read, a page-turner. Jordan does a nice job of slowly ramping up the tension until the climactic action. I cannot say that that action was enjoyable, per se, but it did make sense in the universe of the novel.

Jordan has given us a portrait of a particular place in a particular time, the Jim Crow deep south circa WW II. There are references to the current age, but I do not believe it to be her purpose to tell a tale of the contemporary time.

Although one might see Laura as the core of this story, I believe it is Jamie around whom everything else moves. His relationship with Laura, the up and the down, help her define her relationship with Henry and with the world. His relationship with Ronsel is crucial to the dramatic events that follow. It is in the light of his personality that others see themselves more clearly.

There is much here about being heard, who can speak, and who, ultimately, is silenced.

I have seen criticism about the use of stock characters here, and that is not without merit. Southern bigots are given only one coat of paint, as are strong black characters. Nonetheless, and in particular considering that this is a first novel, it is forgivable. This is not great literature, but offers no pretense to that. It is a fine read, well worth the ride.
(less)

14 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2008 Hillary rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author) · review of another edition Recommends it for: EVERYONE

I wrote this book so I can hardly be expected to be objective!

113 likes · like · see review

Dec 03, 2011 Marleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

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 (Mississippi)...more

13 likes · like · see review

Jun 10, 2010 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

In Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan, the novel begins with two brothers, Henry and Jamie, digging a grave for their father, who had just died. Pappy, as he was referred to was a horrible man. He was mean, angry and, abusive, even to his family. He was also stingy and probably worst of all: a racist. As the brothers dig his grave, they dig up a "rusted iron shackle" encircling a bone. Sweet revenge, as most likely Pappys final resting place, will be a place he will share with a former slave. For Mudbo...more In Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan, the novel begins with two brothers, Henry and Jamie, digging a grave for their father, who had just died. Pappy, as he was referred to was a horrible man. He was mean, angry and, abusive, even to his family. He was also stingy and probably worst of all: a racist. As the brothers dig his grave, they dig up a "rusted iron shackle" encircling a bone. Sweet revenge, as most likely Pappys final resting place, will be a place he will share with a former slave. For Mudbound is set in the South, the Mississippi Delta, just after World War II.

Basically Mudbound is the story of (2) families, one black and one white. Six characters take turns narrating the story. Laura (Chappell) McAllan's life literally becomes "mudbound" when she marries Henry, and he decides to buy a cotton farm , without consulting her. Laura is a college graduate and city girl. She has no idea what farm life is like, and when she learns that there is no electricity or even running water at the farm, she is miserable to put it mildly.

There is one part, I loved when Laura spoke up to her husband Henry when she insisted that her piano be moved to the farm. Henry's response according to Laura was : "he looked at me as if I sprouted antlers. I stared back and resisted the urge to drop my gaze". "You're overtired", he said . "No, I'm fine".....(and her heart thumped as she waited him out).

Florence Jackson is a midwife. A black woman whose husband, Hap, is a tenant farmer of the Allans. Laura befriends Florence. The Jackson's also have a son, Ronsel, who joined the "white mans Army", where segregation was the norm. He returns home from the war, about the same time as Henry's younger brother Jamie did. Sadly, Ronsel learns quickly that nothing has changed in the South during the time he was gone: blacks still ride at the back of the bus, picking white folks cotton, using the back doors..."we were still just niggers, and the black soldiers that died in the war were just dead niggers".

More tension in the novel is created because Jamie and Ronsel are close. Jamie has his own issues/demons, however, at times he is the only bright spot to Laura's days.

MY THOUGHTS - I wanted to love this book, and don't get me wrong it is a very good debut novel, but it was not without its flaws. The author covers some major issues: racism, adultery, incest, and the scars of war. The characters were well written, but Mudbound was one of those stories that when all was said and done, there was no redemption and no promise of a brighter tomorrow, I also thought it was interesting that the nastiest person of all in this novel, Pappy, never had a voice. He was being buried at the beginning of the novel, but through bits and pieces here and there, the reader got a very clear picture of just what type of person he was. I will be anxious to read another book by this author. I liked her style, and I only hope that future novels might end on a more hopeful note.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 02, 2013 Joy H. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: prizewinner, fiction, recommended-by-a-reader-friend, goodreads-author, selection-of-library-bk-group, domestic-abuse, dysfunctional-families

RE: Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
Added 4/21/09.

I almost stopped reading this book because it saddened me. However, I decided to continue reading because it's a selection of our library's book discussion group. The theme is a serious and worthy one. As for the story, the suspense toward the end became compelling.

The book deals with poor farmers in Mississippi, their problems and the relationships between blacks and whites during the 1940s. In alternating chapters, each character tells his/her side o...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 21, 2009 Eleanor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

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...more

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Mar 14, 2008 Jenny marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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 forward...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jun 08, 2011 Clifford rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels

Interesting and believable characters for the most part, and yet . . . the story seemed awfully familiar, the plot without surprise (it's not hard to guess even from knowing the premise what's going to happen), the dialogue not completely convincing. And maybe my biggest complaint is that agenda-driven fiction (here: racists are evil) is so hard to pull off. Kingsolver can do it, which is maybe why Jordan won Kingsolver's Bellwether Prize, but few others can. The character of Pappy is as flat as...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-books, 12-from-tbr-pile

Had this on my TBR pile forever and convinced one of my book groups to read it. I finished it yesterday and am still struck by Hillary Jordan's captivating novel of the South. It encompasses many themes, including racism, feminism and classism. By writing from six different points of view, most of the characters have their views heard. While all the characters are flawed and some are completely awful, Jordan clearly depicts their lives on a farm, sharecropping after World War II.

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Apr 21, 2008 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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!

11 likes · like · see review

Aug 12, 2012 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, five-star-reads

In the post-WWII south, two families, one white one African American, struggle to survive on a farm in the Mississippi delta. Despite their denial, their fates are tied to each other's.

Mudbound gripped me from the very first page. The tension in this book is so compelling that I couldn't put it down. Although I found myself hating a few of the characters, their stories fascinated me. Strangely, this book reminded me of The Help. Mudbound was much edgier and dark than The Help, but there are a lo...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Noeleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mudbound, a debut novel by Hillary Jordan, is set on a Mississippi farm in the aftermath of World War II. It tells the story of the McAllan and Jackson families. The story is told from the viewpoints of the six main characters, Laura McAllan, her husband Henry, her brother-in-law Jamie, Florence Jackson, her husband Hap and her son Ronsel. Although Henry and Jamie's father plays a key role in this story, it is interesting and significant that Jordan chooses not to give him a voice. He is the onl...more

5 likes · like · see review

Apr 23, 2012 Sally906 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: general-fiction, e-book

I read this for a group discussion for another group, but have seen some rave reviews and high scores for it around the Internet.

It is well deserved.

The story opens just after the end of WWII with a grave being dug. That the character is disliked by the two gravediggers is obvious – but why the character is dead and why they are disliked is the foundation of the story.

Told from six points of view, Laura is the voice heard the most often. Laura is a city woman who accepts Henry’s proposal and se...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 15, 2012 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: drugs-and-alcohol, historical-fiction, holocaust, abuse

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, but he's not very...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 18, 2011 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, nook, book-club

Jordan's story of racism in post World War II Mississippi was deserving of Barbara Kingsolver's 2006 Bellwether Prize for a work of fiction that address issues of social justice. The revelations about the lives of share croppers and tenant farmers showed how these practices may have facilitated racial inequality in the south. The historical detail showed evidence of careful research, and her characters had an authenticity that gave them strong voices. Stories with mulitple narrators do not alway...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 26, 2010 Dave Gaston rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, racial-conflict, southern-authentic-voices

The starting pace of Mudbound’s smoldering southern class drama allowed the reader to enjoy Jordon’s descriptive writing and southern dialog. And at first blush, Jordon’s use of rotating the first first person account of an overlapping story was a refreshing literary device. But somewhere half way through the book the wheels fell off. Jordon’s sub plots started over-reaching to the point of wild sensationalism. There is a sidecar story of incest and a resulting mother’s demented double murder of...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 19, 2008 Erica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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!) On my read...more

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Sep 01, 2009 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: female-author

This book is exactly what I was looking for. It takes place in the Deep South after World War II and deals with a lot of intense issues, as you can imagine. It was one of those books that was really easy to read, and just a good story. It is told from the perspective of six different characters, which I always love. I guess what I liked most about the characters is that they all seemed very real.

Well, I couldn't decide if I should give this book 4 or 5 stars. I actually have switched it several...more

1 like · like · see review

May 03, 2011 Angie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 for...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 26, 2011 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I’ve never read a book published by Algonquin that I haven’t loved. They consistently put out unique, evocative fiction and Mudbound is no exception. I never would’ve picked this up if not for stellar reviews from trusted Good Reads friends. So glad I did…I absolutely loved this book. The characters, setting, and storyline are all incredibly rich and satisfying. Rotating narratives are hard to pull off but this author does it right. I truly, deeply cared for the main characters (at least the sym...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 29, 2009 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 it most of the time...more

11 likes · like · see review

Jan 24, 2009 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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.

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 21, 2007 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 04, 2009 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

I think my review of this book will be nearly identical to Katie's. It was such a great story and a quick read, which is exactly what I wanted since I've had trouble wanting to ready anything lately. I love that the story was told from so many points of view, so I really felt like I understood each of the characters. If it had only been told from one point of view I think my opinion of all of the characters would have been very black and white, but since I saw everything from everyone's perspect...more

1 like · like · see review

May 29, 2008 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sarah by: Barbara Kingsolver (who gave it an award)

Shelves: 2008

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...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Hope rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

A book that was hard to read but hard to put down at the same time. It was just so brilliantly and beautifully written.

An excerpt of how GOOD this book is:
"Carl Atwood was my least favorite of all our tenants. He was a banty rooster of a man, spindly legged and sway backed, with muddy eyes that crowded his nose on either side. His lips were dark red, like gills of a bass, and his tongue was constantly darting out to moisten them. He was always polite to me, but there was a sly, avid quality abo...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 17, 2013 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It has been a while since I picked up a book and couldn’t put it down; this was one of these books. I was surprised to learn it was the author’s debut novel and look forward to reading more of her work. The book was set in the southern states of the USA after the Second World War, it basically revolved around two families, the white sharecropper, Henry who has just brought a rundown farm and dragged his family away from the town to live in it as he has always dreamed of having a farm. His wife i...more

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About Hillary Jordan

Hillary Jordan grew up in Texas and Oklahoma. She received her BA in English and Political Science from Wellesley College and spent fifteen years working as an advertising copywriter before starting to write fiction. She got her MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University.

Hillary is the author of two novels, both from Algonquin Books: MUDBOUND, published in 2008, and WHEN SHE WOKE, forthcomi...more

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“What we can't speak, we say in silence.” — 46 people liked it

“That's what it is to love someone: to give whatever you can while taking what you must.” — 18 people liked it

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