Mudbound

This book was certainly a fine effort. Using multiple first-person narrators was a good way to look at the issues from multiple vantage points. What could have pulled the book to five-stars is hearing from the "bad guys". I doubt the racist monsters from that era were simply evil people. Their views, just like ours, were mostly formed from those of family/friends/teachers of the times. Once we've "looked at love from both sides now", it is time to do the same with hate.

This was a wonderful read! It gave an excellent insight into the 1940's & early 1950's Mississippi Delta. The role of women, men, soldiers, negroes, rich, poor, racism and loyalty. It was interesting to read it in each different persona, from Laura & Henry to Hap & Florence and Jamie. Once you get started you don't want to stop reading. You get angry, you cry with sadness and you laugh at stupidity of the people in this book. I highly recommend it.

Astonishing. Written impeccably. Each voice of this tale of the South before, during, and after WW II is authentic to its core. Chapter by chapter, that is, character by character, a story is woven from the threads of individual stories. It takes talent to pull this off. Ms. Jordan is just the ticket. There is great hope, disappointment, suffering, and triumph in these pages. This is literary fiction at its best.

Beautifully written, almost brutally so at times, if that makes sense. The choice of writing it in first person but through 6 different characters was a great decision. It lends the novel a certain depth and nuance that I really enjoyed.

This book was the May selection for my book club. All members felt that the book is well written, and historically factual, even though the actual story is fiction.

The story is realistic and quite emotional in places, as the reader understands that situations and beliefs just like the book portrays were very real during the time frame of this book.

We all would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in realistic fiction, and it also made for a very good discussion for our group.

I did purchase this book through the store and was very happy with the delivery and the condition of the book. Karen Hebert

What a story! This story builds throughout the book. You would think that returning servicemen would be welcomed no matter the color of their skin. Parts of the book made me want to scream at some of the characters. Henry actually made me angry because he was supposed to be good and educated but did not respect the sharecroppers. This book brought out emotions in me as a mother. What could Florence,as a black mother do? I had to keep reminding myself about where it took place and the era. It makes you wonder, it makes you question especially when the Klan is in the news now,. If you read the book you will hate Pappy. I’m glad the store recommended this book.

If you loved The Help, you will love Mudbound too. Both books take place in Mississippi, but the time periods are from different parts of our American history. Mudbound is centered around the era of WWII, and is well written with good character development. I think it would be a great book club selection. I also very much enjoyed Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill, which takes place much earlier in the South during the Revolutionary War years. All three are wonderful books on black history. Then finish off those 3 historical fiction books with The Color of Water by James McBride, which is a more contemporary story and nonfiction. You will be glad you read all 4 five star books.

If you loved The Help, you will love Mudbound too. Both books take place in Mississippi, but the time periods are from different parts of our American history. Mudbound is centered around the era of WWII, and is well written with good character development. I think it would be a great book club selection. I also very much enjoyed Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill, which takes place much earlier in the South during the Revolutionary War years. All three are wonderful books on black history. Then finish off those 3 historical fiction books with The Color of Water by James McBride, which is a more contemporary story and nonfiction. You will be glad you read all 4 five star books.

Dramatic fiction--describes the hard life of a struggling farm in Florida after WWII. Prejudice, ignorance, dysfunction, cruelty. Tough read. But very well written, good characterization. It ended up being more upbeat though than I thought it would be. At least, it showed how we can change and grow despite adversity. If you can get through the grittiness and horror, it's definitely worth reading.

Likable characters and cohesive plot. Racism is disturbing in every aspect and this story gives you a good sense of it's pervasiveness in the South. It's also the story of a woman learning that what she wants is not always what she needs.

This novel tells a wonderfully moving story of the relationship/s between a white southern farmer and a black family who are sharecroppers on his farm in the early 1940s. Through the main characters, you get an excellent sense of how they feel about each other and their respective places in the south.

The used copy of Mudbound was in excellent condition and very reasonably prices.

I had no idea what to expect when beginning Mudbound. It was my book club selection. What a wonderful, engrossing story! The characters are richly drawn. I found myself thinking about them often. The action is riveting. I couldn't wait to read the next chapter. I was totally swept away to another time & place. Lots to think about and discuss. This was so good that I'm recommending the book for our full staff read. Bravo to Hillary Jordan. Her efforts were worth it!

This is a beautifully written story of the intersections of the lives of two families, one black and one white, in post-World War II America. Highly character-driven, it kept my interest from beginning to end without a lot of action. A warning: though there is not much gore, racial tension is one of the main themes, and in one particular chapter the violence associated with racism erupts in graphic and cringe-inducing detail.

A terriffic book that would book end nicely with another story on racial predjudice, "The Help", Jordan's book is set in the Mississippi Delta, and concerns two families, one white,The McAllen's, and the other black,The Jackson's, who end up working for the McAllen's. As the narratives shift between family members, the plot tightens until an inevitable tragic conclusion, that is shocking in it's brutality as well as it's honesty.

Mudbound is the story of two families, The MacAllen's and the Johnson's and the events of one year that changes all their lives.

Laura MacAllen is a city girl, struggling to adapt to farm life in the Mississippi Delta. She lives with her husband Henry, their two children and Henry's mean and hateful Pappy in a small house without electricity or indoor plumbing. Florence and Hal Johnson are black tenant sharecroppers on the MacAllen farm and Florence also helps Laura in the house. Henry's brother Jamie and the Johnson's son Roncel return home from the war. Jamie has acquired a drinking problem to deal with his nightmares of the war; Roncel returns a war hero but in Mississippi 1946 he is no more than a "boy". Having traveled the world and seen more than their shares of horrors the two men don't feel compelled to live by the rules of the Jim Crow South and strike up a forbidden friendship.

The story is told from the perspective of the six main characters, we never hear Pappy's point of view but he is a major presence throughout the book. Each chapter is told from a different viewpoint of the same series of events. The author gives each of the characters a clear and believable voice. As the story develops the tension mounts and it becomes clear that we are on a collision course with tragedy.

This book drew me in from the start and I raced through it, a feeling of dread becoming more intense as the end draws near. It's hard to say you love a book that tackles such a difficult subject, but I did love it. It was a beautifully written and powerful read, although very graphic in some parts. It is a very rewarding read in the end, and one I recommend very highly.

A well woven story; different characters' perspectives construct the story which adds depth to the story line and characters. While certainly less disjointed than Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying", it is reminiscent of the style. I would have liked to have seen more storytelling from the sharecropper characters (name escapes me at the moment!) The novel delves into racial issues and does treat them realistically for the setting of the story no matter how distasteful the views; heart-rending and shame provoking.

Interesting, but not your Margaret Mitchell grandly designed characters. I read this on my Kindle because it was the assigned book-of-the-month piece for my group. Hillary Jordan knows how to write and how to spin a phrase that evoked my admiration. According to the background description at the end of the book, she had good reason to develop this novel with a view to exposing the sad state of the sharecropper system in the cotton fields of the South. I thought one of the stronger elements of the story was the emphasis on the loyalty and work ethic of the black family unit. Ms. Jordan's chapters from the points of view of the two war veterans -- one white and one black -- were the most compelling to me. The character of Laura, the resistant farm wife, was not very likeable and only marginally interesting. Florence was more "my kind of woman."

I got the distinct impression that I was being preached to about the evils of racism and I didn't need another sermon in disguise regarding that devil in our American society. I would have given the book one or two stars if I hadn't admired the author's fine writing rhythm and her differing point of view chapters. However, I would check into her other books, since she has a great talent.

Don't look for happy endings in this somewhat dark and gritty rendition of life in Mississippi during and just after World War II.

Do look for a realistic portrayal of the life and hardships for both farmers and sharecroppers, great writing and a story that keeps you turning the pages because you just have to know what happens next.

A very enjoyable read!

The story grasped me from the first page. Each character came to life for me as a real person I could understand. I could picture vividly the house where they lived in the "Mud", and the very difficult life they and their tenant farmers had to endure as they attempted to have hope for a better year to come - always next year. The book is entertaining as you keep reading to discover just what is going to happen next; it is spell-binding as you realize it's coming to a disturbing end. Remembering my own youth, I know all these kinds of people exist for their own prejudiced reasons. It is hard to believe, though, that people could be so animalistic in their prejudicial behavior. I had strong empathy with Laura, and her circumstance, yet wished she could have been a stronger woman. I will not forget the emotions brought out by this book and recommend it to everyone who needs to be reminded why we have tried to discourage bigotry in any form.

A realistic look of life and how our ancestors lived in the South. Their morals, their loyalties, their ethics, all of which has changed so much. Some for the good, much I wish we could rekindle. This book will give insight to the men who fought in the !st WW and life as it was for the people at home. If you want to know more about real sacrifice, hard work, and love at it's core you will enjoy this book

This book delievers on so many levels...the characters, narrative, setting, historic accuracy, plot. It's rare that each character stands alone in a story and that the reader believes each is the narrator. As much as I liked this book it's one that doesn't need a sequel...to add anything more to what had been written would detract from the book. Read it...it doesn't disappoint.

This story shares the raw emotions, the wrongs perpetuated to the Negros during the 60's and the atrocities they suffered because of our never ending greed and lack of human compassion. While this a small segment, I'm sure there are other stories just as bad during this era! I could right more but it makes me feel dirty. Thanks Lori!

Awesome book...this author knows how to lay everything out there as if you are living the tale. It's sad to know that human beings were treated so horrible because of the color of their skin. I highly recommend this book.

Found it difficult to read, simply because you know it is not going to turn out well for some of the characters. Appreciated it as someone who grew up in the North who is now living in the south and trying to digest all that happened and continued to happen in very recent times.

Very fast read. Told in first person, alternating narrative of several characters - easy to keep track with page marking of chapter headings, and individual voice. Spans several years post WWII on a southern cotton farm. Less about farm struggle than the interaction of characters, which I enjoyed. Believable story of racial tension, adultery, PTSD.
The sense of time was difficult to grasp. It was mid to late 40's, early 50's and the period seemed more like 30's to me. Perhaps it's southern thing, but it just felt odd.
Kudos to Algonquin Books for producing a quality paperback. Good quality paper and sturdy cover, beautiful and very readable typeface.

The South, what can I say, great books, famous authors, award-winning movies, and yet ALL so painful. The reputation of Mississippi is such that I would never want to visit. In fear it would be interpreted to support any of the slave culture.
The horror is overwhelming.

Beautifully written, pulls the reader straight into the story without a lot of exposition. Our book group appreciated the different voices in which the story was told. It definitely inspired a lively discussion with the race issues seen from a post-WWII perspective. Yes, it was a bit predictable, but this was intentional and contributed to the mounting dread of what was to come. I highly recommend it.

Very powerful story of love and hate based in WWII and post WWII South. The depiction of racism is both in your face and subtle, disturbing nonetheless. Great storytelling, very powerful. The women both black and white are strong, fierce mothers and lovers. As I read it I felt I was there, in the moment, experiencing all the challenges, pain and tragic beauty of the rural South.

The author used quite a poetic writing style but the story still had pace and held me captivated. Some of the events were hideous and hard to read yet it was one of the best books I’ve read in a while.

Well written. This is a beautiful & sorrowful fleshed out story with characters so real you can reach your hand out and touch them. The unfolding story, told within the backdrop of WW11 & its aftermath and the segregated American south brings to life what the world was like and what our country and particularly a rural southern community was like through the eyes and extraordinary experiences of these wonderfully created characters. No heavy handed preaching , although there are lessons here. Mainly, it's a well told story of humanity at its worst and its best.

Mudbound is a solid literary accomplishment with an engaging storyline. I found the setting and characters quite wonderfully drawn, with the one exception being Henry, who remains a bit of an untapped mystery. Readers will enjoy a different take on the life and times of our country's deep south past, as the personal relationships and practical cooperation between owners, tenants and sharecroppers was well drawn, quite informative and thrilling. I look for more great work from this author.

Interesting use of first person storytelling, showing point of view from each of the major characters. I was drawn into the story immediately and felt the authenticity of the description of the post war era in the Louisiana Delta.