Member Reviews

• 

  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 5 stars

  “An exquisite novel of the '40s in the Mississippi delta. Racism abounds, dust and dirt is everywhere in the cotton fields, WWII is waging, adultery, love, friendship, tolerance, grief, motherhood, "southern" women (need I say more), suicide, and a really hateful old man. I absolutely loved it and recommend it highly. Right now it's my favorite read of the year.”

  Tricia wrote this review Monday, May 26 2008. ( reply | permalink )
• 

  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 5 stars

  “I was so surprised by this book. I found it on Amazon and took a chance - a first time author that I knew nothing about. I loved the alternating narrators and each of their stories was very well written and compelling. I could not put this book down. I will recommend this to everyone I know who loves to read.”

  lisat wrote this review Tuesday, May 20 2008. ( reply | permalink )
• 

  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 5 stars

  “Mudbound by Hillary Jordan is without question one of the best books I have read in some time. The story of two families, one white, one black, in the Mississippi Delta immediately after the end of World War 2, tells a story of racism like nothing I have read before. The story is told by various characters in the book giving a clear picture of the time, the people and the unforgiving conditions of farming in the Mississippi Delta. I was raised and have lived most of my life in small towns in the North and have never encountered any of the racism that I know exists, and existed even more prominently during the time covered in this book. It is important, in my opinion, to make this abominable racism public and the author does that, not sugar coating anything in the exchanges between characters. I found myself so engrossed in this book that it was almost like I wasn’t reading, more like watching a play or a movie. The language flowed so beautifully. The characters were true to what they were portrayed as. I look forward to future books from Hillary Jordan. ”

  booklady wrote this review Sunday, March 23 2008. ( reply | permalink )
• 
  • Rated 5 stars

  “I am staring to read the jacket covers before plunging into a book. Ms. Jordan's tale here won her the prestigious Bellwether Prize for Fiction, awarded biennially to a first literary novel that addresses issues of social justice.
  
  Pretty cool!
  
  
  
  
  This is well worth reading.”

  cagrowngirl wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
• 
  • Rated 5 stars

  “This book was a page-turner for me! A first novel by Hillary Jordan. I don't know how she will top this one!”

  julia t wrote this review 11 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
• 
  • Rated 5 stars

  “Totally engrossing, with an interesting cast of characters, well-defined locations, and a satisfying ending. The journey of Mudbound is seen through the eyes of its five main characters, and each voice is spot-on; believable, empathetic and real. I highly recommend this book!”

  Michelle DP wrote this review Thursday, September 4 2008. ( reply | permalink )
• 
  • Rated 5 stars

  “Won the Bellwether Award for a first literary novel that addresses social justice. It is beautifully and powerfully written. The characters speak for themselves from the first
  page. They are in my head as I write.”

  Kathy R wrote this review Wednesday, August 20 2008. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink )
• 
  • Rated 4 stars

  “Mudbound is about old Mississippi where not being “white” meant you had no status. Two friends Jamie McAllan, a white man, and Ronsel Jackson, a black man, both served in the United States military fighting for the same cause and were friends, but, were considered different in Mississippi and expected to stay in their respective places. In one drunken moment Jamie compromises his friend Ronsel’s life and jeopardizes their friendship. We learn what happened to Jamie’s future but we never learn what happened to Ronsel and though I thoroughly enjoyed Mudbound I would have liked to learn about Ronsel’s future because a lot of questions went unanswered. ”

  Vannessagrace wrote this review Tuesday, August 19 2008. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink )
• 
  • Rated 5 stars

  “Beautiful book, haunting story. Loved it!”

  tinmom wrote this review Thursday, August 7 2008. ( reply | permalink )