Mudbound | Hillary Jordan | "Violence is part and parcel of country life."

Mudbound | Hillary Jordan | A Must Read!! One of the best books I've read in a very long time!!

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Mudbound

	Mudbound Hillary Jordan Algonquin Books, 2008 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 34 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

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 black sharecroppers who live on the McAllan farm, has come home with the shine of a war hero. But no matter his bravery in defense of his country, he is still considered less than a man in the Jim Crow South. It is the unlikely friendship of these brothers-in-arms that drives this powerful novel to its inexorable conclusion.

The men and women of each family relate their versions of events and we are drawn into their lives as they become players in a tragedy on the grandest scale. As Kingsolver says of Hillary Jordan, "Her characters walked straight out of 1940s Mississippi and into the part of my brain where sympathy and anger and love reside, leaving my heart racing. They are with me still."

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"Violence is part and parcel of country life."

Two world wars, poverty and racism combine to create tragedy in this powerful story of a Mississippi family living on a farm with no electricity and no running water, heavy rains cutting the farm off from civilization until the raging river abates. It is here that Henry McAllan brings his wife, Laura, a former school teacher from Tennessee, their two daughters and his ancient, angry father, a mean-spirited man who looks at the world through hate-filled eyes. Henry has promised Laura a rent house in town when he buys the farm, but fate conspires to defeat that plan and the city-bred woman must make do with her lot in life at "Mudbound": "This was the truth at the core of my existence; this yawning emptiness, scantily clad in rage." Henry is oblivious to his wife's unhappiness. Landsick, all Henry can think about is his farm and what he hopes to accomplish. But then Henry is not an introspective man, leaving his cantankerous father to harass an already overburdened wife.

When Henry's younger brother, a pilot, returns from World War II, Laura's life markedly improves, Jamie filled with a lightness that seems to make this harsh world more bearable. Even Henry is overjoyed, doting on the brother who has always looked up to him. It is 1949 in Mississippi, Jamie not the only returning soldier. Nearby, Hap and Florence, Henry's share tenants, welcome home their oldest son, Ronsel, one of the decorated black troops that served under General Patton. The bright shine in Ronsel's eyes soon dims in the glare of the white man's criticisms. Racial tensions still thrive in the south, Ronsel quickly cataloging the danger if he remains in this place. Whatever he has come to know of the world has no value in this town, where blacks are little more than irritants to the superior whites.

In alternating chapters, Laura, Henry and Jamie speak of their experiences at Mudbound, their personal histories, the shattered hopes and disappointments life has dealt them, the endless battle with the sucking mud that smothers everything and everyone. In other chapters, Florence, Hap and Ronsel tell another story, a loving family who bear their troubles together, a strong black woman who works the fields when her husband is injured, who worries for an older son who has lost his way in the confines of this limited place. Certainly tragedy is not unexpected in this novel, given social conditions and the ready aggression of men outraged that a returning soldier thinks too highly of himself. A dark drama unfolds, one more act of rage and stupidity, fulfilling a destiny begun long ago. Jordan takes hold of this bitter tale and rides it to the end, each of her characters a study in longing, loss and the evasive remnants of hope that hide in the human heart: "When he is best, he is a little worse than a man; and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast." Luan Gaines/ 2008.

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A Must Read!! One of the best books I've read in a very long time!!

This is a debut unlike any that I've come across. It possesses the grace and fluidity, polish and drama that usually come with experience. Hillary Jordan's talent for psychological acuity is remarkable. Jordan is a gifted writer whose ability to speak to the reader with economy is enthralling. It's about life before, during and after WWII, as well as farmlife. This reader felt Laura's bewilderment [annoyance, as well as stoicism] at facing life without the everyday amenities [household running water, etc.]. Mudbound is about the complications of a marriage, [racial] prejudice that this reader has always found disgusting, as well as shameful. I [almost] meshed with Laura from page one. [It was extremely easy to get into and stay with this story.] Her [Laura's & Jordan's] insights were a treat to this reader's eyes, as well as ears. [Marital status bringing a certain "cachet" -- how dated is that -- or is it?] I could hear all of the characters speak [it's that amazing]. Jordan tells each character's story through his/her voice [a la Picoult, etal.]. Mudbound is an astonishing tale of two families. [Laura & Florence are wonderful!!] It's filled with insights, different kinds of love, a character's sensual/sexual awakening, as well as hate [racial prejudice] that is beyond shame. I predict that Mudbound will, someday, be declared a "classic." This reader came to care about each character, as well as his/her fate. At times, this book left me gasping. Fans of Pat Conroy should run out to buy this book!! This is recommended reading without reservation!

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Mudbound is bound for the movies

Mudbound was the best read of the summer. Well written and penetrating. I hit the middle of the book and "bam"! Stayed in my pjs till I finished it. Loved the lay out of the chapters. They were divided into the voices of each character except the grand father. A must read for anyone who loves southern novels.

Language and voices tell the same story

Hillary Jordan brings the story of Mississippi delta bigotry and honor together through the voices of her main characters. She deftly weaves each character's perspective into an intriguing tale of love, commitment, racism, and passion that speaks volumes about what humans can both inflict and endure.

Jordan's skill in capturing the nuances and tones of each character's personality makes this book a very enjoyable read. At times the characters might seem stereotypical and the plot somewhat predictable, but the novel carries the story off very well, and in the end Jordan succeeds admirably, leaving the reader with a tragic yet hopeful conclusion. Such skill requires courage to attempt and much talent to achieve, but Jordan does so brilliantly.

This is great, quick read you won't want to miss.

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Mudbound people and relationships

Hillary Jordan has written a beautiful and challenging novel about the struggle of individuals and a society to break free of their human and cultural limitations. The literary structure of telling the same story from the perspective of the different characters has become popular to the point of stale but was essential to this story. The Jackson and McAllen families have a great deal in common in terms of prejudices, hopes and fears and though there is growing insight, they are not yet able to step outside of their world view. The theme of "who has a voice and who chooses to use it" is well developed and we see clearly the problems that result when people are afraid to enter into conversation about things that matter.The only person who was not allowed to speak was Pappy ~ the man most representative of the established order was marginalized. The behaviors and beliefs of this era were never acceptable, righteous anger suppressed, and for too long people felt that the the land would never produce anything different. The events of this novel seem to have served the same purpose as the plow ~ churning up the hardened ground for the sowing of next year's crop. Though the ending was somewhat predictable and equivocal, it was consistent in its support of the ongoing interplay of circumstance and choice that each of us faces. This is an impressive debut novel that would be an excellent choice for a book club or for a student discussion.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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