Sunday, June 5, 2011

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan


Laura was 30  years old, a teacher, and unmarried....not good according to Mississippi's social crowd.  A woman her age should be married and have children.  She was embarrassed about it, and her mother didn't help with her comments.

One day, though, Henry came to dinner and "saved" Laura from all the embarrassment.  He asked her to marry him.  She willing did and was happy.  The happiness waned when Henry bought a farm to fulfill his lifelong dream of planting cotton along with a farmhouse with no running water, no plumbing, or electricity.  Laura's life had hardships she was not used to, but she endured. 

The book was compelling...the chapters were divided into the description of and the tales of the main characters' lives, past and present.  Mudbound was a portrayal of what life was like in Mississippi in the 1940's during and after WWII...the racial prejudices, the country re-building after the men came back from the war, the social issues, and the everyday life of Southern families, both black and white.  

The author's style is outstanding....you won't want to put the book down.  The plot's tension and ultimate horror along with the characters will keep coming back to you even after you turn the last page.  5/5

8 comments:

  1. Good, but tense. You want to keep reading to find out Laura's fate.

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  2. Thanks for hopping by my blog. :) I'm following you now as well. Loved reading your posts and will be sure to visit often!

    Pixie
    http://the-bookaholic.blogspot.com

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  3. I read this last year. Thanks for the reminder -- I love to be reminded of books that I enjoyed. Here's what I had to say, if you are interested...

    http://annettesbookspot.blogspot.com/2010/06/mudbound.html

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  4. I have had this one sitting on my shelf, not knowing whether to read it or not. I think I definitely will now.

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  5. I have to buy this soon, as one of my online reading groups picked it as next month's read. I'm ashamed (ashamed, I tell you!) that I hadn't even HEARD of it until then :) ... but everyone raves about it ... so ... on the to-buy list it is.

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  6. You will like it....let me know.

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  7. My book club loved this book,which is a good recommendation, because we have HIGHLY ecclectic tastes!

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  8. My book club is reading it this month.

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