Mudbound

By: Hillary Jordan

Narrated by: Ezra Knight, Kate Forbes, Joseph Collins, Tom Stechschulte, Peter Jay Fernandez, Brenda Pressley

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Hillary Jordan's mesmerizing debut novel won the Bellwether Prize for fiction. A powerful piece of Southern literature, Mudbound takes on prejudice in its myriad forms on a Mississippi Delta farm in 1946. City girl Laura McAllen attempts to raise her family despite questionable decisions made by her husband. Tensions continue to rise when her brother-in-law and the son of a family of sharecroppers both return from WWII as changed men bearing the scars of combat.

©2008 Hillary Jordan (P)2008 Recorded Books

Perfect from start to finish...

I enjoyed this book almost as much as I enjoyed, The Help. I say almost just because it wasn't as long. Like The Help, the different narrators in Mudbound added a level of enjoyment to the story that I would never have experienced had I read the book on my own. Once the story began, I did not stop listening nor did I need to 'rewind'. The story flows from the first sentence to the last, a 'down to earth (or mud)' kind of story that tugs at my heart long after I've finished.

Loved it

What made the experience of listening to Mudbound the most enjoyable?

I liked heraing about the deep south. They live totally different lives then I know.

Which scene was your favorite?

I did not like the scene in the barn.

Any additional comments?

Good book the coming of age of young people in the deep south blacks, whites, women, and the old order of things.

A whole new view!

When my book club chose this book, I thought "Oh no, another "issues" book. It was, but not in the way I expected. It brought a whole new understanding for me and I will remember the story for a long time. I recommended it to my husband. There were issues but told through the eyes of WW2 veterans, farm wives who are trapped in toil and the cruelty to a race that lasted well into the 20th century. All a different take on the stories we like to glorify about the rural south. My only complaint is with the recording which on multiple occasions repeated itself for a few lines.

Breathless

There were points I was left breathless and heartbroken. Oh how happy I am to not have grown up in Mississippi during those years.

Great but unfortunately

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I loved the story and all but one of the narrators (Jamie's character). Unfortunately the audiobook did not download properly and skipped a bunch of chapters. By then, I was so in to the story, I bought it on Kindle and started when the audio left off. Hope it doesn't happen to you, but be warned.

Very Moving Book

This is a very thought-provoking book about what prejudice and hate can do to people, but it is also a book about love and courage. It is not a book to be forgotten soon.

Felt like the writer was trying too hard

While this book is very atmospheric and the voices are well done, I didn't care much for the essence of the story. It sounded like the writer was trying to write like Welty and Faulkner and so many other writers. The ending was ho-hum.

Good entry into fiction

I hope this is well reviewed in the literary magazines. Race is complicated in this country, and the more we are able to interrogate it the better. An historical view is perhaps the easiest. Well written, thoughtful and true.

Been a Long Time

It's been a very long time - maybe since I read (listened to) The Help - that a book has moved me in so many ways. Having said that, yes the book is based on the era and many of the atrocities as in The Help but in my opinion that's the only correlation (other than they're both fantastic books!)

This book made me cringe, made me hold my breath, made me smile, made me cry, made me physically sick to my stomach - yes, literally. It brought up the hurt and shame I feel towards the white (or any other race) men/women of this mindset - not just back then but in my day and time as well. I'm a middle aged white woman in the South and I will admit that even to this day I run into people that think nothing of using the "N" word to refer to a black person?? I can not comprehend it and I do not condone it for one second.

I highly recommend this book to one and all - but be prepared for the ugly truth of the matter; no it's not graphic at all - it's just the ugly truth of our not so distance past.....

Easy to listen to...perfectly cast narration.

Would you consider the audio edition of Mudbound to be better than the print version?

The audio version uses perfectly cast readers so it is easy to keep track of who's point of view you are listening to.

What other book might you compare Mudbound to and why?

The female lead character had a resolve and self awareness which remind's me of Winter's Bone.

Which scene was your favorite?

The opening scene stayed in my mind throughout the story. The author did a great job using it as an anchor to unfold her story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I'm glad I took a break in listening because I needed to absorb the subtleties.

Any additional comments?

The director and narration enhanced the quality of this audiobook. None of the voices or pace was distracting from the writing.