Reviews
"A supremely readable debut novel . . . Mudbound is packed with drama. Pick it up, then pass it on." -- People "A compelling family tragedy, a confluence of romantic attraction and racial hatred that eventually falls like an avalanche . . . An engaging story." -- The Washington Post "The forces of change and resistance collide with terrible consequences." -- The New York Times "Stunning. . . . You are truly taken there by Jordan''s powerful, evocative writing and complex characters." -- The Boston Globe "By the end of the very short first chapter, I was completely hooked . . . This inside understanding of conflicting emotions and motivations leads to a complicated stew in which the distinction between good and evil isn''t always clear. This is a book in which love and rage cohabit. This is a book that made me cry." -- Minneapolis Star-Tribune " Mudbound dramatizes the human cost of unthinking hatred . . . That Hillary Jordan makes a hopeful ending seem possible, after the violence and injustice that precedes it, is a tribute to the novel''s voices and the contribution each makes to the story . . . [They] live in the novel as individuals, black and white, which gives Mudbound its impact." -- Atlanta Journal Constitution " Mudbound is as much a tale of racism as it is the transcending powers of love and friendship." -- Austin American Statesman "An absorbing debut novel . . . Is it too early to say, after just one book, that here''s a voice that will echo for years to come?" -- San Antonio Express News " Mudbound argues for humanity and equality, while highlighting the effects of war. For a historical novel, it has a most contemporary theme . . . [The] mixture of the predictable and the unpredictable will keep readers turning the pages. . . . It feels like a classic tragedy, whirling toward a climax . . . [An] ambitious first novel." -- Dallas Morning News " Mudbound , which is the 2006 winner of Barbara Kingsolver''s Bellwether Award, founded to recognize literature of social responsibility, does an excellent job of capturing the impacts of racism both casual and deliberate." -- Denver Post "A superbly rendered depiction of the fury and terror wrought by racism." -- Publishers Weekly "[A] sophisticated, complex first novel." -- Booklist , starred review "[A] poignant and moving debut novel. . . . Jordan faultlessly portrays the values of the 1940s as she builds to a stunning conclusion. Highly recommended." -- Library Journal , starred review "A confidently executed novel." -- Kirkus "This is storytelling at the height of its powers: the ache of wrongs not yet made right, the fierce attendance of history made as real as rain, as true as this minute. Hillary Jordan writes with the force of a Delta storm. Her characters walked straight out of 1940''s Mississippi and into the part of my brain where sympathy and anger and love reside, leaving my heart racing. They are with me still." -- Barbara Kingsolver "A real page turner--a tangle of history, tragedy and romance powered by guilt, moral indignation and a near chorus of unstoppable voices. Any reader will appreciate the overlap of forbidden loves and deadly secrets." -- Stewart O''Nan, "A supremely readable debut novel . . . Mudbound is packed with drama. Pick it up, then pass it on." -- People "A compelling family tragedy, a confluence of romantic attraction and racial hatred that eventually falls like an avalanche . . . An engaging story." -- The Washington Post "The forces of change and resistance collide with terrible consequences." -- The New York Times "Stunning. . . . You are truly taken there by Jordan's powerful, evocative writing and complex characters." -- The Boston Globe "By the end of the very short first chapter, I was completely hooked . . . This inside understanding of conflicting emotions and motivations leads to a complicated stew in which the distinction between good and evil isn't always clear. This is a book in which love and rage cohabit. This is a book that made me cry." -- Minneapolis Star-Tribune " Mudbound dramatizes the human cost of unthinking hatred . . . That Hillary Jordan makes a hopeful ending seem possible, after the violence and injustice that precedes it, is a tribute to the novel's voices and the contribution each makes to the story . . . [They] live in the novel as individuals, black and white, which gives Mudbound its impact." -- Atlanta Journal Constitution " Mudbound is as much a tale of racism as it is the transcending powers of love and friendship." -- Austin American Statesman "An absorbing debut novel . . . Is it too early to say, after just one book, that here's a voice that will echo for years to come?" -- San Antonio Express News " Mudbound argues for humanity and equality, while highlighting the effects of war. For a historical novel, it has a most contemporary theme . . . [The] mixture of the predictable and the unpredictable will keep readers turning the pages. . . . It feels like a classic tragedy, whirling toward a climax . . . [An] ambitious first novel." -- Dallas Morning News " Mudbound , which is the 2006 winner of Barbara Kingsolver's Bellwether Award, founded to recognize literature of social responsibility, does an excellent job of capturing the impacts of racism both casual and deliberate." -- Denver Post "A superbly rendered depiction of the fury and terror wrought by racism." -- Publishers Weekly "[A] sophisticated, complex first novel." -- Booklist , starred review "[A] poignant and moving debut novel. . . . Jordan faultlessly portrays the values of the 1940s as she builds to a stunning conclusion. Highly recommended." -- Library Journal , starred review "A confidently executed novel." -- Kirkus "This is storytelling at the height of its powers: the ache of wrongs not yet made right, the fierce attendance of history made as real as rain, as true as this minute. Hillary Jordan writes with the force of a Delta storm. Her characters walked straight out of 1940's Mississippi and into the part of my brain where sympathy and anger and love reside, leaving my heart racing. They are with me still." -- Barbara Kingsolver "A real page turner--a tangle of history, tragedy and romance powered by guilt, moral indignation and a near chorus of unstoppable voices. Any reader will appreciate the overlap of forbidden loves and deadly secrets." -- Stewart O'Nan
