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

Don't pass this up

Great narration and easy to follow plot. This book had surprising ending and with a twist 😳.

Narration was pretty good except

The narration was good except for the voice of Jamie, played by Joseph Collins. It was bland and devoid of emotion. Unfortunately, he’s the first voice we hear. Initially, I thought, “Ugh, is it all going to be boring?” The other characters make up for Jamie.

Great Listen!

This was a great story. It was recommended to me and I'm glad I listened. It was nice to hear the different characters and they sounded like they were from the area which gave me an in depth feeling like I was actually transported to that time and place.

Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry

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Mississippi Race Relations

If you enjoyed "The Help", you will also enjoy this book by Hillary Jordan. It is set in the Mississippi Delta when returning WWII GI's had started to experience changing attitudes in Europe, but unchanged attitudes at home. Related from several perspectives it is a dark but meaningful story.

A REFRESHING FIND IN THE HISTORY OF AUDIOBOOKS!

I'm a prolific Audible.com customer (1,400+ books so far) but I tend to shy away from books about racism in America. But, every now and then, a book comes along which is honest, hard-hitting yet balanced and emotional. This is such a book. The characters, black and white, male and female, young and old, are well-developed and each tells his or own story from their perspective, which is then woven into the rich tapestry that is "Mudbound". Like the best-selling audiobook "The Help", African-American narrators are used here to depict the black characters, giving the overall narration of the book a rich, deep, resonance - like a good gumbo. I cannot stand audio books where white people try to imitate black voices - they always sound like the minstrel stereotypes so evident in modern depictions, saying stuff like "Jive turkey" and "Right on!", something I've never heard a black person say in all of my 62 years! While we as a people have learned to talk "proper", there's not a single actor who can accurately imitate our voices, especially from times where we were forced to keep our eyes averted and respond with a respectful "Yassuh, Massa". This book, which tells a moving story of what it was like living in the deep South after World War II, is only made better by the excellent production. Even when the African-Americans have to "bow down" to the white man with "Yo' is righ", Cap'n", it's done here with self-respect and a self-awareness which lets the listener know that we're just playing the white man's game. Only a black narrator can provide this level of accuracy. I've listened to way too many audiobooks - even classics - which are ruined by the narrator. Mudbound" is really a tale of prejudice and hate and unnecessary cruelty by one race to another. However, if one can get pass the pain felt by blacks and the embarrassment felt by whites of hearing "nigger" over and over and over again, and just listen to the rich depiction of the people, the locations, and the era, you will find a riveting book of human suffering and survival. Here the "good" white people are still honestly racist behind closed doors and the black people will be grinning in the face of white man while planning how to kill him. Nobody is all good or all bad - just like in life. It's rare to find a white author who thoroughly understands how blacks reacted and triumphed over such racist things like a black man risking his life in WWII, only to come home to his parents' sharecropping farm and be treated like an animal. (Somebody told Jordan how we react when talked to like a slave - if you DEMAND a glass of water, we'll get it from the toilet, all icy and cold, for you!) Here we are portrayed as a strong race who learned how to live with overt racism long after we were supposed to have equal rights. After finishing this book - I wanted to read a sequel and a prequel to this book. Or another such literary and audio masterpiece like "The Help" and "Mudbound". More, PLEASE!!!

Really good

I loved it and the different characters really helped me understand. I would recommend this to anyone that loves an easy read.

Excellent

This was a powerful story. Very well written. All the characters were very well developed. If you liked The Help, I think you'll like this book. The story takes place in on a farm in Mississippi in the aftermath of WWII. Race relations, love, fidelity, loyalty, bigotry, prejudice, war, survival, are just some of the themes in the book. It was one of those books I would find opportunities to listen to and got completely involved in. The audio version of the book is very well done with different people narrating each role.

I was riveted....

This book sticks with you for days and days. I just couldn't believe how beautiful,engaging and powerfully crafted the characters are. Author Jordan takes you on a harrowing journey through the post-WWII South. Please download this--you WON'T be sorry!

mesmerizing

Character development fabulous. Narration out of this world

What a great book! Totally enjoyed the narration

I had to read this book because it was selected by my book club, but I really wasn't looking forward to reading another novel about the Deep South and racism. Boy, am I glad I did. This was a gem of a book. Having the voices all read by different narrators was brilliant and I totally enjoyed my listening experience.

Hillary Jordan doesn't waste a word. There are no random personal musings on the color of the sky or whether there's going to be rain - everything that is in here is essential to the story. The characters are enjoyable. And I was totally shocked when I realized who'd "done the deed", but I laughed out loud and did a "pump fist" as I was driving along. Good for him! :-)

You shouldn't be disappointed with this one. It is definitely one of my favorites for the year.