Laura thought she was destined for spinsterhood until Henry McAllan chose to make her his wife. What she didn’t bargain on was his desire to own land, and their move to a cotton farm a few years later with two small girls. Laura hates the farm, which she and her daughters christen Mudbound, and hates her father-in-law, who has no place to live but with them. When World War II ends, Henry’s brother Jamie comes to stay with the family, and so does Ronsel Jackson, the son of the sharecroppers nearby. Sharing the common bond of fighting men, Ronsel and Jamie become friends of a sort, in a way that no one in the South will tolerate for very long.
It’s hard to say I liked this book, but it was compelling and completely horrifying in parts. This is particularly so because most of the characters in the book are very racist. I know people genuinely thought like this when and where this book is set, but it bothers me and I can’t understand it (which, I suppose, is a good thing). I wanted all the characters to stop being close-minded, to think more like Jamie, who sees Ronsel as a person despite the color of his skin and respects the military achievements that he made.
The book rotates between viewpoints, giving us insight into all of the characters’ heads. We can witness Laura’s unhappiness, Henry’s land-lust, Jamie’s jitters and bad memories. Ronsel’s memories of war in Europe were for me the most affecting. He describes the difference it made in Europe when he was defined as a man, not as a black man; the wonder of having a white woman fall in love with him and everyone make him feel like he was valued. He had to be my favorite character and my heart broke for him over and over again, stuck in a racist town working on a farm where he’d never be appreciated the way he should have been.
Mudbound is a powerful and affecting book, but it won’t leave you happy. It will leave you unsettled and anxious to change the world, correct anyone who might still feel this way. It’s an evocative and moving picture of the American South, but I hope it has changed very much.
I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased this book.
Powerful review. I’ve heard so much about this book, I guess I’d better add it to my wish list. I think I’ve shied away because I knew it was going to be a bit disturbing to read.
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Spotlight On . . . Judith Moffett =-.
I just read this myself and your review says it all. I might just point everyone here because I can’t say it any better. I was just plain angry most of the time and I disliked Henry the most. Great review, Meghan!
.-= Literate Housewife´s last blog ..An Afternoon with Kathleen Grissom =-.
Wow! Great review. I have this one on my pile, but I haven’t picked it up yet. I was actually considering picking it for a discussion book for my book club.
.-= Julie P.´s last blog ..Guest Review: Water =-.
I just checked this book out from the library. It sounds very powerful.
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Book Review: Eating the Dinosaur =-.
This sounds really pretty thought-provoking. I’m adding this to my TBR pile! Thanks for the review. You always read and review such great books.
.-= Becky at “One Literature Nut”´s last blog ..Review: Truly, Madly by Heather Webber =-.
I’ve been wanting to read this one for awhile, but it sounds like I’ll have to be in just the right mood. Some books like this are important but not pleasurable.
.-= Amy @ My Friend Amy´s last blog ..Review: Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner =-.
I read this book a year or so ago, and I’m right there with you on the “it was excellent but I can’t say that I actually liked it” front. I remember it made me wish I had a book club so that I could have a bunch of people to share immediate reactions with.
.-= Fyrefly´s last blog ..Holly Black – Ironside =-.
Excellent review. You did a great job of explaining how a book that is very good is not necessarily a likeable book. I found this to be a powerful book with characters I loved and more that I despised. I felt that the multiple viewpoints approach was extremely well done in this one and helped to tell the story.
.-= SuziQoregon´s last blog ..East of Eden by John Steinbeck =-.
I’ve heard so much about this book. I like your statement “Mudbound is a powerful and affecting book, but it won’t leave you happy.” That’s a perfect way to describe an important and good book on an unpleasant subject!
.-= rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Black History Month: February 14, 1818 – Birthday of Frederick Douglass =-.
I really want to read this book As a Southerner, I think (and pray) that attitudes have changed a lot.
I loved this book! It has been a long time since I read it, but the emotions have stayed with me. It is good to see that you were as affected by it as I was.
.-= Jackie (Farm Lane Books)´s last blog ..The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger =-.
I rember being gripped by this, but most of all it was thr horrific parts that stayed with me. And I hated the father most.
.-= Jo´s last blog ..Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire =-.
My cousin went to grad school in Louisiana. According to her, people are still just as racist as they’ve ever been down there. =/
.-= heidenkind´s last blog ..Interview with Chloe Neill + Giveaway =-.
Thank you for your great and insightful review, Meghan. I’ve been wanting to read this book for some time. It sounds quite thought provoking.
.-= Literary Feline´s last blog ..Monday At the Movies: Taking Chance =-.
This was a reflective and emotional book for me. I reviewed this a year or so ago. Thanks for your great review. It reminded me of how this book touched me.
Thanks
.-= Wisteria Leigh´s last blog ..Wondrous Words Wednesday. =-.
For some reason, this book didn’t really appeal to me right off the bat, so I am glad to have read your review. It’s a lot different than I had thought it would be and I am interested in looking closer at it. It sounds like it might be a bit of an uncomfortable read, but one with merit.
.-= zibilee´s last blog ..Keeping the Feast: One Couple’s Story of Love, Food and Healing in Italy by Paula Butturini – 272 pgs =-.
[…] at Medieval Bookworm recently wrote the best review I’ve read of this novel. I agree with everything she says about it and I’m not even […]
[…] Medieval Bookworm […]