Mudbound- Hilary Jordan

I just finished reading the book a couple of minutes ago and am thinking if I need some more time to form my thoughts-maybe read what otherpeople are sayingabout this, think about the characters, what I want to write down here for when I want to remember this book...
First - I should keep a lookout for other books by Hilary Jordan- for her first novel, she has done an excellent job. Using different characters to tell the story works really well with the plot- though I must admit I am a little partial to this story telling method.
Second - the characters are really memorable. The main narrators are Laura- the city girl who marries at an older age to a guy she likes but still learning to love. She is forced to move with him to a farm which she nicknames as 'Mudbound' in the  Mississippi delta. Henry- is her husband the strong, good man who is following his passion of the land. One who is always striving to do what he thinks is right. Jamie- Henry's laughing- aviator-scared-boyish-dealing with war experiences- younger child craving for father's approval-brother. Ronsel- the one I liked the best- black- ex soldier who fought for his country and has just found out he cant take being treated like a 'negro' almost slave. Florence- his mother and probably one of the strongest characters in the book. and Hap- her husband, a preacher. I am probably not doing justice to Hap but hey- this is my review.
The story is set a couple of years after the end of WWII and starts off with the death of Pappy - Henry and Jamie's father and an annoying man. It moves back from there and then works its way to the funeral. One thing I liked about the book was that it was not just about the civil rights or treatment of blacks in the south, but balances out with the troubles of Laura a 'city girl' adjusting to the farm and Henry and his love of farming etc. A nice rounded human interest story. It also does not have any 'hero' figures that somehow makes it more believable. Even the decent folks - like Henry and Jamie- are still racist but you can somehow understand them and look past that. Ofcourse what I liked the best was that the ending is nicely satisfactory- that somehow all - well almost all- find their footing and everything is tidied up.
Which is what I need more time to think over- is this what stops it from being a great book? There is no longing, no craving to meet up with the characters again, no turmoil, and no great heartbreak- just a slight wistfulness and a satisfactory acceptance.

The Lost Symbol

Having spent an entirely enjoyable weekend reading Dan Brown's Lost Symbol, I am now ready to tear it to pieces. All my positive comments first though- it is a typical Dan Brown book with all the right ingredients- you learn a great deal of Etymology, Issac Newton's cryptic doings, buildings with more skeletons than a serial killer, ancient works of art and literature which would have saved a whole lot of lab space if only they were clearer, and codes which have more layers than Matryoshka dolls. All in all a nice page turner.

Now if only there were about 100 pages less to turn, it would have been all the more enjoyable. If you fall asleep towards the end don't worry, nothing happens in the last 20 pages except a whole lot of pontificating and lecturing - YAWN! Which is probably what the editor was doing when proof reading the book, there are so many parts that could have been edited out that I wonder if DB is some kind of a diva or the editor is totally spineless. Our much tattooed villain is almost comic book - if his evil plot included stealing all books or something it would have been a whole lot more frightening than his lame ass scheme. Although I must say I like the idea of a completely tattooed villain- now I want one too- a tattoo, not a villain. I am thinking of the snake eating its own tail (and in true DB fashion it can be a a tribute to my fav cell phone game).

Another thing I didn't get, other than the evil plot, was why there was not a single character who was relate-able. While I was left feeling dizzy just with Robert Landon seeing everything with dazzling clarity at every 15th page and being confused 5 pages after - all the senior citizens in the book where annoyingly chirpy after being mutilated, praying all night, running around and tackling professional security men. Sigh! No wonder I have never been a heroine in a book. Final say? DB is way more cool bashing the church than eulogising Freemasons; As thrillers go, it is perfectly enjoyable; I am already tired of all people going on about Noetic Sciences, and Freemasons; This book would make a better TV series than a movie (every other episode can end with Landon having an epiphany); Whatever DB says, the Washington Monument still looks like a red eyed devil to me!