Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

Henry wanted to call his new Mississippi farm "Fair Fields," but his wife said "Mudbound is more like it." Their three young daughters made sure it was the "Mudbound" name that stuck. This is the story of how a respectable 30-ish young woman married an engineer with a secret yearning to farm and wound up living in primitive conditions as a farmwife. Because it takes place in the 1940's in the South, there is much reference to the bias against Negroes. In fact, the struggle of the blacks moves into the forefront and the author vividly paints the social attitudes and situations that make life difficult for them. This novel is a real page turner and I loved reading it.