What a wonderful book! Comprised of seven short stories regarding Mississippi families in different time periods, going from contemporary (written in the 50's) back to 1787, Foote weaves his fluid writing with the history of Mississippi. To call Foote's writing wonderful is an understatement. His prose is such that you can imagine him reading it to you, with the syrupy drawl of the Mississippi combining aristocratic manner with the sharp prickly nature of the country boy. His stories aren't always the happiest, but reflect a certain realness of character. These are people he knows, he understands, and takes you into their world and you're more than happy to go on the journey. Thank goodness Foote was so eager to write about the war itself, because his style of writing and brazen realism is what brought me to the field of history in the first place. Jordan County is a wonderful novel, you'd get a lot out of reading it.

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