I'm sure there are other prohibition era books out there, but I'm not sure that there are any quite like Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls. Set in the 1920's in east Appalachia Tennessee, Sallie Kincaid, the youngest daughter of "The Duke" ends up as the head of the Kincaid moonshine dynasty. Even though she's a female character taking her place in a male dominated world, I'm not sure that this novel can be characterized as true feminist fiction. Sallie exhibits all the characteristics that you expect to find in a strong southern woman lead character. She's bold, she's strong, she's capable, and she demands respect. That's a lot to ask of a woman of the early 1920's, but this was a pivotal time for women historically, and Walls has created a character that helps us understand how these women were able to change history.

I felt that the historical research was accurate, and the setting was beautifully drawn in a very atmospheric way.
The characters, however, were the stars of this novel. They are simply captivating. My family heritage - my great grandparents - came from Kentucky's east Appalachia area, my great uncles were actual rumrunners during prohibition, so the characters in Walls' book could have been my family. I know they FELT felt like my family. In fact, when I got to the last page of the book, I turned the page, expecting - wanting - the story to continue because I wasn't ready to say good-bye to my relatives again.

I don't five star many books, but this one earns it because even days later, I'm still wondering what Sallie and her family are doing today and I wish I was there to see it.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, and in this case, it was an absolute delight to write one.

I wanted to love this book as I have loved other books by Jeannette Walls. Instead, I simply liked it. Some cutting back in the beginning could have helped to make things flow more and speed it up a bit. Overall, I enjoyed the time I spent reading about Sallie Kincaid and her community.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls. The book takes place mostly during the Prohibition era and follows Sallie Kincaid, exiled daughter of prominent townsman Duke Kincaid, who returns to her small town and eventually takes over her dad's business and respected position in the community. I enjoyed the first half of the book but my interest waned during the second half. There were so many plot twists and bombshells, it no longer seem believable. I liked Sallie as a character but overall this one was just so-so for me.

4 1/2 stars

A southern woman striving for independence and the ability to lead, to have the freedom to do what she wants, what she’s good at, stopped at every turn until the deaths of those blocking her die. This is a book that show how determined you need to be to come to terms with what life and family hand you.

Sallie Kincaid has a mostly happy childhood, until an accident happens and her step-mother insists that she be sent to live with her aunt. It’s a big change for Sallie, leaving the big estate her successful father, a big county boss, owns to live in the mountains with her aunt, her late mother’s sister. It’s not an easy life. She feels as if her father has forgotten about her. But when her step-mother dies suddenly, and she’s called back home, life bring lots of changes her way.

This book was interesting, a look into small town politics in the 1920s, during Prohibition. It’s about “rum running”/bootlegging/blockade running, class differences, racial inequality, gender inequality, death, parental loss/abandonment, gang wars, revenge, suicide, Prohibition, and so much more. Hang the Moon is a page turner, something is always happening between the pages. It grabs you, and you won’t be able to put it down until you reach the end.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true hand honest reactions to reading this book.

Sallie Kincaid is the daughter of the biggest man in a small town, the charismatic Duke Kincaid. Sallie was born at the turn of the twentieth century into a life of comfort and privilege, but she remembers little about her mother who died in a violent argument with the Duke. By the time Sallie is eight, the Duke has remarried and had a son, Eddie. While Sallie is like the Duke, sharp witted and resourceful, Eddie is like his mother, timid and cerebral. When Sallie tries to teach Eddie how to drive a box car, Eddie has an accident and Sallie is cast out. Nine years later, Sallie returns determined to reclaim her place in the family. Sallie’s return is a lot more complicated than she expects and she enters a world of conflict and lawlessness.

I loved Jeanette Walls’ memoir The Glass Castle, so I jumped at the chance to read another of her books. Hang the Moon was based on several true events during the 1920’s prohibition in Virginia. I loved Sallie Kincaid’s spunk and feistiness. She faces a lot of tough situations and tragedies, yet she forges her own moral path.

Thank you Scribner and Netgalley for an ARC of Hang the Moon by Jeanette Walls in exchange of my honest review.

I have read The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls and found them to be quite the page turner. I was very interested to see if a novel with her would hold my interest the same way. Finishing the book in 2 days is proof that it did. I could not put it down.

Sallie’s life was full of tragedies from the time she was a young girl. Starting with the death of her mother at the hands of her father, The Duke. The Duke soon remarries and has a son with his new wife. When the boy was 3 years old, there’s an accident and Sallie gets sent to live with her aunt while her stepmother cools down. 8 years later she is sent for, to come back home and care for her brother.

Great story in a time of prohibition and the illegal moonshine business. Hierarchy. Greed.

I was super excited to read this book because I love Jeannette Walls. It wasn't my favorite compared to some of her other titles. I would be more likely to recommend one of her other books to friends.

Sally hasn't always felt loved by her blended family, but after an unexpected death, she has to swoop in and save the family business, as corrupt as it may have been. There are family secrets, a lot of booze to move around, and a fair amount of fast driving. Definitely enjoyable, and for my high school students, a good glimpse at Prohibition and what it controlled.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Scribner for an advanced copy of this novel about growing up in Appalachia with a strong father, but an even stronger sense of self.

Most children think their parents are not only the best, but the strongest, the smartest, bravest, and even moral people in the world. Not until kids get older, see the world and can look back at certain things, that they can see these icons were really only human. Or not very good humans. What seems like tough love might be resentment, what seems like a taciturn nature, might be resentment and or quilt. Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls is a novel about daughters, fathers, living up to legacies, and tearing those legacies down.

Sallie Kincaid is the daughter of Duke Kincaid, a man who runs the Virginia town they live in by bullying, buying or occasionally beating people to get his way, or outright crushing those who still stand up to him. Sallie's mother has passed away during an argument with Duke, and when Sallie turns eight, marries again, and finally gets the son that he has always wanted. Sallie dotes on her new brother until one day an accident happens, and Sallie is sent away to live with her Aunt in a different town. Almost ten years pass, Sallie returns to find much has changed in her small town as has many attitudes,especially those involving Sallie. However Sallie has inner strength and nothing will stop her from finding out what the truth is, no matter what it costs her.

Another story of family, the south the Depression and strong female characters from Jennette Walls. The plot might seem familiar in a few ways, but the writing is very good, with a strong sense of place, and time, and with a style that really brings the reader in. There are a lot of coincidences that move the plot along, and a few might make readers go, hmm, but that is a minor quibble. Sallie is a very strong character, with a lot of good traits that grow stronger as the story progresses. Sallie is extremely likable and readers will easily get behind her, and want to know how story progresses. Duke is bombastic dictator like character, but does not veer into cartooney or become over played. Sort of like that guy at the city planning meeting who knows everything, but is wrong 99% of the time. The rest of the characters support the story well, and Walls uses them well, and again make readers care.

Recommended for fans of The Glass Castle. Readers who enjoyed that will not bes disappointed. Also for fans of stories set during the Depression era, or in the South. Sure to be another best seller for Walls.

This is actually the first book I've read by Jeannette Walls, I know, I know!

Sallie Kincaid is the young daughter of Duke Kincaid, a big fish in a little pond in rural Virginia post WWI and leading into the Prohibition Era and Great Depression. Due to a tragic accident when she is very young, Sallie is sent to live with her maternal aunt until the death of her stepmother 10 years later. This is where the main plot of the book picks up, as Sallie struggles to find her place in her family and in her town, as a young woman with non-traditional aspirations.

The book leads us on a merry plot, with a lot of coincidences and characters throughout, to the point that it becomes borderline absurd. However, as a whole, I enjoy Sallie as a protagonist, and I enjoyed her coming of age and development into a young woman who is strong, and independent and finding her way with her non-traditional family situation.

Overall, I was able to overlook the coincidences and convoluted plot because I enjoyed the writing, and the characters so much.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

In 1920’s rural Claiborne County, Virginia, Duke Kincaid is the wealthiest man around. He owns the town and the land that his tenants farm. Prohibition is in effect but that doesn’t stop the locals from making their own whiskey and selling it to make some money. and Duke closes his eyes to this illegal activity and sells it in the general store that he owns. The people in the town respect Duke because he is tough but fair with them but no one dares to cross him.

Eight year old Sallie Kincaid is smart, fearless and a chip off the block of her father. Duke is a big man in rural Claiborne County and Sallie thinks her father ‘hung the moon”. Duke adores Sallie too but he needs a son to carry-on the Kincaid business and name. Sallie doesn’t remember much about her mother who died after a violent argument with her father and when she is eight, Duke marries Jane and he finally gets the son that he wants. However, Eddie is a small ,frail, musically inclined child who is nothing like his father. Sallie is a wild, daredevil and not at all “proper” as Jane repeatedly points out. Sallie loves her brother and decides to help Eddie become more like a Kincaid. When an accident occurs when Sallie is with Eddie, she is sent away from her privileged life to stay with her Aunt Faye in another town.

Nine years later, Sallie is summoned home and she is determined to reclaim her former life and position in the family. But things have changed since Sallie was exiled and it won’t be easy for her but she is a Kincaid so nothing will stand in her way.

I loved Hang the Moon and couldn’t put it down. It has a great 1920’s setting in rural Virginia, bootleggers, family secrets and a damaged but feisty, determined heroine that readers will love. Don’t miss this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. Hang the Moon will be published on March 28, 2023.

I absolutely loved The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls when I read it back in 2019! In fact that was my first book I read in 2019 so it’s only fitting this is my very first book of 2023, 4 years later!!!! This book was about prohibition in the 1920’s in Virginia and although I loved Sallie as a character, the rest of the bootlegging going on didn’t interest me. Lots of secrets, lies, feuding … this one was good, not great. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published March 2023. I look forward to this author’s next book.

A sometimes sad and frustrating story of how a father treats his daughter and regardless the daughter still became a fearless, strong young woman who wouldn’t be kept down.

Jeannette Walls is one of my favourite writers and Hang the Moon did not disappoint. Her writing pulls you in right away and the characters are all brought to life in all their flawed, honest and heartfelt ways.
Sallie Kincaid takes us on her journey with all of its bumps and wrong turns and the story is satisfying and a very enjoyable read.

Sallie Kincaid is the daughter of the biggest man in a small town, the charismatic Duke Kincaid. Born at the turn of the 20th century into a life of comfort and privilege, Sallie remembers little about her mother who died in a violent argument with the Duke. When she is just eight years old, Sallie is involved in an accident that harms her half brother and she is sent away. Nine years later, she returns, determined to reclaim her place in the family. That’s a lot more complicated than Sallie expected.

I couldn’t help but love and feel sorry for young Sallie right from the start, but after she returned to the Big House, she quickly earned my respect as a smart, resourceful young woman. Born in a time when women had few rights, to a man who used and discarded women - and daughters - like used clothes. The historical piece was fascinating - life in Virginia during Prohibition, but the family trauma and fight for women’s rights was what I loved best about this book. Sallie adored the Duke, even after being sent away, but there were some truly devastating moments that slowly led to Sallie’s realization of her father’s true character.

I love her strength and resilience, but I really loved how she embraced her found family - the women and children used and abandoned by the men in their lives.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this eGalley.

I have enjoyed Jeannette Walls' work to this point and loved her memoir so much I still teach it in my creative nonfiction classes.

HANG THE MOON does not live up to Walls' previous work. The prologue felt like it was written by someone trying memoir for the first time; the whole section felt overly written and far too childlike. The timeline and change was also confusing.

The premise of HANG THE MOON is excellent; I was very excited to read it. The writing didn't do it for me.

“Hang the Moon” by Jeanette Walls is wonderfully readable. There are enough twists and turns to keep the story interesting. The romance fan could be bored as the main character, Sallie Kincaid, is not herself looking for love and romance. She’s a business gal, and very good at it in an era when women had to claw their way into the right to own a business. The business is moonshine in an Appalachian community, a very surprising career for women; but only adds to the intrigue of the story. I enjoyed this newest Jeanette Walls novel.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the DRC of #HangTheMoon

This is a big story filled with so much family drama and intrigue….I liked the first half and loved the second half. I think it will seem too drawn out to be a huge “hit” once it is published - we shall see. It was an interesting part of history and I loved the small town drama!

Hang the Moon blends true events in American history with the Tudor dynasty with King Henry VIII and his multiple wives and his daughter who becomes Queen Elizabeth I. The names of the characters reflect this background: Seymour, Jane, Tom, Eddie, etc. “Duke” Kincaid runs a hillbilly Virginia town during the time of the American Prohibition. He’s already on wife #3 when his daughter Sallie causes an accident that imperils his sole male heir. As punishment, she is packed off to live in poverty with an old maid aunt. Nine years later, Duke sends for Sallie, and she must learn her new place in her old world.

Though a woman, she wants a life of independence. Having seen the wanton emotional destruction caused by Duke’s multiple wives and multiple men, including the one man she nearly marries, who can’t keep their pants on and who plow through women with a sense of droit de seigneur, Sallie refuses to marry. She’s resilient, mouthy, and tough, with a strong back bone and a moral compass that defines her interactions with early 20th century American people and beliefs. As she grows into her new role as the Duke’s sole heir, she faces misogyny, patriarchal beliefs, class divisions, racial segregation, religious persecution, and a feud between the Kincaids and the Bonds (the War of the Roses).

Author Walls wrote The Glass Castle which remains a New York Times bestseller and Hang the Moon shows some of the same characteristics: a dysfunctional family with a weak wife and son, a dominating father who is adored by his daughter and whom he treats poorly. The prose here is surprisingly taut, and the characters ring true. I enjoyed reading this and pulling the strands of the Tudor era into the 20th century.

Duke Kincaid was someone you didn't want to cross. He always had to have his way.

Well...his second wife had him not getting his way and having him send away his daughter, Sallie, because his wife said she caused her son to have a terrible accident.

Sallie went to live with her Aunt for nine years…yes, nine years...he never allowed her to come back until his wife died because he needed her to take care of the child who had no mother.

It was an ok return, but not until Sallie asked to be part of the business did her father think she was good for something other than being a man's wife.

Then Eddie died, and things changed.

HANG THE MOON was well written as all of Ms. Wall’s books are.

You will love Sallie for her strength and how she grew as the story unfolded.

It got a bit slow at times, but the story line still held my interest with all its drama.

This book will be enjoyed by those who like books about prohibition, family, and Ms. Wall’s books. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.