Book Title: Hang the Moon
Author: Jeannette Walls
Publisher: Scribner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pub Date: March 23, 2022
My Rating; 4 stars
“The Duke hung the moon and scattered the stars!”
This is the story of Sallie Kincaid and the whole Kincaid family which is set in Prohibition, Virginia.
Family is important to Sallie and she is always trying to impress her father “The Duke” who is very much in control of what is going on.
The Duke remarries when Sallie is very young and married a woman named Jane and they have a son Eddie. But Sallie is his little Whippersnapper. When she was eight her dad surprises her with a ‘Defiance Coaster’ a coaster wagon that she just loves and vowels to be ‘the faster girl in the world!”
Sallie is anxious to show little Eddie the wagon and takes him for a ride – he is so excited only there is an accident. Eddie is hurt. Jane believes Sallie is a danger to her son and Sallie is sent away to live with her aunt Faye – her Mother’s sister. She loves Aunt Faye but is anxious to move back home-
which she does but nearly ten years later when she is turning eighteen.

Story is full of family secrets and power struggles which deal with inheritance and class.
There are rural moonshine makers and heavy-handed Prohibitionists and of course, a lot of family drama.

I was in minority in that I really didn’t love her Memoir “The Glass Castle”. It made for a great discussion at my book club but a story I didn’t enjoy. I am also from West Virginia and I thought the story brought out all the negatives things most people believe about all Mountaineers!

This is different than that story and I liked it much better.
Love the cover.

Want to thank NetGalley and Scribner for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 23, 2023

I wish to thank NetGalley and Scribner Publishing Group – Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Where do I begin this is a multi-generational fiction set in Virginia and the hill country of the Appalachian Mountains. It begins with a young girl, Sallie Kincaid, who adores her father. When her mother suddenly dies she is sent to live with an Aunt because the father’s new wife is not someone who wants Sallie around. She grows up constantly trying to please her father who controls the village they live in and wants to be just like him. As the story unfolds the reader is drawn into all the dynamics of small town living at the time of prohibition. Sallie matures into a fearless woman in man’s world and you cheer her on as she bravely drives as a rural rum runner through the mountains with the feds on her trail. I simply loved this book and did not want it to end. What a great storyteller Jeanette Walls is! I have read and loved all of her book and really look forward to whatever journey she takes us on next. I highly recommend this if you like strong women and a great story. This book explores the question, what is family? Is it the one you are born to or the one you put together for yourself?

Jeannette Walls bring us the story of rumrunning Sallie Kinkaid. Full of strong women and plenty of tragedy. At points this book seemed a bit over the top with drama but still an enjoyable read because of the author's talent.

I absolutely loved this book. A beautifully written story with well-developed characters. Jeannette Walls has another hit on her hands! I will highly recommend to one and all. Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.

Sallie Kinkaid lives in the big house in town. Her dad is known as the Duke, and he owns the town's store along with many other properties. When her mother is killed by the Duke in an argument, he is not charged with her death. He soon remarries and has a son, and his new wife does not like Sallie. So she is sent to live with her mom's sister, who scrimps to get by. The Duke says she will soon be home, but 9 years go by before the Duke brings her back. His wife, Jane, has died of cancer and he needs Sallie to look after her half-brother.

Now that Sallie is back in the big house, she starts to learn that things were not always what they seemed to be. Everywhere she turns she finds a new family scandal. She must fight with her older half-sister and aunt to find her place in the family.

Ms. Walls delivers another well-written book that kept me turning the pages. The protagonist is a scrappy, survivor who is shipped off to live with her prostitute aunt after the death of her mother and remarriage of her father. Circumstances change and she is eventually called back home and enters the family business. Set at the turn of the century in the rural mountains when a woman's role is one of second class citizen, Ms. Walls gives us a heroine we can root for.

Description:
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. By the time she is just eight years old, the Duke has remarried and had a son, Eddie. While Sallie is her father’s daughter, sharp-witted and resourceful, Eddie is his mother’s son, timid and cerebral. When Sallie tries to teach young Eddie to be more like their father, her daredevil coaching leads to an accident, and Sallie is cast out.

Nine years later, she returns, determined to reclaim her place in the family. That’s a lot more complicated than Sallie expected, and she enters a world of conflict and lawlessness. Sallie confronts the secrets and scandals that hide in the shadows of the Big House, navigates the factions in the family and town, and finally comes into her own as a bold, sometimes reckless bootlegger.
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Review:
I was a huge fan of The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses so getting my hands on this novel was exciting. Jeannette Walls writes so casually, yet descriptively. (A little too much detail about the roads and the the sky. But I get it: Duke hung the moon.) Sallie comes alive on the pages and I found myself rooting for her even when I wasn’t in agreement with her choices.

Keeping track of all the family ups and downs, indiscretions, and trauma took a lot. At times I had to stop and remember who was what relation and when things happened. But Walls manages to bring it all together in a satisfying way while also making the point that family can be more about the people you choose than anything else.

Sallie is brave, sensible, and fierce. I want to know where she goes next. Walls tied up everything at the end but there could be more. And I would definitely read it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars because it got a little confusing and overly descriptive. But a great read!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an advance ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Jeannette Walls became one of my favorite authors after reading (and loving) The Glass Castle and Half-Broke Horses. The Silver Star was enjoyable, as well. After almost ten years, Walls is back with another phenomenal novel about a strong, resilient young woman coming of age during the tough Prohibition years.. She can weave a tale like no other, due to her talent for bringing a time period to life and for developing characters so well. This book has many characters, but she masterfully makes the reader feel connected to all of them--some good, some bad. The nonstop action and family drama could turn this book into a fantastic movie. Looking forward to the next Jeannette Walls masterpiece! Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC!

Jeannette Walls has done it again!
This is an action packed historical fiction about a young girl coming of age in prohibition times. Her family is very important to her little town and her father 'The Duke' runs the show. This story is full of action, family secrets, power struggles and so much more.

It begins with an accident involving Sallie's brother Eddie. She is sent away to live with her aunt because of the accident, while life goes on in her hometown.

Nine years later, she returns in hopes to reclaim her spot in the family. After some time and more tragedy, she is left to run the county alone. After witnessing the heartache and gender inequality within her family and around town, she has refused to marry. She find her place in the world and the story goes on.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Glass Castle is my favorite book ever so I was highly anticipating this one. I loved Sally and the other strong female characters, but the pacing was off at some points which lost me a bit. Overall enjoyable and Walls will forever be a go-to author for me!

I have read every other book by this author and I especially loved Glass Castle and Half Broken horses. This one was ok, but not my favorite by her. I didn't feel the connection to the characters like I normally do in her books and found most of them to be unlikeable. Lots of characters to keep up with. It didn't pull me in like her other books do. I would still read another book of hers in the future.

One of the most unique books I've read in a long time and was impressed by the historical details. This was fast-paced and keeps the reader intrigued. The characters were amazing, especially the heroine. Thank you Ms. Walls for the ride!

HANG THE MOON is more proof (as if we needed it) that Jeannette Walls is a superb talent. The novel gets off to a strong start and never lets up. The characters are multi-layered and complex, and I especially enjoyed Sallie and Duke.

The plot is quite active; there's a lot going on and at times it can feel like you're trying to keep track of everything. All the marriages and divorces are one example. However, this type of constant action and characters coming in and out of view make for a gripping reading experience. It's hard to put this novel down, which is true for all of Walls' books.

Not surprisingly, the historical details are well-researched and integrated seamlessly into the narrative.

There's an impressive cinematic feel to this story, and a resounding theme of making the best of what life throws at you.

As always, Jeannette Walls writes a beautiful story. Her characters are always unique and inspiring, working hard to better themselves and the world around them. Taking the lemons that life deals you and making lemonade is a constant theme with many of her books. Hang the Moon, breaks your heart at times, but loyalty, hope, and being the best you can while being true to yourself always prevails.

I enjoy Jeannette Walls writing style. Hang the Moon takes you right to the time period and each character has an impact to the story and the reader. You get to know "all" about each character and what impact they have on the story. Lawlessness, bootleggers, infidelity, wealth, dirt poor, black and white, and last but not least survival. I appreciate the opportunity to read an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. I will be purchasing a copy for our shelves when it releases.

I really love this book by one of my favorite authors. Her biographies were very well written and she has done a great job of telling a story in novel form. The characters are interesting whether they are good people or nasty! This book constantly has something happening and it was hard to put down.

Hang the Moon is one of those books you don’t want to finish. I was immediately drawn into the story about the Kincaid family living in the Virginia countryside during prohibition. The family has a long history here and Duke is the head and runs the town of Caywood. There are so many twists, turns and surprises in this family. It’s sure to keep you captivated until the very end.

The Glass Castle written by Jeannette Walls was one of the most memorable books I have ever read. The characters and storyline just grab you and stick with you - for a very long time. When I saw that Walls had a new book out, Hang the Moon, I was beyond excited. Hang the Moon, does grab you at the beginning with a nice strong opening; however, for me, it went downhill after this point. The characters are not very well defined except for maybe Sallie and Duke (two of the main ones). There are a lot of different characters that come in and out of the story and at times, difficult to keep up with the flings, divorces, illegitimate children, siblings, etc. With that being said, despite the confustion, I liked the book. I liked it, not loved it. In my opinion if it were slowed down and just a bit more strategy and organization placed on the plot and characters, it would have been very good. I'll keep Glass Castle as my favorite.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC. Jeannette Walls has wrote another great book- the new of my favorites from this year!!! The story of Sallie Kincaid during prohibition, from the time that Sallie was a child alternating with her adult life unfolding some twists throughout. While I was reading I felt like I was in the time period! I can see this becoming a movie. Highly recommend!!

This is a story about a woman making her own way in a man’s world in 1920’s Virginia during prohibition.

This book just didn’t work for me. I found the pacing too slow and there was just so much drama.

I found Sallie to be an interesting character and I was invested in what was going on in her life. This book definitely has some strong female characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.