Having loved The Glass Castle as well as an amazing interview with Jeannette Walls on CBS Sunday Morning a few years ago, I was excited to read her new fictional book HANG THE MOON. I found I could not turn the pages fast enough starting with the Prologue and the first third of the book. My heart went out to nine-year-old Sallie from the very beginning when she was blamed for an accident involving her younger brother Eddie. Her father takes her to live with her aunt because her step-mother does not want Sallie around. She lives with her aunt for nine years until Eddie’s mom, Jane, passes away. Her father brings her back, puts Sallie in charge of Eddie’s education and remarries. I thought this was going to be a moving fast-paced book, and it was until there is an accident where Sallie’s father died. Here is where I thought the story would show the growth of Sallie; however, I felt like the book became more of a soap opera with lots of characters that were in and out of the story. It was almost like every idea that shows up in a soap opera were part of the story. My thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I was so looking forward to this because The Glass Castle is one of my very favorite books and probably my most recommended book.
Unfortunately this fell flat for me. The plot sounded interesting, but I just couldn't get into it. There was almost too much going on in the plot. I got confused quite a few times. I did like Sallie's character, but didn't find myself caring about any of the others and it was hard for me to keep all the people straight. I look forward to reading more from Jeannette Walls in the future though.
Thank you Netgalley for letting me read early!

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒔- 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝑰 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌, 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑬𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒆, 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒖𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒅, “𝑰’𝒎 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆,” 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒔. 𝑰 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒃 𝒂𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒆𝒍 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑰’𝒎 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆.

Sallie Kincaid once lived in the Big House with her father Duke Kincaid “the Duke”, who is just as imposing and powerful in their small town as their home. She was his ‘little whippersnapper’ then, but the widower remarries a woman named Jane, of ‘good breeding’, not like her mother whose death is suspicious, a beauty she doesn’t much remember. The two have a son named Eddie, and Jane isn’t fond of Sallie, in fact she believes she is a bad influence on her son and is far too rowdy for a young lady. Where Sallie is strong, intelligent, healthy and a little daredevil who loves speeding fast in her wagon, Eddie is often ill, delicate in nature and nearly allergic to being outdoors. Naturally Jane dotes on him, which irritates the Duke. There is an accident, and 8-year-old Sallie is in trouble, it is then her father makes a decision that she must be sent away to her mother’s sister, Aunt Faye in Hatfield, if he is to know peace from Jane. It won’t be long, he assures his whippersnapper, only just until, “this blows over.”

Nine years later her childhood friend Tom Dunbar is tasked with the job of bringing her back home to Caywood. Her father needs her now, to take over care of her brother, the very boy Jane felt she endangered. The long years between she has been living a harder life, helping her aunt make ends meet, despite the help her father provides. Walking back into the house, she feels like a stranger, and the rest of the family isn’t happy to see Sallie either, reminding her not to show any fight or they will say she is just like her mother was. Duke’s focus now is on raising his son to be a future senator, Eddie means everything to him, and Sallie’s role is to ‘toughen him up.’ Eddie, like her, has had a big loss but that doesn’t mean they will bond, that he will obey. Her purpose will be tested by a lot more than a troubled half-brother. Her father also wants her to marry well, but Sallie has always wanted to be more, challenging the freedoms not given to women. He wants grandsons, he wants her to get ahead the only way a woman can… through marriage. She wants none of it. She is also worried about how Aunt Faye will survive now that she won’t be returning to live with her and the Duke’s support will stop. He is unmovable, as stoney as the wall they once built together, more so when the forbidden subject of her mother, which he calls ‘that woman,’ comes up. There were periods when she and her aunt didn’t have enough food, and it’s only a matter of time before Faye is low again, taking on desperate work. It eats away at her mind that she is all alone, in dire straits, unlike their father, she is unquestionably loyal and caring.

It’s a challenge to ‘find the Kincaid’ in Eddie, swallowed in grief over the loss of his mother, who the Duke is trying to erase as he is on the hunt for another wife. Their father isn’t the most sensitive person, it’s his world, and everyone else better just toughen up and fall in line. Kat, the new stepmother, is introduced into the home and as she grows chummy with Eddie, Sallie wonders if her father will no longer have use for her, fearful of being displaced yet again. She refuses to break, talking her dad into a job most men couldn’t handle. She will prove herself or die.

There are more trials headed her way, including the Duke’s eldest child, her sister Mary. Tradition states everything goes to Eddie when the Duke dies, the businesses, the home, and the land but with Eddie being a minor, it becomes a fight. Whether his sister is a better fit doesn’t matter, the male heir takes all. Soon, Sallie’s family is divided again, even Kat is unsure of where she stands. Then there are the local bootleggers, and the messy politics, prohibition laws that stir up nothing but trouble with the locals. Change is on the way, and family loyalty is tested. This novel is full of tragedy, and devastating turns but Sallie is a fiercely strong, independent force of nature. It’s an engaging historical fiction, one that I can see being turned into a movie. There is racism, domestic violence, suicide, marriages, pregnancies, a custody battle and of course passionate love. The family has a whole plot full of skeletons, it would seem, rather than a closet. Sallie will endure betrayal, heartbreak, deception, and violence trying to build a family. Will she ever know peace?

An engaging read, perfect for fans of historical fiction and family drama.

Publication Date: March 28, 2023

Scribner

I have never previously read a Jeannette Walls book, and this one will not be my last. Every family has secrets. Kincaid’s secrets run deep. Sallie just knows that her daddy is one of the most influential people in the valley. He would do anything to keep their town safe, yet when he dies things start to fall apart quickly. Can Sallie figure out how to save her family and her town in a time where the world is against everything they stand for?
This just was a fantastic book. The pace is amazing. I loved all the characters, and story development. I was swept away in all the best ways possible. Every secret and plot twist was played at the perfect time. I cannot recommend this book enough! It was truly a pleasure to read.
Thank you so very much to Scribner and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy.

I’ve been looking forward to reading this and it was worth the wait. There were many topics that appealed to me in the story. Prohibition, 1920’s rural Virginia, family scandals, and a strong female protagonist make up the main part of the story.

Sallie Kincaid was born into a prosperous family in their county in rural Virginia. Her father, Duke, could be described as a big fish in a little pond. He pretty much called the shots in their area. When Duke dies unexpectedly, Sallie ends up with the chance to try and fill his shoes.

As Sallie struggles with her legacy, she comes to realize that maybe she doesn’t want to be like Duke. Sallie learns she needs to make her own way and try to right the wrongs of her family legacy.

I really loved how compassionate Sallie was and how she grew up throughout the story. I highly recommend this to readers who love historical fiction or those who just love a good, heartwarming story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me to read an advance copy. I’m happy to recommend this and offer my honest review.

Bring the tissues for this one. In true Jeannette Walls fashion, you’ll be crying your eyes out in no time with “Hang the Moon.”

Set in the hills of Appalachia, Walls transports us to the early 1900s when women have few rights, men hold the power & Prohibition is at its peak. From crime & lawlessness to birth & death, this novel of historical fiction will leave you reeling with a myriad of emotions. My heart broke in so many places reading about the trials & tribulations of the cursed Kincaid family. Each time I thought that a light at the end of the tunnel was coming, another disaster struck. Much like it remains today in rural parts of Appalachia.

While my West Virginia roots may have held a little bias in how much I enjoyed this book & connected to its characters, I believe anyone who reads this will feel the same. Congratulations to author Jeannette Walls on once again bringing to life another important piece of history.

Hang the Moon is the story of Sallie Kinkaid, daughter of Duke Kinkaid, the most powerful man in the family. Sallie idolizes her father. To her he is the perfect man. When she's eight-years-old, Sallie's stepmother banishes her from the house. She returns nine years later on the cusp of adulthood ready to claim her place in the family.

From that moment on, a lot happens. There are deaths, births, arrivals, departures, and of course, whiskey running. Each event rolls into the next with the consequences building like a slow-moving snowball. Nothing is random. A scene that might seem needless will end up playing a keyrole later on.

In the middle of all this chaos and change is Sallie who is struggling to learn who she is and who she wants to be. Every time tragedy strikes or a family secret is revaled (and there are a lot of secrets!) she's forced to recalibrate the truth about her family.sees her family. By the end, everything and everyone has changed. Sallie has grown up.

Hang the Moon snuck up on me. It wasn't fraught with tension nor did it build to a giant climax, and yet it was a page turner. I liken it to sitting on the front porch listening to someone recounting a story. The only thing missing was a tall glass of lemonade (or in this case, a teacup full of whiskey). I especially loved Sallie's feistiness and individualism. Even when she doubted herself, she still managed to be decisive.

This is a great book for people who enjoy beautiful language and good family sagas.

I received an advance read of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so well written and you know what's gonna happen next week. Everybody is tied to this book somehow related. It has a lot of different themes in it and it's quite interesting how the duke ran everything in this county. Everybody had a story attached to this man. It was interesting how they would marry and have mister sis on the side. And how to? Lift the. Went to the aquarium for everything they needed. The sheriff's were also involved too becathere was moonshine going on and everybody just kind accept it. SALLYE. Was a very strong woman and she had overcome a lot in life. She did not know why her mother was murdered. But later on her she finds out why. She had a brother named Eddie. From duke's second Wife. Jane did not like her so after Accident with eddie she was sent away to live with her aunt faye. Her father would give aunt faye money but she had a really interesting way to cause she never married. It also discussed. Domestic violence in this book as well. When duke died things started to unravel. This book really took off after that because there are so many interesting things which unraveled and everything seemed connected together. When EDI E. Dice my suicide. Sally Came in to her own and she really took off running. The business handling the bootlegging stuff but you could never find love. Your sister Mary showed up. She was the next one in,nd but it did not last too long because she try to stop the moonshining things and this really made people really angry. She ends up dying. Sally had to restore the balance of power but she had rivals and they had l Like the moon shine we're going on. There's so many Twisted ideas in this book and it all becomes like a jigsaw i Puzzle but it comes all together at the end.

I loved this book! I enjoy the time period, the historical aspect, and the storyline. It was engaging and fun. I will certainly recommend it to others.

This book was like reading about a small town with some strange but shallowly presented characters. Sometimes I was entertained by the shenanigans and doings. Sometimes I was annoyed. By the end I was thinking, “So, what was the point?”. I’m still asking. This book just jumped from one crazy thing to another. Fun but a bit outlandish. Read it for what it is and don’t expect a lot of growth.

Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls is a very highly recommended historical fiction and family drama which follows a young woman in Virginia during Prohibition.

Sallie Kincaid is the daughter Duke Kincaid, a wealthy man who owns or runs most of Claiborne County, Virginia. At the Emporium general store he owes, the Duke also sells bootleg whiskey he has received in lieu of rent. Sallie is the daughter of his second wife, who is deceased. She adores her father and his bigger than life personality. His third wife, Jane has a son, Eddie. When she is eight-years-old an accident involving three-year-old Eddie results in, at the behest of Jane, the Duke banishing Sallie to go live with her Aunt Faye.

Nine years later, Jane has died and Sallie is immediately brought back into the family by Duke, ostensibly to teach Eddie. Now, however, Sallie understands more of the world full of secrets, conflicts, and scandals around her and her family. She is determined to never marry and make her own way into the family rental property and bootlegging empire, while navigating the conflicts. Duke quickly marries his fourth wife and life becomes much more complicated following this decision.

The writing is wonderful and the plot is compelling. I was fully engaged in this family drama and the many surprising turns and the surprising revelations within the narrative. There is a tangle of family intrigue, complications, questionable morals, and hidden secrets in Hang the Moon. Even when the many complexities seem to be over the top, the fact that the plot was inspired by the life of Elizabeth I of England, daughter of Henry VIII makes it even better. History buffs will be able to pick up on the similarities to Tudor England.

Sallie is a great fully realized, intelligent, and complex character. Walls portrays both her strengths and weaknesses. She can be fearless, reckless, stubborn, and outspoken, but she is also damaged. Due to the many characters, not all of them are as developed as Sallie, but they all still resemble real people with very different personalities and proclivities.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Scribner via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, BookBrowse, and Amazon.

This is a sweeping saga of a town and a family during the days of prohibition. It is also a tale about how one man’s actions can affect a whole generation. It is so captivating that I read it in one sitting. The characters are easy to connect with, especially Sallie. The way that layers of family mystery are slowly, painfully unpeeled is masterful. Highly recommended to fans of historical fiction and family sagas.

I received a free copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I am so happy to see a new title from Jeannette Walls. She is not only a fabulous writer, she is also a great speaker. It's always a bit of thrill to read a book set in Virginia.

This book has many layers starting with the main character, Sallie. She is involved in an accident that is in now way her fault - just an accident. As Sallie is sent away and tries to navigate through her life away from her family, the story just gets more interesting and you will be cheering for Sallie all the way!

I am a fan of Jeanette Walls' memoirs, particularly The Glass Castle, and I am happy to say that I am a fan of this novel as well. Our main character, Sallie Kincaid, is quite the scrappy girl and grows up to be an equally scrappy adult which plays in her favor for the most part.

Sallie's mom dies when she is a young child and as the story begins, she lives with her dad and his current wife and her half brother, Eddie. A tiny accident happens with her brother and she is sent to live with her maternal aunt until "things cool down". Fast forward to 9 years later when she is fetched to help raise her brother after her step mom has passed away as well.

Sallie's father is Duke Kincaid aka big man around town that everyone seems to owe whether it be money, respect, etc. Sallie learns the ropes, so to speak, of the family business, but is once again somewhat shut out after the Duke dies leaving her oldest sister and her new pastor husband to run the county.

Circumstances change and Sallie tries to restore the family name and business dealings which is difficult for a woman in any time let alone in the early 20th century. Ultimately, her family is what means the most to her and she does all she can to do right by them despite constant life road blocks and being of such a strong and independent mind.

This book had me from the beginning and I loved Sallie and her wild, but loving spirit and would recommend this book to anyone.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

After reading The Glass Castle, I was thrilled when the opportunity came up to listen to Jeannette Walls’s new book Hang the Moon. And though it didn’t jump into my favorite pile of books, it was very enjoyable, especially since I hadn’t read any historical fiction tied to the Prohibition era. And I have to mention that the book cover is intriguing and beautiful.

The story focuses on a rather twisted family dynamic as well as bootlegging in Virginia during the 1920s. Sallie, the main character, is the daughter of an entrepreneur and landlord known as “the Duke.” We follow Sallie’s life from a youngster to an influential character in the community. She is filled with determination and spunk that tends to drive the story.

This story covers so much regarding family, the complications involved, and the era in history. Jeannette Walls does a wonderful job of narrating her story, which isn’t always the case when an author chooses to take over that role.

My Concerns
While I rolled with the punches, at times it felt like a daytime soap opera.

Final Thoughts
While parts of the story were quite interesting as well as some of the characters, as a whole it didn’t quite work for me. At times it almost felt like two stories that were pieced together with a surprise ending.

However, I think it’s a book that has at least a fifty percent chance of working for you, so don’t hesitate to give it a try.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ALC of this book.

Do you enjoy family DRAMA? Do you try to unravel SECRETS before anyone else? Do you yearn for books that SHOCK you?

If yes, you should consider reading this book.

Jeannette Walls portrays people - the good, the bad, the ugly, the very ugly - realistically. I quite enjoyed every moment of it, glad I am not part of this family.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I love Jeannette Walls. The Glass Castle is one of my top five favorite books of ALL TIME, and I am still all tingly when I remember getting my courage to go up to her and talk a bit when she was guest speaking at a library conference in Oakland MANY years ago. But I never got the same level of enjoyment from her books Half-Broke Horses and The Silver Star, so I picked up her latest, Hang The Moon, with a little trepidation.

Best thing I did was remind myself before I started reading that this was a work of FICTION, and I needed to be objective about the book. I was hooked early on reading the story told by a young woman who clearly was strong, resilient, and smart. Sallie Kincaid was sent away by her father “The Duke” after an accident which resulted in serious injury to Sallie’s half-brother Eddie, whose mother (Sallie’s classic evil stepmother) sent eight-year-old Sallie to live with her impoverished aunt in some rural backwater. Sallie’s mother had died during an argument with The Duke, who early on is apparently someone who gets away with everything…as a successful bootlegger.

After nine years, when Sallie was seventeen, she was brought back to her father’s house following the death of her stepmother. Seems The Duke needed someone to take care of his son, and Sallie was handy and eager to be back “home.”

Once back home, Sallie begins to fit into the lawless world lived by The Duke, and after some reckless adventures, she becomes truly her father’s daughter, a bootlegger in her own right. What I loved most about Sallie is that she is damaged but not broken, brave despite her being terrified by some of the obstacles she confronts as she navigates life in the first half of the twentieth century in Virginia, a place full of memorable characters.

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for this honest four-star review. It’s not The Glass Castle – but then nothing is. And I still love Jeannette Walls.

As soon as I saw Jeanette Walls had a new release I had to read it. I enjoyed The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses so much. Her writing style takes me wherever she wants to go and I feel like I’m there experiencing it all.

In Hang the Moon the story is set in Prohibition Era Virginia and follows the story of Sallie Kincaid, the daughter of The Duke, a well-known and wealthy man running their small town.

Sallie is a brilliantly written character. She’s perfectly imperfect. For every time I cheered her on I also wanted to throw the book at her face 😆

I enjoyed this book for the most part but I’ll admit this is probably my least favorite of all Jeanette Walls’s books. I have no problem with strong female leads but sometimes Sallie wasn’t believable as a leader and it seemed forced. Most of the men in the book are deplorable while the women are placed on pedestals. Sallie’s tough persona was over the top at times and kind of annoying. Marriage isn’t honored much in this book and is sometimes outright discouraged, eluding to the idea that marriage is oppressive to women 🙄🥱

3/5 ⭐️ - I liked it for the most part.

This was a book that I have to say I liked but I didn’t love it. The pacing of the story was just bit too slow at times.
The author definitely shares a lot of information about prohibition in rural Virginian.
Overall, a ok read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions are my own.