Very big fan of this author and I felt this new novel to be compelling with an interesting storyline, but this novel is not in the same realm as the author’s previous work.

Sallie Kincaid tried to be the son her father wanted, but in 1920s Virginia it was never going to work. In a huge family enterprise, full of secrets and jealousy, she navigates a terrain of bootlegging and lies. This story takes up tenderly the social and economic hardships of rural Appalachia and provides a view of the introduction of the automobile and the freedom it provided to the women who could drive one.

For lovers of family dynasty sagas this tale set in the Blue Ridge mountains will be memorable for its strong characterization, engrossing family secrets, and plain-spoken, courageous main character.

Hang the Moon by Jeanette Walls, is a story set in times when men "wore the pants" and ran things, but Sallie Kinkaid didn't let that stop her from taking over her father's family business. While not a happily ever after kind of story, Hang the Moon is one of change and perseverance. You'll find yourself cheering Sallie on as she suffers the consequences of standing up to her adversaries.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I want to thank Random House/Scribner and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Hang the Moon by Jeanette Walls. She previously wrote The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses.
“I did the darnedest.to believe my daddy hung the moon and scattered the stars”.
This story is about Sallie Kinkaid who we meet as a young rambunctious girl of 8. Her father, the Duke, has almost total power over Claiborne County where she is born. Her life takes many twists and turns over the years. There are lies, lies and more lies.
Ms Wall’s characters are well defined.
And just when you think everything is going to have a happy ending!,!
Hang the Moon publishes 03/28/2023.

If you are looking for a book that's packed with action, that's fast paced and keeps you guessing and wanting to find out what happens next, then look no further. This is it.
Sallie Kincaid is everything you could want in a heroine. She's fearless and driven to do what's right for others. She's selfless and beautiful and knows what to do in most situations.
There are twists and turns to this story and secrets galore. Jeanette Watts is a terrific writer. She can make you laugh and cry and sometimes even in the same paragraph.
I loved this novel and highly recommend it.

Expect surprises and twists throughout this book which makes for a great read.. Sallie Kincaid is the daughter of Duke Kincaid who owns the small Virginia town they live in. Sallie's mother dies when Sallie is 3 years old and then Duke marries Jane and they have a baby boy. When Sallie is 8, she is cast off to her aunts to live following an incident in which her brother was injured. Nine years late, when Sallie's stepmother Jane dies, she is summoned back home to look after her brother. A lot of very complicated family dynamics begin to take place, tragedies occur and secrets began to surface.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner Publishers for the ARC of this very complex family saga which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The setting: "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 [for that town], 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 [Jane] and had a son, Eddie." Cast out by the Duke [and his then wife] due to an accident involving Eddie, Sallie is sent to a relative who lives a hardscrabble life. Sallie returns nine years later--and is confronted with many challenges [mostly involving other family members]--but also what's going on in Claiborne County. Sallie idolizes Duke --he can "Hang the Moon."

There are extremely complicated and linked family relationships, many secrets, moonshiners/bootlegging, an almost Hatfield and McCoy-like feud [although the Kincaids are not hillbillies], strong characters [particularly the charismatic Duke, but also Sallie and Mattie]. And many, many others who have a significant role in the story: Sheriff Earl and his wife, Mattie, Seymour Johnson, Kat, Faye, Douglas Rawley, Nell, Mary and Phillip Canon, Cecil and Tom Dunbar, Georgette and Gus Rheims, Abraham Crockett, the Bond brothers--I could go on an on.

What can I say?! I couldn't put this book down. I was sucked in immediately.

The negatives for me: not literary fiction [which I prefer], too neat and tidy an ending [but no spoiler from me], and some characters that seemed like caricatures. And in several instances, I saw the trajectory--though it didn't deter me--much.

Note also: Tudor likenesses--names and some story lines--e.g., wives!

And in the Acknowledgments--"some characters and scenes in this story were inspired by actual people and events."

Solid 4+

Cast doubts aside, and go along for a fast read/good ride.

I was given an advanced reader copy of this title by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the characters were so well developed and I fell in love with Sallie. I though the writing was excellent and a very well developed story.

In Hang the Moon, Sallie Kincaid is a female with a surprising fierceness and courage in a complicated family where males dominate, rule and inherit. Taking place during Prohibition plays a prominent role. Sallie finds her place after many struggles. Hang the Moon is a well written, nicely paced novel by Jeannette Walls.

Readers who like Jeannette Walls will enjoy this book in which a young woman comes into her own. Depression era cultural values in the South are daunting to overcome if you are different. Sallie's mother has died, and her stepmother is much more concerned with her new son than she is with her tomboyish step daughter, so Sallie is sent away. When Sallie comes home later she is an outcast, and without the proper clothing and manners of the upper class in her small town. Readers will appreciate the way in which Sallie is able to overcome the obstacles in front of her.
I received and arc, and am under no pressure for a positive review.

Ramona Thompson

Wonderfully written story of a family in the moonshine business. Characters are well developed and most are likable!

Hang the Moon is fiction set in Prohibition Virginia, telling the story of Sallie Kincaid and the whole Kincaid family. Readers see Sallie grow from childhood, when she’s hoping to be the fastest in her wagon to impress her father, to adulthood, supporting her neighbors with a little nighttime rumrunning… In The Glass Castle, I was constantly amazed by how the children just accepted their upbringing, no matter how weird or dysfunctional it got, and Walls does the same thing in Hang the Moon. Sallie Kincaid just accepts her life as the duke’s daughter, obviously she’s the local princess with a volatile father. Obviously, the Duke rents out most of the nearby housing, and accepts payment in cash, whiskey which will be sold in the family’s Emporium, or in Kincaid scrip, a local currency for buying and selling in Emporium. Of course, that’s the way it’s always been, hasn’t it? The story is wildly different from The Glass Castle, of course, but there’s the same feeling of a charismatic, volatile, confusing father. There’s a great deal of family drama in Hang The Moon, all around this moonshine empire that the Duke inherited and then expanded on. The Kincaids are the wealthiest, most powerful family for miles. I have to say that the Tudor family tree works incredibly well for a Southern Gothic family. It works so well that I didn’t pick up on the parallels for a while, since Mary, Jane, Eddie, and Tom are pretty common Virginia names, too. While I was reading, I had a passing thought that there was a Jane and a Seymour in this convoluted family, and isn’t that funny, like Jane Seymour? And Jane is the Duke’s third wife, just like Jane Seymour! And then I kept reading without putting it together. It was only the part about Mary’s pregnancy that tipped me off, and even then, I was still thinking that I must be reading too many Tudor dramas…Duke Kincaid was someone you didn't want to cross. He always had to have his way...

Despite a terrible cover, I got sucked into this one really quickly. Jeanette Walls tells a good story with interesting characters. Any story in the 1920s fascinates me but this one was kind of original: rural Virginia, Prohibition, family intrigue and secrets, and a woman running a bootlegging empire. About 2/3 of the way through I suddenly realized which historical family partially inspired the story and that was fun, although the fact that it was a loose retelling of history also gave it a bit of a stiff tone at times. I’ll still always love The Glass Castle the most of all of Walls’ books but her novels are pretty enjoyable as well.

I was looking forward to this book since I liked both of Jeanette Wallace's previous books. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. The family dynamic was interesting; however the bootlegging/prohibition story was not that interesting. The book.was convoluted.

DNF at 43%.

A wealthy family faces extreme hardships and tragedy in 1920s Virginia.

I've read Walls' memoir and her other novel and enjoyed both. This was such a departure from her typical writing style and I found it unbearable to the point of not being able to continue. So much happens in this book before the halfway mark, and yet I was consistently bored and ready for something of true meaning to occur. There's a huge cast of characters, but they're all surface level and I never felt a connection to a single one. Not even the narrator, young down-on-her-luck Sallie, could eke out any emotion from me. I feel like I'm generous in giving this two stars quite honestly. But since I didn't see it all the way through to the end, I'll keep with the two.

Sallie Kincaid was the daughter of Duke Kincaid who run the county. He was a big as life but also did exactly what he wanted. At age 8 he sent Sallie away for 8 years to give his new wife and son peace. Sallie, instead of seeing herself as defeated did what she needed to do until the Duke sent for her. This story is about death and life. It is about dealing with horrors and pulling yourself up to do what is right. Sallie is a caring leader who deals with heartbreak but finds a way to carry on the legacy of her father.

Hang the moon 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 to Scribner & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this arc

The Glass Castle was one of the first books that really got me into reading, so another novel by Janette Wells was high on my list. She is just a brilliant storyteller. I loved the strong, smart and independent female lead in Sallie. Very well written.

Fabulous story. Kept me entertained. Jeannette Walls is a fantastic story teller and this was no different. Fantastic!Fabulous story. Kept me entertained. Jeannette Walls is a fantastic story teller and this was no different. Fantastic!