This was an excellent story of historical fiction by Jeannette Walls, I really enjoyed it. She tells a great story of a feisty woman ahead of her time living in Appalachia during Prohibition.

This was a well written book about the Kincaid family in Virginia during Prohibition. Sallie Kincaid is a young woman who goes toe to toe with family members, townspeople, and government officials when her father, the Duke, dies suddenly. Sallie fights to keep those around her, very few friends and many who distrust her, from poverty and starvation after her sister brings in the government to end the moonshining business that keeps the entire town afloat. You will find yourself cheering Sallie on!

Based on several true events, this novel possesses grit and a strong characters. There was never a dull moment keep me engaged from start to finish. Overall I enjoyed the author’s narration and the who lived in rural America in the 1920s.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

I have read other Jeannette Walls books and enjoyed them so much. This had the potential to be good but I found the execution lacking. She had a lot of good ideas but I think she had too many things going on and nothing really connected. Overall, I was disappointed with this book.

3.5 stars
✔️ 1920s Prohibition-era time period
✔️ rural Virginia setting
✔️ moonshine bootlegging, shootouts, feuds, secrets and lies
✔️ spunky, take-no-crap, as-good-as-the-boys, knows-what-she-wants female protagonist
✔️ mostly character-driven

This book has been described as a “rollicking” adventure, but I actually found it to be a bit dull at times. While there’s certainly a lot that takes place in this story, I never felt particularly gripped to keep reading and find out what happened next.

I did like the main character, and reading about country folks made this a different experience from the other 1920s books I’ve read.

The book has a lot of pros (see the checklist above) but while I liked it, I didn’t LOVE it the way I’d hoped to.

Loved the main character -- strong, gutsy and not afraid to follow her instincts. A LOT of death and cheating men, but otherwise an very enjoyable, entertaining read!

Pride and family secrets. Jeannette Walls newest book is full of so many twists and, in my opinion, unnecessary turns that I didn't know which direction the plot was going. I see Walls echoed the spirit of her grandmother for the adventure seeking main character. You couldn't help but root for her success.

Received as a free digital ARC copy from NetGalley.

Jeannette Walls always has interesting themes in her books. This one depicts prohibition, making moonshine, family relationships, race relations, female and male roles to name a few. While I liked the characters especially Sally Kincaid, the book felt just meh to me. It is not one of my favorite Jeannette Walls books. It is a quick easy read and will appeal to those who enjoy history, South East United States, prohibition, female and male roles, etc.

I wanted to love this one but ended up just liking it. The setting was fantastic and I was all in on the family drama but the pacing was off to me.

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for a copy to review.

My thanks to Net Galley and Scribner Publishers for an advanced copy of this e-book.

At the turn of the century in rural Virginia lives a big man who is control of just about everyone - Duke Kincaid. His daughter Sallie loves him dearly. He bought a wagon and teaches her to drive it down the hill and around curves. One day she takes her half brother Eddie in the wagon to teach him like Duke taught her but it doesn't go as well. Eddie's mom and Sallie's stepmother, Jane, sends her away to live with an aunt. At 17 she returns after Jane dies and Sallie begins her life working with Duke and learning to be smart and take care of others. Sallie is tough and smart but not without a lot of people coming after her. A wild Prohibition-era story told watching Sallie face her challengers and get smarter and more confident. Hard not to cheer on Sallie....while you bite your nails!

A work of historical fiction set in the 1920s Prohibition-era, HANG THE MOON by Jeannette Walls (The Glass Castle) is an extremely well-written and emotionally impactful story about a feisty, young girl named Sallie Kincaid whose father, Duke, runs the local county in Virginia. He's wealthy and his businesses include a bootlegging operation in which Sallie, a natural born daredevil, becomes an important player. There is much intergenerational squabbling, strong character development, and quick-moving action as Sallie is confronted with one moral dilemma after another. Featuring secrets, scandals, and family feuds, HANG THE MOON received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly, plus it was a LibraryReads selection for March 2023. Highly recommended.

I have loved Jeannette Walls since I read Glass Castle. Her writing style and her stories are amazing. I was very excited to pick up Hang the Moon and loved the storyline. I love the idea of a strong woman protagonist who knows when to be quiet and when to roar. Hang the Moon is one of the best books so far in 2023, and I am recommending it to everyone!

I loved The Glass Castle so when I saw Jeannette Walls I knew this was a must read. Different from The Glass Castle however, Hang the Moon is a work of fiction. The story is set in prohibition era South and centers around loss and resilience through tough circumstances. Main character Sallie has learned what it takes to stand up for herself and thrive in a male dominated world. Her character is admirable and clever. I enjoyed this story.

This one kept me turning pages late into the night. Loved Sallie Kincaid’s indomitable spirit (and bit of spunk) despite all the hardships thrown her way. I also really appreciated the theme of unlikely bonds and friendships and women supporting women through work and found family throughout. So glad I read this one—it’ll be a great one to hand sell to our customer base in Western NC!

Wow. What a phenomenal read. Jeannette Walls hits it out of the park with this prohibition-era novel, Hang the Moon, with a fierce female MC who becomes a bootlegger. Throughout the story, Sallie navigates complicated family dynamics as well as right vs. wrong, as the law prohibits liquor sales but people have been surviving from the sales, putting what’s “right” at odds with survival.

This is Walls’ first foray into fiction, having published three memoirs previously. However, it’s not too far fetched since she has personal ties to the story, living in Virginia and having a father who was a Moonshiner. This is an era we don’t hear about often, so it was great for her to bring that side of history to life.

Most know her best for her work The Glass Castle, which was a Book of the Month selection some time ago. Hang the Moon is a choice for April Book of the Month, so if you are a member, it would be a great selection as you build your box!

She narrates the audiobook and does so fantastically. I was rapt from start to finish, rooting for Sallie all the way through.

A strong female character, an engaging and action packed story, social commentary, and a little romance -- what more can you ask for? I really like Jeannette Walls' writing. In this book, she has created several memorable characters in Sallie and her father, Duke. Even the "minor" characters are wonderful -- evoking strong emotional reactions no matter how briefly they are featured. Every character is important to the story set in 1920s Virginia mountains. This small town has been left to its own devices, setting its own rules for life (Duke's rules), so when Prohibition laws threaten the lively hood and very existence of the town, things are bound to happen.

This is a story of love, relationships (familial, neighborly, romantic), resilience, secrets and lies -- a perfect storm for an exciting and gut-wrenching and heartwarming story. I could not put it down!

Sallie Kincaid is a well rounded heroine and it was a true pleasure watching her grow up over the course of this book. Her life was not an easy one but she had strength and determination. I've never read anything by Jeannette Walls, this was the first, but I truly enjoyed her writing style.

Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls is the story of Sallie Kincaid, the daughter of the most powerful man in the county, in Prohibition era United States. Inspired by the Tudor family, the book is very fast-paced and full of twists and turns. Sallie is a fantastic, strong female protagonist during a time when society just expected women to let men oversee everything. I loved Sallie’s growth throughout the book as she realizes the way things have always been is not the way they should be. Recommended for fans of the author’s other works and historical fiction fans in general.

I was very excited about this book, but maybe my expectations were too high. I did not finish this book as I was not interested in the story and did not care enough about the character to continue.

Sallie Kincaid grew up in Virginia in the early 20th century as the daughter of the most powerful man in Claiborne County. When her stepmother encouraged Sallie’s father to send her away to live with an aunt, Sallie’s life is dramatically changed. She has gone from a comfortable life of means to a life of squalor. Her lifelong determination to live her life on her own terms springs out of her childhood.

Years later, she is brought back to the homestead and must re-adjust to having nice things. She’s always admired her father’s power over the town and when she is expected to exert her own position, she looks to her father’s example. The secrets of his success come as no surprise to her and given the chance, she will take the reins and show she is her father’s daughter.

Sallie is a strong woman who is determined to outsmart the bootleggers and the authorities during the era of Prohibition. Her father was called Duke and he treats his community like it’s his private fiefdom. Sallie is young when she takes over the business but her hardscrabble life prepared her for the tough stance she must take when there are others in the county ready to take her down. She becomes known as Queen of the Kincaid Rumrunners. The story gives a nod to the world of England’s Henry VIII with his multiple wives, various children and one strong daughter who will carry on his legacy.

Readers will feel for little Sallie who is cast aside like Cinderella. But she grows into an assertive adult who is not afraid to stand up to those who threaten her. She will follow her father’s model and make her own rules. The discarded child becomes queen of the county, no longer the sweet victim. Walls brings another story of overcoming childhood adversity to the page. This is not as riveting or powerful as The Glass Castle or Half Broke Horses but it does showcase a girl with grit and determination who refuses to be kept down.