Hang the Moon: A Novel

Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls is a captivating novel that immerses the reader in a vivid, emotionally charged narrative. Walls masterfully weaves a connection between the reader and her characters, making their struggles, ambitions, and vulnerabilities feel profoundly real. The depth of the relationships, particularly with the fierce protagonist, Sallie Kincaid, pulls the reader into her world with intensity and nuance. Walls' storytelling evokes a strong emotional response, leaving the reader invested in each character’s fate and personal journey. It’s a powerful exploration of family, power, and survival that lingers long after the final page.

Jeannette Walls does not disappoint… once again she wrote a story that grabs the reader and inserts them into the narrative. Hang The Moon has so much depth, so many twists, and then changes directions back to 180 degrees. There are many characters to follow in this novel, but not in a way that is confusing. Each character has a purpose, a story and a soul. Prohibition appears to be the theme of this story but in truth it’s about what life doesn’t prohibit the strong to rise up from. Sallie Kincaid is a strong, sassy, sincere character who centers her world around what is right and just.

Some books I struggle to get into for many reasons, including because there are so many characters to get to know. This novel introduced the characters slowly and they are well developed.

I enjoyed the story - it was fast paced and interesting, but it felt like too many extreme tragedies or events happened in such a short time. I did enjoy reading the book.

I so enjoyed “Hang the Moon.”

It’s the story of the Kincaids, a leading family in rural Virginia during Prohibition and the Great Depression. A leading family they may be, but their (and just about everyone else’s) principal source of revenue is “moonshine.”

Young Sallie is the heroine. As a child, she was banished by her father, the head of the family, to live with a poor aunt in a ramshackle mountain cabin. Now, she must prove to him that she has what it takes to work in the family business. And when her father is lost? It’s up to her to prove to the rest of the family, none of whom have any great love for her, that she can lead their business, despite the attempts of a rival “moonshining” family, US Government agents, and temperance-minded relatives to shut it down.

Author Jeanette Walls has given us a very well-written historical novel in the nature of a family saga. Her characters are lively, strong, and engaging—especially Sallie. Walls' sharp eye for detail aids her in rendering first-rate descriptions of rural Virginia during that era. Indeed, you can almost feel the mist coming off the mountains and smell the smoke from the stills' cooking fires. The novel moves at a steady pace and there are a number of surprises. There are a few repetitive plot devices and some of the twists I found a little outlandish. But, as a whole, the novel hangs together well and is very entertaining.