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foxreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Walls develops an interesting character in Sallie Kincaid, but there was so much going on in this novel I'm not sure what it was really about. The family secrets and history, revolving door of women through the 'big house', and changing loyalties were sometimes too much to keep up with. At the same time, this read very slowly for me. It wasn't bad, but if this was my first read by the author, I don't know if I would pick up the rest.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
klutzykara's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
I really loved Jeannette Walls' memoir, The Glass Castle, when I read it years ago so I was interested to pick this fiction book up from her. The writing was still pretty good, but I found the plot incohesive. There was a lot of tragic events that would come up briefly and quickly followed by another with little to be gained from it all together.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
noble_editorial's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was excited to read this one, anticipating a gritty Prohibition-era tale full of drama, tension, and intrigue. Unfortunately, this book just didn't deliver that for me. I wanted to feel immersed in 1920s Virginia, but that just didn't happen and the whole story fell rather flat for me.
Sallie had great potential as the MC, and her father was quite interesting, but the cast of characters grew too unwieldy as the story progressed and diluted my interest in all of them, never mind the confusion of keeping track of them all. The chemistry between the characters didn't feel very authentic, either.
I found the pacing was off, with a time jump that pulled me out of the story near the beginning, and a lack of tension throughout. The action never felt particularly high-stakes, and the events leading to exposed secrets and family drama required too much of a suspension of disbelief for me to remain invested in Sallie's story.
I think the premise of this book had fantastic potential, but the execution just didn't work for me. I prefer this author's narrative nonfiction. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sallie had great potential as the MC, and her father was quite interesting, but the cast of characters grew too unwieldy as the story progressed and diluted my interest in all of them, never mind the confusion of keeping track of them all. The chemistry between the characters didn't feel very authentic, either.
I found the pacing was off, with a time jump that pulled me out of the story near the beginning, and a lack of tension throughout. The action never felt particularly high-stakes, and the events leading to exposed secrets and family drama required too much of a suspension of disbelief for me to remain invested in Sallie's story.
I think the premise of this book had fantastic potential, but the execution just didn't work for me. I prefer this author's narrative nonfiction. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
lindsayerin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Misogyny, and Sexism
lifewithjoce's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I knew nothing about this book before I started it, seeing only Jeannette Walls’ name and decided that was enough to make the book worth the read. Hang the Moon is a story of a young adult woman (18 at the start) coming into her own during the Prohibition era. Born to the most prominent family in town, Sallie Kincaid is exiled to her aunt’s house when her father remarries, and then brought back home after her death. It’s from there that the book really kicks off, exploring the story of how the town copes with death and fills the power dynamics hole that is created when a leader dies.
While the historical fiction genre is a tad bit oversaturated with “strong young woman who doesn’t want marriage” characters, Walls managed to make this book different by making the general Kincaid family—and the town—a character as well. The main focus is Sallie growing up, but we also see the town growing and changing as well. I was rooting for Sallie, but I was also rooting for the town to succeed. No matter what happened, I wanted the Duke, Mattie, Sallie, Mary, and everyone else to do right by Clayborn County.
There was a strong focus on social justice politics, from the way women are treated to the way Black members of the town are treated. Sallie was, of course, always on the right side of these political debates, but the way she learns about various secrets and the way she reacts to them felt extremely accurate to an 18 year old girl. For the majority of the book, Walls managed to make her point about the protection of women, and make that a major point of the novel, without endowing Sallie with knowledge that would be unrealistic for her to know. In the last few chapters, she emphasized the “roads help women” narrative a bit too much for my taste.
Full Review: https://writethroughthenight.com/2023/04/01/hang-the-moon-is-a-historical-fiction-entry-to-the-new-adult-genre/
While the historical fiction genre is a tad bit oversaturated with “strong young woman who doesn’t want marriage” characters, Walls managed to make this book different by making the general Kincaid family—and the town—a character as well. The main focus is Sallie growing up, but we also see the town growing and changing as well. I was rooting for Sallie, but I was also rooting for the town to succeed. No matter what happened, I wanted the Duke, Mattie, Sallie, Mary, and everyone else to do right by Clayborn County.
There was a strong focus on social justice politics, from the way women are treated to the way Black members of the town are treated. Sallie was, of course, always on the right side of these political debates, but the way she learns about various secrets and the way she reacts to them felt extremely accurate to an 18 year old girl. For the majority of the book, Walls managed to make her point about the protection of women, and make that a major point of the novel, without endowing Sallie with knowledge that would be unrealistic for her to know. In the last few chapters, she emphasized the “roads help women” narrative a bit too much for my taste.
Full Review: https://writethroughthenight.com/2023/04/01/hang-the-moon-is-a-historical-fiction-entry-to-the-new-adult-genre/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide
thevioletfoxbookshop's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Full of twists and turns, Hang The Moon is a vibrant story of one woman's fierce determination to find family, save her town, and remain true to her self, all while running an underground whiskey operation in Prohibition-era Virginia.
I loved getting to know Sallie Kincaid and watching her grow from a lonely child into a fierce woman. Sallie refuses to bend herself to anyone else's expectations and she refuses to back down from what's right. If you're looking for a strong female lead, look no further! Follow along on her adventures through the sprawling hills of rural Virginia to the ultra-wealthy home of a flapper in Richmond and you'll find yourself transported. Welcome to the early 1920's where you'll go along for the ride on a midnight run smuggling whiskey into Roanoke, fly high in the sky in a WWII biplane, and see the world from the perspective of both the have's and have-not's.
Sallie lives in a world where misogyny and the patriarchy rule with a heavy hand. Prohibition, racism, classism, and poverty are prevalent. To survive, Sallie will have to figure out what's right...and how that might be different than what's legal or proper or expected or easy. She'll have to learn that the world is rarely as black and white as she thought it was as a child. And when that rose tint of childhood fades, Sallie must reckon with the fact that the adults in her life are not as upstanding and admirable as she once thought. In fact, secrets and scandals abound! As those secrets come out, Sallie learns that history often repeats itself, especially when you least expect it.
Through all of the adversity, Sallie is persistent and resilient. She and many of the other women in the book are forced to be strong through wretched circumstances. They say it's a man's world... but these characters have other ideas! They discover they can be powerful in unexpected and untraditional ways. As these women come to rely on each other and form bonds, Sallie begins to see the true meaning of family and the different shapes it can take. To protect her family, Sallie must challenge the status-quo, the people in power, and make changes in a world that resists.
I devoured Hang The Moon in one weekend. I found myself rooting for Sallie and many of the other characters, turning pages as quickly as I could to find out what happened next. Hang The Moon is absolute must-read if you love historical fiction. Jeannette Walls has done it once again - just like her previous books, this one is a masterpiece.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Murder