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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
"Family is family no matter what."
This authentic Southern Historical fiction is the coming-of-age tale of Jesse Sasser, the daughter of a moonshiner in the NC mountains in the 1960's. Jesse remembers little about her mother except that she was killed in a moonshine still explosion when she was only 4 years old. Ever since then, she has struggled to know the truth of what happened and as a result, she despises the moonshining business. In the spirit of Hatfield vs McCoys, her family has feuded with the Murphy family for as she remembers. The rival between the family heats up when Jesse decides she can no longer take being the daughter of a moonshiner, and heads to the authorities planning to turn in her father. She looses her nerve at the last minute and instead reports one of the Murphy's stills. The report started a tragic chain of events that she did not expect.
As Jesse faces trial after trial all while dealing with an increasingly debilitating eating disorder, she comes to realize the importance of family and loyalty.
Everhart has done a beautiful job with the development of her characters. I felt sympathy for Jesse, frustration from her father, anger from her brother, compassion from Mrs. Brewer, and hatred toward the Murphy's! An excellent read!
This authentic Southern Historical fiction is the coming-of-age tale of Jesse Sasser, the daughter of a moonshiner in the NC mountains in the 1960's. Jesse remembers little about her mother except that she was killed in a moonshine still explosion when she was only 4 years old. Ever since then, she has struggled to know the truth of what happened and as a result, she despises the moonshining business. In the spirit of Hatfield vs McCoys, her family has feuded with the Murphy family for as she remembers. The rival between the family heats up when Jesse decides she can no longer take being the daughter of a moonshiner, and heads to the authorities planning to turn in her father. She looses her nerve at the last minute and instead reports one of the Murphy's stills. The report started a tragic chain of events that she did not expect.
As Jesse faces trial after trial all while dealing with an increasingly debilitating eating disorder, she comes to realize the importance of family and loyalty.
Everhart has done a beautiful job with the development of her characters. I felt sympathy for Jesse, frustration from her father, anger from her brother, compassion from Mrs. Brewer, and hatred toward the Murphy's! An excellent read!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pretty sure I won’t waste any more time on her books. Important topics like eating disorders & sexual abuse (as in Dixie DuPree) should be in better more skillful hands. These books are formulaic, depressing & poorly done.
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent
OK, it's a 3.5 because I loved the historical aspect of it. Learning the ins and outs of bootlegging. Super cool. This was obviously well researched! But I actively disliked Jessie. And omg, the endless talk about food and throwing up and whether to eat it and whether to not eat it. Too much. Plus it is weird to bring up the topic of bulimia and talk about it almost nonstop throughout the story but never have any sort of resolution. It was just kind of there, but not really addressed. Everybody just seemed to ignore it. If not for the delightful Mrs. Brewer I may have given up on this book. And I did not like the ending. Not at all. It read more like a young adult book to me. I am obviously in the minority here, but I didn't love it. Although it definitely piqued my interest in learning more about the history of moonshine and is worth reading for that aspect alone.
Great story, told in the first person by the daughter.
5 North Carolina stars! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Ok, so I happen to LOVE Donna Everhart. We are talking BIG love. She’s a North Carolina author who features North Carolina settings, and her books are filled with warmth and heart. Not only that, while I have loved every book, they only get better and better.
Set in Wilkes County, North Carolina, The Moonshiner’s Daughter is Jessie Sasser’s coming-of-age. Her family has lived in the Brushy Mountains for generations making moonshine.
Jessie, however, is no fan of moonshine. It killed her mother.
Jessie is eager to know the truth of what happened to her mom, but no one is talking about it, especially not her dad. And Jessie has pain and hurt deep inside that causes her to seek comfort from food.
Moonshining was dangerous business, and I recently learned from my dad that a family member of mine or two took part. I think this connection enthralled me with the book even more.
As with all her books, Everhart lays out the time and place with precision. I am quite familiar with Wilkes County. It’s a beautiful place I drive through on the way to the Blue Ridge mountains.
Jessie is a charmer. How she dealt with all her feelings was written in a way so relatable, especially for losing her mom at such a young age. The Moonshiner’s Daughter is a deeply emotional story as a result. I’ve mentioned before my best friend lost her mother when we were teens. Everhart captures that enduring pain in a way that viscerally took me back.
I will never tire of Donna Everhart’s stories. She brings the feelings, the strong characterization, precise settings, and stories that deeply move me every single time. I hope she has a neverending amount of stories to tell us because I’ll be here waiting to read them.
I received a complimentary copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Ok, so I happen to LOVE Donna Everhart. We are talking BIG love. She’s a North Carolina author who features North Carolina settings, and her books are filled with warmth and heart. Not only that, while I have loved every book, they only get better and better.
Set in Wilkes County, North Carolina, The Moonshiner’s Daughter is Jessie Sasser’s coming-of-age. Her family has lived in the Brushy Mountains for generations making moonshine.
Jessie, however, is no fan of moonshine. It killed her mother.
Jessie is eager to know the truth of what happened to her mom, but no one is talking about it, especially not her dad. And Jessie has pain and hurt deep inside that causes her to seek comfort from food.
Moonshining was dangerous business, and I recently learned from my dad that a family member of mine or two took part. I think this connection enthralled me with the book even more.
As with all her books, Everhart lays out the time and place with precision. I am quite familiar with Wilkes County. It’s a beautiful place I drive through on the way to the Blue Ridge mountains.
Jessie is a charmer. How she dealt with all her feelings was written in a way so relatable, especially for losing her mom at such a young age. The Moonshiner’s Daughter is a deeply emotional story as a result. I’ve mentioned before my best friend lost her mother when we were teens. Everhart captures that enduring pain in a way that viscerally took me back.
I will never tire of Donna Everhart’s stories. She brings the feelings, the strong characterization, precise settings, and stories that deeply move me every single time. I hope she has a neverending amount of stories to tell us because I’ll be here waiting to read them.
I received a complimentary copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
1 extra star for the location setting, because I'm 1000% biased.
Overall, enjoyed the story. The pace went along nicely. The ending felt right and I appreciated the epilogue that really tied it all up.
Narrator note: This region does not say "nothinG". They say "nothin'".
Overall, enjoyed the story. The pace went along nicely. The ending felt right and I appreciated the epilogue that really tied it all up.
Narrator note: This region does not say "nothinG". They say "nothin'".