Set in North Carolina in 1960 and brimming with authenticity and grit, The Moonshiner’s Daughter evokes the singular life of sixteen-year-old Jessie Sasser, a young woman determined to escape her family’s past . . . Generations of Sassers have made moonshine in the Brushy Mountains of Wilkes County, North Carolina. Their history is recorded in a leather-bound journal that belongs to Jessie … journal that belongs to Jessie Sasser’s daddy, but Jessie wants no part of it. As far as she’s concerned, moonshine caused her mother’s death a dozen years ago.
Her father refuses to speak about her mama, or about the day she died. But Jessie has a gnawing hunger for the truth—one that compels her to seek comfort in food. Yet all her self-destructive behavior seems to do is feed what her school’s gruff but compassionate nurse describes as the “monster” inside Jessie.
Resenting her father’s insistence that moonshining runs in her veins, Jessie makes a plan to destroy the stills, using their neighbors as scapegoats. Instead, her scheme escalates an old rivalry and reveals
long-held grudges. As she endeavors to right wrongs old and new, Jessie’s loyalties will bring her to unexpected revelations about her family, her strengths—and a legacy that may provide her with the answers she has been longing for.
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Donna Everhart sometimes characterizes her writing as ‘gritty Southern historical fiction,’ and THE MOONSHINER’S DAUGHTER fits the bill with a highly engaging story that takes place against the background of moonshining in western North Carolina in the early 1960’s. Told with compassion and deft characterization, this is the story of a teenage girl fighting her own demons as she tries to balance allegiance to her father and brother with the illegality of the family business. As Jessie learns more about the family’s history, and tensions with a rival family amplify to the point of violence, she is forced to grow up fast and make impossible choices. Beautifully written and impeccably researched, THE MOONSHINER’S DAUGHTER is not to be missed.
Living in Johnston County, North Carolina, or as it’s known, JoCo,home of where many a moonshine gets made, I couldn’t wait to dive into this book. This book is the second one I’ve read by Everhart, and her talent is as strong here as in the other one. She hooked me from page 1 and took me through a whirlwind of emotions and held me until the last page was reached.
Jessie Sasser witnessed a horrific tragedy at a very young age. That tragedy was a result of her family’s livelihood, and it became the reasoning for her hate of the family’s business. She’s filled with insecurities, dealing with so much more than just her family. Suffering from my own insecurities and eating disorder many moons ago, I truly felt as if I had a connection with Jessie.
This is so much more than just a story of a moonshiner’s daughter. It’s an emotionally gripping, powerfully moving, page turning novel of a young woman coming of age. Heart wrenching, raw, and absolutely gritty, this is one novel written with epic proportions and details and you won’t soon forget it. Do not delay. Grab this amazing novel up today and hang on for the ride of a lifetime.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.* Donna Everhart
In this Southern historical fiction. Everhart expertly pulls you into the world of a North Carolina moonshine-making family—how and why they did it, the skills, the dangers. And in that context, you’ll get to know and love Jessie Sasser, a teenage girl who is struggling with her father and her family history as well as her problematic body image as she begins to come of age. What would you do if your father was doing something you had good reason to believe put your family in peril? Jessie’s relationship with her younger brother and with her memory of her mother are portrayed with particular poignance. The author balances her deep research into North Carolina moonshine-makers, their mountain hideouts, and their cat-and-mouse relationship with federal agents with fast-paced storytelling to make this, like her earlier novels in this genre a truly original and engaging winner.
Wow! Just wow! This book is filled with all the emotions! It is a must read well written Southern lit! Donna Everhart never disappoints. All her books are five star must read!
Take a trip to the 1960’s and a mountain town in North Carolina! This story focuses on Jessie Sasser as she works through her feelings and life with her family business of making moonshine. I enjoyed the details of the setting and the development of the characters. It was so vivid that I felt as I was watching the story unfold in front of me. How far will one go to protect their family?
I listened to this book and the narrator had a melodious voice. The pacing of the story was great. It was a little slow than I am used to listening to but that was easy to fix with changing the speed. Trigger warning– There is a presence of an eating disorder throughout this story.
Thank you Donna Everhart for a copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Donna Everhart has brought us another gritty coming-of-age tale set in the South. Wilkes County was known as the Moonshine Capital of the World with many families producing and distributing the illegal liquor from the 1920s through the 1960s. Jessie Sasser’s family was one of them. Still struggling as a teen with the tragic death of her mother when she was a young girl, Jessie continues to rebel against the family business she loathes and blames for her mother’s death and her family’s continued struggles. Jessie’s inner demons drive her to punish herself and her family for their perceived sins until she learns that not everything is what it appears to be. To protect her family, she must make difficult decisions about her place in the moonshining legacy. Everhart has a solid ear for dialogue made more powerful by her mastery of the local dialect that never feels overwhelming or contrived. Jessie’s story is both hopeful and heartbreaking, but some demons are hard to outrun, no matter how fast your running car.
This is an amazing story set in North Carolina 1960, where a young woman is morning the loss of her mother, and desperately wants to know how her mama died, even though she witnessed it she really didn’t know how it happened. Her falter runs moonshing business and Jessie doesn’t want anything to do with it seeing that is somehow connected with her mama dying. This is the story about moonshining and you really learn what it may have been like. Jesse wanted to turn her father in but was too chicken. She is aloner at school and doesn’t fit in at home. Jesse feels guilty about everything and you really can feel it. This is very well written and a wonderful story.
Thank you Donna Everhart for allowing me to win this book in one of your giveaways. I can’t wait to read more of your books.
I really enjoyed this book! So many people had told me how good it was and I was afraid it wouldn’t be as good as what everyone was making it out to bed, but it was. I’m so glad I read it and want to recommend it to everyone!
This book was very good. Once I started it I couldn’t put it down. We all have messed up individuals in our family and this family was no exception!! It was full of action and there were parts that happened that weren’t expected so that kept me reading. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the ending. It was unexpected and made me cry!! Great read!!
I absolutely loved this novel! Filled with excitement and sadness, I felt as if I were one of the characters. Growing up in the Brushy Mountains of Wilkes County, North Carolina, sixteen year old Jessie Sasser wants to know the truth about her mama’s death. Unwillingly to talk about it, Jessie’s dad continues the family tradition of making moonshine. Feeling that the moonshine is the reason her mama died, Jessie wants no part of it. Feeling alone and helpless, Jessie begins using food as an outlet. Will the family’s shine business cause more heartache? Will Jessie finally get the questions about her mother answered? Author Donna Everhart writes the most down to earth novels. She can make you feel part of the book and feel the emotions on each page! I am excited to see what is coming next!
There are very few authors I will pre-order a book. I usually go through the library, BUT Donna Everhart is one author I will get a book from before even looking at what it is about because they are that good, this one is no exception in fact I think she has set a new standard for her writing! This books has everything you want in a story, its a book with soul, its a book you will not want to put down (I read it in one day). Treat yourself to this book, it will leave you with a sense of loss after you finish and that I must say is the hallmark of a great story! I recommend this book and her others for those who love great writing.
WOW! Donna Everhart, author of “THE MOONSHINER’S DAUGHTER” has written a captivating, intriguing, riveting, enthralling and thought-provoking novel. The Genres for this novel are Domestic Fiction, Coming of Age Fiction, and Historical Fiction. The novel takes place in the mountains of North Carolina. The timeline for the story is 1960 and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The author describes her dramatic and colorful characters as complex, and complicated. This is a coming of age novel, and also deals with the history of Moonshine. There are betrayals, revenge, vandalism, and murder.
I appreciate Donna Everhart’s storytelling and vivid descriptions of her characters and landscape. Jessie Sasser was very young when her mother was killed. Her father refuses to talk about her death, and Jessie is determined to find out the details. Jessie is 16 years old in this story and is aware of the Moonshining her father and his family has done for years.
I appreciate that Donna Everhart discusses eating disorders, and how that affects her character. Jessie has a major eating disorder. The lifestyle is very hard for Jessie and her brother.
This reminds me of the Hatfield and McCoys, and the feud that they had for years. In North Carolina, the Sasser and another family are fighting over selling Moonshine, and the tills. There is always danger!! I would highly recommend this captivating novel for those readers who enjoy Historical Fiction, and Coming of Age Novels!
Coming of age + southern fiction = a new Donna Everhart book! I have read Donna Everhart’s previous book and was thrilled to read The Moonshiner’s Daughter. Jessie Sasser is the daughter of a moonshiner and witnessed her mother’s death at the age of four. She is now 16 and dealing with a serious eating disorder, unpopularity and the fact that she wants more out of life than running ‘shine. Donna Everhart is an auto-read author for me! The Moonshiner’s Daughter would be a great book club pick!
I really like how this author expresses southern fiction and doesn’t dress it up but tells it like it is. A lot in this book is hard to read but it’s the way many have lived and did their best to get by and squeak out a living. My heart hurt for Jesse and how she just wanted to know about her mother. I like how the eating disorder was addressed. Most don’t realize these things happen in any part of society. I agree with others who say this would make a good book club book. So much going on to discuss. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC
THE MOONSHINER’S DAUGHTER by Donna Everhart is a beautifully-written and compelling work of Southern fiction set in the mountains of Wilkes County, North Carolina in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Sixteen-year-old Jessie Sasser struggles for acceptance in her family and her community and has turned to food as her only source of comfort. When she was only 4-years-old, Jessie witnessed the death of her mother in an accident that seemed to be a result of her parents’ moonshine business. Although the legacy of moonshining has been in their family for generations, Jessie hates that the illicit business robbed her of her mother and she wants no part of it. Filled with grief and inner turmoil, Jessie takes matters into her own hands but little does she know that in doing so, she will be faced with unexpected revelations from the past that will change everything she believes about her family and their business. The characters are portrayed with a raw honesty and heartfelt compassion that made me feel that I was a part of their world. The descriptions of the setting and moonshining business were so vivid and authentic that I was transported to the exact time and place of the story. I have loved Donna Everhart’s previous coming-of-age stories set in the South and was thrilled to have the chance to read her latest book. THE MOONSHINER’S DAUGHTER is a powerful read that will stay with me a long time. I highly recommend it! Thank you to the author for providing me with a print copy of the Advanced Reader’s Edition.
“I didn’t want to be known as the moonshiner’s daughter.” How does a young girl reconcile the hate she feels for her family’s business, which she blames for the death of her mother, with the knowledge that it’s the thing that puts food on their table, clothes on their backs—and is her family’s legacy? And what does she do when she realizes that she’s been wrong? Jessie Sasser is only 4 years old when she witnesses her mother’s death. Years later, when she is sixteen, she continues to abhor the family’s moonshine business, wanting no part of it. Filled with conflict, rage, shame, and grief, Jessie finds comfort in food, and food becomes the monster within. Jessie’s journey filled my own heart with fear and pain, her story resonating with me on a deep, personal level. Her actions and her beliefs belied her age—seemingly mature and street smart, having to fill the role left vacant by her mama when she was a small child. But her naïveté and impulsiveness, her incomprehension of events and emotions, would remind us that she was still a young girl. This is a heart-aching, soul-reaching novel that deals with eating disorders, moonshine, revenge, and loyalty with grittiness, compassion, and hard-truths. Author Donna Everhart excels in writing coming of age fiction featuring young girls facing unbelievable turmoil. She captures the essence of the south during the middle of the 20th century, immersing her readers in that time and place—her southern voice unequaled. With The Moonshiner’s Daughter, she has further cemented her place among the best of southern fiction writers.
Very good story, I loved how the author intertwined bulimia, not commonly diagnosed in the early 1960s, into the story line.
Too long! Good enough story but it dragged on forever.
I won this book because I shared a story about naming my 1988 Chevrolet Silverado, Big Red, and I am so very glad I did. I loved this book!! I live in the mountains of North Carolina where the stills still flow. I have met many shiner’s, so my curiosity was definitely peeked but I just hadn’t got around to ordering it yet. It’s a mistake I won’t make again!
Donna Everhart introduces us to young Jesse Sasser, the daughter of a moonshiner that has been emotionally effected by the tragic loss of her mother and the moonshine that her family has distilled for generations. We are taken back to a time of dirt roads, coveralls, and carefree living. We meet the family, learn the ropes of making that perfect shine, all while we are running from the revenuers!!
It really is a great ride filled with truth, heartache, denial, love, laughter, and loss. The Moonshiner’s Daughter will stick with you long after the last page is turned. And if you are anything like me you will be ready to be taken back to the days where cell phones and social media had no space in our life …I have already ordered and received yet another book by this amazing author!! So, I gotta go…I’ve got more reading to do!! Thanks Donna Everhart!!
Took me back to the days i was growing up.