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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I found the book really interesting but thought there were times it dragged. The war between families is very well known in the South and especially in the South and Appalachian regions of the United States. This story brings us along with the life of Jesse Sasser and her family and all those who she connects with in her teen years. Although, she is facing some major mental issues she is also fighting to find her place in the world around her. She is trying to come to terms with violence and horror she sees as a child and an image of herself that is not real. The ending was a surprise and I found myself wanting to take Jesse in my arms and tell her she was really worth something.
It was obvious from the start that author, Donna Everhart, did an enormous amount of research while writing this story. It takes a couple of tough subjects head on. The history surrounding the days of moonshining is not new to any of us, but the gut wrenching day to day “business” of it is blatantly brought to life in this book. The business was risky and dangerous, for sure, but also profitable. It kept many families afloat financially. It could bind a family together, but it could also tear a family apart.
Life in the North Carolina mountains in the 1960’s was harsh. The extra income from making moonshine was essential to many. If you were part of a family in the “business” then you were expected to do your part to keep it successful AND hidden except to your customers. But what if you WERE part of a moonshine making family but you did NOT want to have anything to do with the family business? That is the position we find the main character, Jessie Sasser, in. She is convinced that it was the family business that killed her mama and she wants nothing to do with it!
Life in the mountains with no mother, a moonshining father, and a younger brother eager to carry on the family tradition, took its toll on 16 year old Jessie. Her family situation and her negative self image contributed to an eating disorder that affected her in ways that she wasn’t letting herself be aware of.
I listened to this book and the narrator, Amy Melissa Bentley, was awesome! I have to be honest, this was a difficult book to get through. It is dark and depressing and I found myself angry all the while listening to it. That said… it is what it was. The writing was exceptional to be able to put you in that situation – the way it was.
Little slow in capturing me then I got caught up in it and really enjoyed it.
Two interesting topics going on throughout the book that kept you interested in reading. An enjoyable story.
Very strange book. Interesting to meet a nurse in the 60s who was knowledgeable about bulimia. Not the best book I have ever read not the worst.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommended it to my bookclub. Strong woman.
Meet the book that got me out of my reading slump! Once again Donna Everhart has written an incredible story of family, loss, and love.
Jessie lost her mother at a very young age and has only flashes of memory to remind her who her mother was. She desperately wants to know more, but her father is extremely tight-lipped which only causes her to become increasingly frustrated and to make some questionable decisions.
Jessie lives in the shadow of her family. She is inquisitive, stubborn, and most importantly determined not to be known forever as the moonshiner’s daughter.
This book took me right to North Carolina in the 1960’s, where the underground moonshine business is thriving and very dangerous. While a lot of this story is about Jessie’s family and the moonshine business, there is a whole lot more to this book than what meets the eye! It is a raw, powerful story about a girl who is struggling and no one can see it, not even her.
For an atmospheric, thought-provoking read, be sure to check out this amazing story!
I selected this book because the theme was different for a change. Set in a northwestern county of North Carolina, in the beautiful Blue Ridge, it was easy to imagine a hidden distillery. One of the things that happens when a book title features the Daughter of… or the Wife of… is how little importance that figure features in the story. Not the case here! The story is ALL about the moonshiner’s daughter. It’s a portrait of a troubled young girl, that begins when she witnesses the traumatic event of her mother burning alive. As consequences of the trade eventually affect each remaining family member, the mystery of the mother’s tragic death comes to light. The story is immediately engaging, well written and realistic, but a little on the dark side.
BOOK REVIEW: The Moonshiner’s Daughter by Donna Everhart
When a new release by author Donna Everhart is announced, you can be certain you’re in store for a unique and compelling experience through the pages of a story she has created. The Moonshiner’s Daughter is no exception.
Family heritage and its bitter challenges within the secretive world of Moonshine in North Carolina~ 1950s, you’ll witness a dramatic generational pull between members of The Sasser Family and the Murrys, one that will grab you from the very first sentence. A narrative that will lead you on an extraordinary journey, back to another time ~ one of triumph, tragedy and resilience~and it’s dramatic test as to the soundness of the human spirit itself.
The Moonshiner’s Daughter is as heart-rending as it is powerful, and with the added intensity of a conclusion you most certainly will not be anticipating, you will find yourself as intrigued by its ending as you were with its beginning.
The ability to give a distinctive voice and life to these most interesting of characters with their darkest of secrets, their strengths and vulnerabilities, is a true testament to the author’s talent in writing a story that will touch on your every emotion.
The Moonshiner’s Daughter comes alive with a southern-grit all its own.
5 Stars
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Wild Sage Book Blog
Novels N Latte Book Club
Excellent story keeps you involved until the very end.
“Maybe What mattered was for me to feel like less of an outsider, more like I belong, a part of something.”. This is a coming-of-age story of 16-yr-old, Jessie, set in 1960 in the “moonshine mountains” of North Carolina. Jessie not only is fighting her inner-demons of growing up without her Mama, but is also struggling with whether she continues her family legacy or stands on her own. This a beautifully written family drama filled with a lot of emotion and struggles and @donnaeve2 is so good at really bringing her characters to life! I also have had the pleasure of enjoying her previous book, THE ROAD TO BITTERSWEET, and look forward to reading the rest of her books! I would recommend this for a bookclub that wants to skip the “feel good” book and really discuss a strong/emotional read!
I had been excited to read this book because the synopsis sounds promising, but the part of the storyline that “compels her to take comfort in food” didn’t flow for me. Every time the story would transition to that part, I found myself losing interest and wanting to walk away from it. I definitely didn’t hate it, but it was only a middle-of-the-road/ok read for me.
I loved this book. It was creative and easy to read. I mentioned to my bookclub and one of the ladies said her grandfather was a moonshiner in Maryland. I asked if he had ever been caught and she replied “he spent two years in jail”.
Jessie Sasser was four years old when her Mama died, and she blames her Daddy, Easton, for it. The way she sees it, if her Daddy wasn’t obsessed with making moonshine—just like all the Sassers that came before him—her Mama might still be alive. Instead, all she has left of her is the horrifying memory of seeing her engulfed in flames. Making moonshine is in her veins, or so Easton says, and her younger brother Merritt agrees… but they’re both wrong. Jessie hates moonshine, and she’s come up with a plan to destroy all of her Daddy’s stills… not knowing her actions would lead to terrible consequences that would touch the lives of everyone closest to her.
“The only memory I have of Mama, she was on fire.”
That is how you hook your readers from the very first line—and I was well and truly hooked from there on out.
Readers see everything through Jessie’s eyes, learning about past and present events that happen in the story through her narration. It’s clear right from the start that Jessie remains profoundly affected by the loss of her mother, the pain of that loss made worse by the horrific way she died. In the earliest parts of the story, Jessie asks questions about her mother repeatedly, but is stonewalled not only by Easton, but her Uncle Virgil, as well, who insists it isn’t his place to tell her anything. Denied the answers she craves and forced to help make the moonshine she despises, Jessie turns to coping methods that are as obsessive as they are dangerous.
I was immediately drawn to Jessie’s character. By the time I’d finished reading the first chapter, I felt fiercely protective of her. Every time something troubling was happening that either focused directly on Jessie, or affected her deeply, I’d have to pause for a moment before moving on. Each new tribulation she faced weighed heavily on my heart, and even when she rose to the occasion and faced head on, I couldn’t help but wonder just how much that poor girl could take. Jessie was the quintessential dichotomy of strength and fragility—always pushing forward and doing what she must, even when she had to fight her own weaknesses or self-doubt in order to do it.
Betrayal lies at the heart of this story. It is a recurring theme that comes from both expected and unexpected sources, and drives a large portion of the story forward. Justice and injustice were accompanying motifs, brought into sharp focus when the Sasser family was harassed by rival bootleggers. An ordinary family would be able to turn to the law for help, but how can you get justice when you, yourself, are also guilty of criminal acts? What can you do, when you must deny yourself the help you would otherwise feel safe to seek?
I came away from this story feeling as if I’d walked alongside Jessie every step of the way. Whether she tending the stills, fighting adversities, or struggling with her inner demons, I was there. I felt her anger and frustration, her worries and fears. I could have wept with pride at her triumphs, because when they came, it meant the world to me in that moment. I don’t think I’ll ever forget Jessie Sasser, and part of that is because of the way the book ended. I wish I could discuss that ending in this review, but of course, I can’t. I’ll just say that it took my breath away, without explaining why.
Everhart has once again written a deeply moving story with richly imagined characters and situations that prove to be infinitely fascinating. Having read all her previous novels, I had high hopes for The Moonshiner’s Daughter, and expected it to be good, but I was absolutely blown away by how outstanding it was. I highly recommend this book for fans of southern fiction and historical fiction. You do NOT want to miss out on this one, folks.
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Kensington via Netgalley.
Moonshiner’s Daughter by Donna Everhart
This is an amazing story set in North Carolina 1960, where a young woman is navigating the loss of her mother, and torn between the morality of her family’s legacy and the money they earn that puts food on their table. When she was only four years old, Jessie Sasser witnessed the death of her mother, burning alive from what she understands to be caused by their family’s Moonshine business. Her father refuses to talk about it.
Her father is convinced that moonshining runs in their blood as they are well known in those parts to having the best moonshine. Jessie would not have anything to do with the money they earn – refusing to eat or even buying much needed clothes! Determined to destroy the stills, her plans backfire when old rivalry escalates.
This is the first book I have read from Donna Everhart and what a great experience it was to read her amazing and unique characters full of grit, passion and strength.
The writing is solid and the plot kept my interest and fingers turning those pages. It was an entertaining read for me that I really enjoyed!
The Moonshiner’s Daughter is an incredible, poignant heartfelt novel that hooked me from page one.
The time period is the 1950’s and 1960’s which takes place up in the Mountains of South Carolina.
The research that the author put into this novel is extraordinary and I learned about the history of moonshine in this area.
The characters are complicated, complex and well fleshed out. The story will break your heart and give you faith in the human spirit all at the same time. I appreciate the themes of grief, eating disorders, love and forgiveness .
I cried like a baby and laughed equally as much.
The plot is wonderfully crafted with incredible descriptive writings in which I felt immersed right in the story.
This book was so emotional for me, and I absolutely LOVED it.
I highly recommend this book .
What an amazing coming-of-age book based in the south! I loved the background of being a moonshiner as well as the look into a young girls’ struggle with an eating disorder. Having grown up down the road from Wilkes County, I had heard about “shining.” However, I was not aware of all of the dynamics of being a moonshiner or part of their family. The dynamics of family relationships, loss, violence, prejudices of the community, ostracization by schoolmates, and fear will move you and have you flipping the pages to see what the Sasser family will face next.
A shocking but emotional ending to the book, but the author has done a wonderful job of sharing life in the NC mountains. I highly recommend reading this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Set in 1960’s North Carolina. Jessie Sasser’s family has a long legacy of making and running moonshine on Shine Mountain. Seeing her mother die a horrific death when she was very young has Jessie dead set against the family business. It leaves her with many questions about her mother and a eating disorder. Running shine isn’t easy, even with Sally Sue a rocket of a car. Mayhem,rivalry and the revenuers takes it’s toll on this family leaving Jessie with a choice to make about her family legacy. I was hooked by the first page and an ending I never saw coming. Everhart is a gifted writer that captures the magic and the madness of the gritty south with hauntingly beautiful stories that linger. This is the book all the book clubs will be talking about in 2020. I highly recommend.
Dawnny-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley is
Author : Donna Everhart
The Moonshiner’s Daughter
368 pages
Publication date: January 1, 2020
Publisher: Kensington Books
5
Description:
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 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.
MY REVIEW
Wow , just wow ! The Moonshiner’s Daughter is a wonderful yet sad beautifully written story that had me from the very first page. The story is takes place during the late 1950s and 1960s in the Brushy Mountains of Wilkes County North Carolina . Which also happens to be the capital of moonshine in the south. Living in Wilkes County myself I was so excited to read this book. The author obviously did a lot of research on moonshine and the area.
The moonshiners daughter will pull at your heartstrings as you follow Jessie on her journey. It is a story of love lost ,grief, moonshine,grudges ,revenge, betrayal, murder,
eating disorders, sacrifices and forgiveness.
The characters were all wonderful and well drawn .
I felt so connected to each of them like I knew them personally. I especially loved the characters Jessie and Mrs Brewster, the school nurse. I laughed , smiled , and cried. I could not possibly imagine losing my mother at such a young age.
The author has a wonderful writing style and she WILL draw you in and keep your attention and not let go. The plot, the characters and the writing is all great. All of the scenes were perfectly described. It was easy to feel as if you were right there in the middle of all of it. I felt like I was living Jessie life not just reading about it. The descriptions were so well done. It was as if I was right there. I could smell the smells and visualize everything. Jessie story was written with so much heart. I cried and hurt along with her. I wanted to jump through the pages to hold and comfort her. No child should ever have to grow up without their mother. At times this story was so hard to read and I would have to take breaks. I can’t imagine the tears that this author must have shed while writing Jesse’s beautiful yet raw Story. This story is going to stick with me for a very long time. The ending , while not the ending I had hoped for was the perfect ending for this story.
If you have not read one of Donna Everhart’s book you really should. This one will stay with me a long time.
Many thanks to the Publisher and the Author , for a ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon. It does not have to be long. Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do. Authors really appreciate every review they get !
“The Moonshiner’s Daughter” grabbed me from the very beginning and did not let go.
The characters were interesting and well written.
There were a few surprises in the story that caught me off guard. The end had me gaping open-mouthed….. literally !!!!!
Historical Fiction is not my typical genre, but I have to say I’m glad I took this book for a whirl!
I definitely recommend this book by Donna Everhart! Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for fair and honest review.
4 Stars.