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J.'s Reviews > The Moonshine War
The Moonshine War
by Elmore Leonard
by Elmore Leonard
I really liked this book but I can see how it's really not for everyone. I don't usually venture into the historical fiction genre, but when I saw this book at the library I had to pick it up. I've been wanting to read an Elmore Leonard book for quite a while now, and this is a good one to get me started with this author.
The Moonshine War is a historical fiction piece set in 1930's Kentucky during prohibition. Immediately you get a terrific sense of presence, as the author sets up a whiskey raid in the back hills and hollows of rural Kentucky. Part of what I loved about this book is the unapologetic viewpoints and characters. There's no attempt to make the delicate reader LIKE these people. It simply tells a great story and let's you decide. It's a book written by a man, about southern men, doing backwoods hick men things. If that's not in your wheelhouse, then give this one a pass.
The Good: Great dialogue, great cast of villains - nearly all of the usual types are represented, from the simple thug, to the manipulative mastermind - good pace, perfect length, nice action, decent suspense, believable premise and plot from beginning to end.
The Bad: Abrupt end, protagonist isn't proactive, reading this book makes you want to reach for the whiskey bottle just for a snort to relate.
This book didn't get the fifth star for two reasons. One, the abrupt end kind of left me cold. I understand it, I just would have liked to know how some of the character issues were resolved once the book was past its climax. Two, I'm not a huge fan of protagonists that let the action happen to them. Son Martin did very little to try and resolve the situation before it reached the boiling point, and while that was his character's nature, it made me want to wring his neck at times. The highlight of the book for me was the interaction of the trio of villains, Frank Long, Dr. Taulbee and Dual Metters.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever lived in rural America, and anyone who is a fan of historical fiction. If you're a fan of prohibition era fiction and/or moonshine/whiskey then read this book!
The Moonshine War is a historical fiction piece set in 1930's Kentucky during prohibition. Immediately you get a terrific sense of presence, as the author sets up a whiskey raid in the back hills and hollows of rural Kentucky. Part of what I loved about this book is the unapologetic viewpoints and characters. There's no attempt to make the delicate reader LIKE these people. It simply tells a great story and let's you decide. It's a book written by a man, about southern men, doing backwoods hick men things. If that's not in your wheelhouse, then give this one a pass.
The Good: Great dialogue, great cast of villains - nearly all of the usual types are represented, from the simple thug, to the manipulative mastermind - good pace, perfect length, nice action, decent suspense, believable premise and plot from beginning to end.
The Bad: Abrupt end, protagonist isn't proactive, reading this book makes you want to reach for the whiskey bottle just for a snort to relate.
This book didn't get the fifth star for two reasons. One, the abrupt end kind of left me cold. I understand it, I just would have liked to know how some of the character issues were resolved once the book was past its climax. Two, I'm not a huge fan of protagonists that let the action happen to them. Son Martin did very little to try and resolve the situation before it reached the boiling point, and while that was his character's nature, it made me want to wring his neck at times. The highlight of the book for me was the interaction of the trio of villains, Frank Long, Dr. Taulbee and Dual Metters.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever lived in rural America, and anyone who is a fan of historical fiction. If you're a fan of prohibition era fiction and/or moonshine/whiskey then read this book!
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