The Moonshine Women - by Michelle Collins Anderson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

For readers of Jeannette Walls, Robert Goolrick, and Sue Monk Kidd, three sisters take over their father's Ozark Mountains moonshine business in an evocative, Prohibition-era story of reinvention, sisterhood, revenge, and the alchemy of love from the USA Today bestselling author of The Flower Sisters.

From a well-camouflaged still in the moonshine-slicked mountains of Prohibition-era Missouri, to the drink order of a Hot Springs gangster, and even the hidden depths of her own heart, a Strong woman knows how to keep a secret...

Every batch of Strong moonshine has its own special flavor, thanks to the secret ingredients that matriarch Lidy Strong adds to the barrels of fermenting corn mash. Whether a bucketful of golden peaches, a ripe melon or juicy, jewel-toned berries, that extra "something something" is what makes the Strong "shine" so prized--and allows the family to survive after crop prices plummeted in the wake of the Great War.

Each of the Strong sisters, too, is distinct. The stoic and steadfast eldest, Rebecca, finds more comfort in nature than with people...until she finds a new home in the love she discovers for the woman who restores her health after a near-devastating accident. Middle sister Elsie is kind, beautiful--and itching for a life more thrilling than the farm can offer. And Jace, the bold and wild-hearted youngest, is known far and wide as "Shine," a name that suits her fiery personality and flaming red hair as much as her innate skill with a still.

Their father, Hiram, has been drowning himself in grief and liquor ever since his wife died. But the moonshine business is unforgiving, especially with Prohibition agents turning up in every creek and holler. When tragedy strikes, it falls to the Strong women to keep the still running, the family together, and hope burning on the horizon.

From the Ozark mountains edged in oak and pine, to the outlaw paradise of Hot Springs, Arkansas--where gangsters like Al Capone line the bar at the Southern Club--the sisters' quests for vengeance, healing, and love will drive them forward, in search of a future as transformative and powerful as the purest Strong moonshine.

Review Quotes

Praise for Michelle Collins Anderson:

"A feminine odyssey of legendary proportions, The Moonshine Women absolutely brims with hope, heat, and heart. Tender and gripping, this story is juicy all the way down to the last drop." --Amy Jo Burns, author of Shiner

"This captivating story of family secrets, vengeance, run-ins with the law, and even gangsters such as Al Capone, are impeccably crafted. The descriptive prose will have you breathing in the Ozark mountain air as the determined Strong sisters do whatever it takes to keep their family together, and they'll leave you thinking about them long after closing the book." --Loretta Ellsworth, author of The French Winemaker's Daughter on The Moonshine Women

"A must-purchase for Ozarks-region libraries. Recommended for readers who enjoy novels about strong women characters and rural survival." --Library Journal on The Moonshine Women

"A vivid blend of sensorial writing, historical detail, and memorable characters. Poignant, compelling, and surprising, here is an insightful story of the weight of long-held secrets and the resulting hunger for truth." --Susan Meissner, USA Today bestselling author of Only the Beautiful on The Flower Sisters

"A rich and poignant tale of a small Ozarks town's factual tragedy, its generational secrets and the juxtapose of searching and belonging." --Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek series on The Flowers Sisters

"Combined with an intriguing historical event and charismatic characters with deeply held secrets, the end result is a mesmerizing story about reconciling guilt and letting go of the past so new beginnings are possible. Anderson's talent is undeniable and held me spellbound until the very last page." --Donna Everhart, author of The Saints of Swallow Hill on The Flower Sisters

"Michelle writes stories with a big heart, on family and human relationships and the inevitability of change and loss." --David Haynes, author of The Full Matilda

"The Flower women are wonderful creations, strong, conflicted characters." --Historical Novels Review on The Flower Sisters

About the Author

Michelle Collins Anderson is the USA Today bestselling author of The Moonshine Women and The Flower Sisters, which was a Missouri Library Association Literary Award winner, the Scenic Regional Library, Washington Public Library & East Central College Community Reads selection, and winner of the "Show Me" Award from the Missouri Writers' Guild. She grew up on a farm in the Missouri Ozarks -- a place and a way of life that has shaped her writing. A graduate of the University of Missouri with a MFA from Warren Wilson College, she previously worked in advertising and public relations, taught elementary school creative writing, and was an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri and Stephens College. She serves on the board of The Missouri Review and her Pushcart Prize-nominated short fiction has appeared in numerous publications. A mother of three, she lives with her family in St. Louis, Missouri. She can be found online at MichelleAnderson.me.