Lawless (Audible Audio Edition) Matt Bondurant Erik Steele Audible Studios Books
Download As PDF : Lawless (Audible Audio Edition) Matt Bondurant Erik Steele Audible Studios Books
White mule, white lightning, firewater, popskull, wild cat, stump whiskey, or rotgut? Whatever you called it, Franklin County was awash in moonshine in the 1920s. During Prohibition, the Bondurant Boys were moonshiners and notorious roughnecks who ran liquor though Franklin County, Virginia. Based on the true story of Matt Bondurant's grandfather and two granduncles, Lawless is a gripping tale of brotherhood, greed, and murder. Forrest, the eldest brother, is fierce, mythically indestructible, and the consummate businessman; Howard, the middle brother, is an ox of a man besieged by the horrors he witnessed in the Great War; and Jack, the youngest, has a taste for luxury and a dream to get out of Franklin. Driven and haunted, these men forge a business, fall in love, and struggle to stay afloat as they watch the world they know crumble around them.
Lawless (Audible Audio Edition) Matt Bondurant Erik Steele Audible Studios Books
Having seen the movie Lawless, I was intrigued enough to go back and read the book that started it all. And I'm damned glad I did. While Prohibition for most people means Eliot Ness and Al Capone, Matt Bondurant's book is about so much more than the hot mountain liquor that was sold quietly over the counter all across Franklin County during that period.It is an absolutely thumping good outlaw tale with crooked cops and shoot-outs, and laced with just enough violence to give the whole story a tightly-wound atmosphere of tension. It is easy to see why John Hillcoat thought enough of it to make it into a movie. The writing crackles hot, sweeping the reader from one chapter to another at breakneck pace. Bondurant's characters are richly drawn, and the relationship between the brothers at the centre of the story bursts into life off the page.
My only gripe is the way the chapters jump back and forth in time, bu other than that I can't recommend it highly enough.
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Lawless (Audible Audio Edition) Matt Bondurant Erik Steele Audible Studios Books Reviews
The stereotype of the hillbilly making moonshine is one that runs deep in American culture. But with all stereotypes, you need to separate fiction from fact to truly understand reality. Matt Bondurant uses the history of his own family to tell the story of moonshining during the 20's and 30's in his book The Wettest County in the World A Novel Based on a True Story. Bondurant does an excellent job painting a picture of the hardscrabble lives of people in Virginia's Franklin county. I didn't think the book worked very well as a story, as it seemed disjointed as it bounced back and forth between events five years apart. Still, the writing pulls you into the mindset that made Franklin county the center of moonshine production and distribution during the days of Prohibition and the Great Depression.
The story primarily follows the activities of Forrest, Howard, and Jack Bondurant as they grew up in Franklin county. Nearly everyone had some involvement when it came to running stills and selling moonshine into a market that had no limits on demand for the product. As one might expect, a mix of alcohol, money, and guns meant that reputation and retribution was essential to survival. The name Bondurant was one that was feared, as they'd do whatever was necessary to even a score. Forrest survived a sliced throat in a parking lot ambush, and Howard was a beast of a man who drank to excess and fought just as hard. Even Jack, the youngest of the three, was able to overcome his fear and pull a trigger when the money was on the line.
Even though it was illegal, the local sheriffs turned a blind eye towards moonshining as it was the best way to keep the peace and bring money into the area. This changed when a few authorities decided to take advantage of increased federal enforcement. The plan was to extract a "fee" for each still and for each liquor distribution run. For that, the local law would distract the feds and send them to stills that weren't paying the fee. As the Bondurants felt that things were fine as is, they refused to go along. This put them at odds with the law and with others in the county, especially with a few deputies who had egos and attitudes that didn't belong behind a gun. It was only a matter of time before a confrontation would happen that would alter the lives of everyone involved.
The writing in terms of mood, setting, and personalities is pitch-perfect. It was a hard time and a hard life, and Bondurant exposes that on nearly every page. It's really hard not to be depressed as you're reading, as everyone is incredibly stoic and it's a given that a person will work hard for little reward, day after day after day. On the flip side, the actual story line was hard to follow. It took a while to get to the point where I knew where things were headed, and the time switches between the current and final events disrupted the flow for me. Had I not been so immersed in the characters and setting, I'm not sure I would have liked the book much at all.
The Wettest County in the World is one of those books where I end up averaging things out to come up with a rating. To me, the story was at best a 3. On the other hand, the writing was stellar. Your view of the book will likely depend on which element you find more important.
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Book and film are both excellent. The film kind of moves the characters around but gets the point across. I found it a delight to read and the characters I could vividly see in my mysterious mind and could feel the abject poverty that prevailed during this period. My Grandparents grew up and lived through the great depression and I remember first hand how everything had a use and you never threw anything away and were thankful for what you had. A lesson today's generation should learn.
Call me clueless, but I had no idea that the movie "Lawless" was actually a book until the beginning of the movie 'based on a true story.' Yet, as soon as I saw the title of the book and the author on the end credits, I immediately purchased the edition.
First, I could relate to the idea of three tough, stoic brothers supporting themselves the only way they knew how. It reminded me of my father and uncles [who where born between 1915-1925]. The author presented it in a way where I could relate to Jack Bondurant's fascination with his elder brother, Forrest. I was the same way with my father and uncles. I was a late birth to my parents, so they came from an entirely different generation. In fact, my father claimed to have bootlegged himself. So there were so many things in which I could relate.
Second, the book was gritty, brutally honest, and didn't necessarily seduce readers into thinking the liquor business was glamorous. It presented the exact opposite. The corruption within the ATU and other officials was galling. However, it was totally believable. Small towns still operate within a corrupt system. I know this from experience. Mr. Bondurant made this very clear. I love the truth, rawness, and the brilliant premise. I have always wanted to dig into my father's past to find out what he did. Yet, at the same time, folks who love the mule would never open their mouths, just like Mr. Bondurant suggested at the end of the book.
Third, there was some confusion. The book is written in an uneven manner. I understand that Mr. Bondurant explained how he collected information for his book. This is not necessarily the author's fault, as he was writing according to family stories and newspaper articles. Overall, the book was phenomenal. As an aside, Mr. Bondurant mentioned that the soda used to either cut the mule or chase it, Sun Drop, was only sold in Virginia. I live in Arkansas, and we have that brand of soda, so while drinking the legal mule in my fridge, I'll keep that in mind.
Having seen the movie Lawless, I was intrigued enough to go back and read the book that started it all. And I'm damned glad I did. While Prohibition for most people means Eliot Ness and Al Capone, Matt Bondurant's book is about so much more than the hot mountain liquor that was sold quietly over the counter all across Franklin County during that period.
It is an absolutely thumping good outlaw tale with crooked cops and shoot-outs, and laced with just enough violence to give the whole story a tightly-wound atmosphere of tension. It is easy to see why John Hillcoat thought enough of it to make it into a movie. The writing crackles hot, sweeping the reader from one chapter to another at breakneck pace. Bondurant's characters are richly drawn, and the relationship between the brothers at the centre of the story bursts into life off the page.
My only gripe is the way the chapters jump back and forth in time, bu other than that I can't recommend it highly enough.
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