The Tilted World by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly

The Mississippi River was home to Dixie Clay after she married her husband, Jesse. at the ripe old age of sixteen.  She really didn't know anything about what he did for a living, and she certainly didn't know he was a bootlegger.

THE TILTED WORLD is set in Mississippi during the flooding in the 1920's and has a very eccentric set of characters. There are bootleggers, revenuers trying to catch the bootleggers, women who are supporting their bootlegging husbands, and a baby who along with Dixie Clay are two of the main characters, and the characters that carry the storyline.

Dixie Clay and the baby will warm your heart, and Jesse will make you want to set him straight for how he treats Dixie Clay.  

Ingersoll and Ham are the revenuers who have out-of-the ordinary backgrounds...especially Ingersoll.  Ingersoll’s background tells his story in flashbacks.  His background made him the “sweet” man Dixie Clay became ‘sweet” on. 

Franklin and Fennelly are master storytellers, and their detail is incredible.  You will easily feel the river rising, the steels bubbling, the energy in the speakeasies, and the life that was lead in Mississippi at this time.  The writing is smooth and easy and will pull you in just as the river does as the story unfolds.

The book is definitely character driven and quite easy to become involved with the characters whether they are upstanding or not.  There actually aren't too many upstanding characters, but I really enjoyed THE TILTED WORLD once it got on its way.

I didn't know what to expect at first, but THE TILTED WORLD is quite appealing because of the characters and the amazing writing.  You will also find out the meaning of the title.

The ending will have you on the edge of your seat, but it will also have you smiling.  4/5

This book was given to me free of charge by the publisher and without compensation in return for an honest review.