Paper Moon is the story of Addie Pray, a young girl who travels around the Deep South during the 1930s with her supposed father, Long Boy. Fast talking and with a knack for spotting suckers, Long Boy and Addie quickly become a pair of first rate scammers. As they travel around the South, the scams become bigger and the characters become wilder but their loyalty towards each other only becomes more entrenched.

Paper Moon is a wonderful snap shot of the Deep South in the thirties, told through the eyes of a witty and precocious child. It takes quite an effort to make two swindlers lovable, but Joe David Brown succeeds wonderfully. You root for Long Boy and Addie at every turn and even become fond of the vast variety of characters that you meet along the way.

My only complaint was the somewhat unsatisfactory ending, which I felt was abrupt and had no real resolution. It almost seemed as if Joe David Brown got another great idea and needed to end Paper Moon quickly. The novel also sometimes drags in parts and the heavy Southern dialogue could give those not familiar with the region a head ache.

Still, this novel would be a nice read if you are a fan of such novels like To Kill A Mockingbird for the strong young female narrator. I give it three stars and would recommend it to a select group of people. ( )