Review of Joey
Posted: 12 Sep 2021, 17:26
[Following is a volunteer review of "Joey" by Jennie Linnane.]
Joey: The Man from Ironbark Hill by Jennie Linnane is a work of fiction set in a small town in Australia. The story is told from the point of view of several different characters who are all connected to Joey. In the first chapter, we learn that there were complications with Joey’s birth that affected his brain development. With each passing chapter, the reader gains a glimpse into the life of Joey; some memories relate to his early life, but the story becomes more contiguous, following him while he’s middle-aged and becoming involved with his first girlfriend.
We meet some of his family members, friends, and coworkers, and see how Joey interacts with each of these different people. Some conflict arises when a motorcycle gang rolls into town and causes trouble, affecting Joey and the ones he cares about. Things begin to escalate until a dangerous event occurs, threatening the lives of Joey and everyone he holds dear. Details from Joey’s past emerge, causing people to question if he was to blame for the danger they were all in.
This work was a little overwhelming at first as there are at least eight different narrators, which makes it difficult to keep everyone straight. Some of the early chapters barely mention Joey at all, but as the work goes on, he becomes the focus of the narrators. Although the early chapters did not seem to be as relevant to the story as the later chapters, they served to provide some background concerning the other characters that added to the depth of the story.
I usually find at least one thing that I don’t prefer about a book, but I liked everything about this work. The characters were well-written and had varying stories and backgrounds, but they were still connected enough to be narrators in the story. Linnane also did an excellent job at creating the setting and giving it a small-town feel. The story is about Joey but is told by other people until the last chapter. Linnane made the last chapter a letter written by Joey, and it was so perfect to have his voice end the story in that way.
Joey: The Man from Ironbark Hill by Jennie Linnane gets a 4 out of 4 stars rating from me. The characters were excellent, the way the story was told through people adjacent to Joey was excellent, and the author’s writing style was superb. This was such a heartwarming tale, and I was invested in the characters after just a few chapters. I recommend this work to anyone who likes stories set in rural towns, stories about family relationships, and stories that are uplifting. This is book 3 of the Ironbark Hill series, but it can be read as a standalone story.
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Joey
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Joey: The Man from Ironbark Hill by Jennie Linnane is a work of fiction set in a small town in Australia. The story is told from the point of view of several different characters who are all connected to Joey. In the first chapter, we learn that there were complications with Joey’s birth that affected his brain development. With each passing chapter, the reader gains a glimpse into the life of Joey; some memories relate to his early life, but the story becomes more contiguous, following him while he’s middle-aged and becoming involved with his first girlfriend.
We meet some of his family members, friends, and coworkers, and see how Joey interacts with each of these different people. Some conflict arises when a motorcycle gang rolls into town and causes trouble, affecting Joey and the ones he cares about. Things begin to escalate until a dangerous event occurs, threatening the lives of Joey and everyone he holds dear. Details from Joey’s past emerge, causing people to question if he was to blame for the danger they were all in.
This work was a little overwhelming at first as there are at least eight different narrators, which makes it difficult to keep everyone straight. Some of the early chapters barely mention Joey at all, but as the work goes on, he becomes the focus of the narrators. Although the early chapters did not seem to be as relevant to the story as the later chapters, they served to provide some background concerning the other characters that added to the depth of the story.
I usually find at least one thing that I don’t prefer about a book, but I liked everything about this work. The characters were well-written and had varying stories and backgrounds, but they were still connected enough to be narrators in the story. Linnane also did an excellent job at creating the setting and giving it a small-town feel. The story is about Joey but is told by other people until the last chapter. Linnane made the last chapter a letter written by Joey, and it was so perfect to have his voice end the story in that way.
Joey: The Man from Ironbark Hill by Jennie Linnane gets a 4 out of 4 stars rating from me. The characters were excellent, the way the story was told through people adjacent to Joey was excellent, and the author’s writing style was superb. This was such a heartwarming tale, and I was invested in the characters after just a few chapters. I recommend this work to anyone who likes stories set in rural towns, stories about family relationships, and stories that are uplifting. This is book 3 of the Ironbark Hill series, but it can be read as a standalone story.
******
Joey
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon