Overall rating and opinion of "Ironbark Hill" by Jennie Linnane

Use this forum to discuss the April 2018 Book of the Month, "Ironbark Hill" by Jennie Linnane
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Eryn Bradshaw
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Re: Overall rating and opinion of "Ironbark Hill" by Jennie Linnane

Post by Eryn Bradshaw »

I thought the book was fantastically written. Not my normal sort of read but I loved reading it. Linnane has a great way with words, from the vivid imagery of Ironbark Hill and Australia to the accents of the characters. You can almost hear what the characters are saying in their country accents. I would highly recommend this book to high school age students or older.
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Post by amandathebibliophile »

What a beautiful story! Natalia is a lovely young girl with dreams of becoming an artist. She also takes on the difficult role of caring for her family, and protecting them from their abusive step-father. I wish her mom would’ve stepped up to the plate more in this regard. I will definitely recommend this book to other people, because it has important messages that many people can relate to.
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Post by bukworm543 »

ADunham wrote: 05 Apr 2018, 20:56 I could not honestly get very involved in this story. The plot moved to slowly and other than showing how much a person can truly overcome it did not seem to have a real point. However, the characters were well developed. Each had their own way of speaking and were easily distinguishable from one another which I loved. I also have to say that, while I did not enjoy it very much, it was quite well written and there was enough foreshadowing to keep me interested to read until the end. My main complaint would be that the scenes where any type of real action were involved came and went before I had even realized they had occurred. It tended to be a bit anti-climactic in that respect.
Thank you for sharing. Good character development is one of the hallmarks of a good book, but I agree with you that there also needs to be an interesting plot to engage the reader.
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Calypso Terrier
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Post by Calypso Terrier »

"Ironbark Hill" is a very interesting book. I love how it was told from the perspective of a young girl dreaming to be an artist. Natalia's love for her mom, brother, and artwork really drew me into this book.
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Post by Mindy Conahye »

This sounds like a really good book with likable characters and a good plot. I think I would enjoy this book based on the comments.
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Post by ChristeenaP »

I loved reading this book! The turn of events In the last few chapters was my favorite part! There were some sentences that could have been worded differently to make them easier to read. I would definitely recommend Ironbark Hill to others! It may have been slower in the beginning, but by the end, things speed up!
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Post by Alice Thokchom »

This is a great story and I feel sympathy for the protagonist. This is the present day reality in many families. I would recommend it for everyone.
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Analeigh
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Post by Analeigh »

BDTheresa wrote: 02 Apr 2018, 02:31 It's a great story. Natalia is a young flawless girl with dreams and hope. A girl who was trying to be there for her mother and siblings. Why didn't her mother take upon that role and responsibility to be there for Natalie and her siblings instead. I will definitely recommend this book to other people, because it relates to the lives of both teens and adults.
Looks interesting! I’m looking forward to checking this out.
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Post by Theresa Moffitt »

Aisha I wrote: 04 Apr 2018, 17:42 The book is an inspirational story for the young and old, I love and care so much for Natalie whose struggles and hardworking skills were just to take care of her beloved mother. that's the beauty of the heart of a female child to the parents. all the settings and plotting is perfectly put in place here.
what I dislike so much here is where her mother wasn't there for her as well. I think she would have done better in this book by transferring her care to her daughter as well no matter the circumstances.
I strongly recommend this book to everyone out there, there's always a lesson to be learnt from this inspirational piece
I thought this was a great comment. I have been thinking of adding this book to my reading list but I have seen mixed reviews. I think this sounds very interesting though so I am going to download it.
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Post by KDJ »

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was well written and I really felt for Natalie. I thought the ending was fitting. I did not feel for her step-father at all. Overall I liked this book. I gave Ironbark Hill 4 out of 4 stars.

This is my review.
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Post by Tobiasblackwell »

Natalie was indeed a remarkable character who, through empathy and love, was able to be a light to her siblings. Her strength in times of trials inspires me to better myself. :!:
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Post by dwightyb7 »

Just completed Ironbark Hill by Jennie Linnane and I have to say it is the most well written, descriptive and engaging book I have read in a long while. The main character Natalie tells us the story of her 16th year and all that can happen in a family when there is dysfunction and addiction. The epilogue was also a pleasant surprise! I found nothing that I disliked about the book and as mentioned the descriptions throughout the story were intense, appropriate and complex. I rated this book 4 out of 4 stars.
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Post by Bluebird03 »

I have already recommended the book to several people. Natalie was such a strong, nurturing and caring character. I loved the way she cared for her animals and her family members. Watching her navigate her world with all that she had to overcome was quite awe-inspiring. This was a great saga- that would make an excellent movie!
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Post by Prisallen »

I liked this book and would recommend it to others. I found Natalie inspirational in how she took up for her family and her cow.
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Post by Kaylee Elmer »

I gave Ironbark Hill 3 out of 4 stars. I felt like it started out really slow, and I wasn't sure I would like the book at first. Once it got going though I couldn't stop reading it. I really wanted to know what happened to Natalie and her family. I can't wait to read the sequel.
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