Review of The Ironbark Hill Saga
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
-
Jeffrey Brown 5
- Book of the Month Participant
- Posts: 46
- Joined: 02 Jan 2024, 01:20
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 28
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jeffrey-brown-5.html
- Latest Review: First Survivor by Mark Unger
Review of The Ironbark Hill Saga
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Ironbark Hill Saga" by Jennie Linnane.]
The story of the family of Ironbark Hill is told as a memoir describing a poor, hardscrabble existence beginning in the 1950’s. Part 1 is narrated by 16-year-old Natalie Chapman, a one-quarter part Aboriginal child in Australia. She works for a wealthy English couple as a housekeeper and also receives occasional art instruction from the lady of the house. No longer in school, Natalie divides her time between work and her home duties caring for her developmentally disabled brother, her younger half-sisters, and her grandfather. She must also defend herself, her siblings, and her mother from her abusive, alcoholic stepfather, while also dealing with the racial prejudice of the small town’s people, a prejudice luckily not shared by her supportive employers.
Natalie’s teenage emotions are expectedly dramatic, providing much of the excitement and encouraging sympathy for her character. From ecstasy to agony and back again, she carries the reader forward showing the world through her eyes. Her determination and resiliency are truly admirable.
The stepfather Alex is presented as a very realistic adversary. A classic “mean drunk”, Alex is by turns responsible and respectable then violent and dangerous, beating his wife and children and allowing his home and life to decay into ruin. Natalie sets herself to defy him and then destroy him when possible. The tension is ever-present throughout Part 1.
Parts 2 and 3 are narrated by each of the other characters with their own perspectives and opinions rounding out the continuing events of the story. Time becomes somewhat difficult to keep track of as the characters age. Descriptions bounce between present and past making it awkward trying to picture the individuals during each tale. The tone of Parts 2 and 3 is considerably different from Part 1, much slower and less dramatic and developing each character as a distinct individual.
Throughout the entire saga the author skillfully uses descriptions of color and texture to vividly create the landscape of Ironbark Hill and its environs in the mind’s eye. I found this to be one of the strongest features of this book and they are to be commended for it.
Overall, Part 1 is the most powerful and is capable of standing on its own. The other two parts are readable but not as compelling. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.
******
The Ironbark Hill Saga
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The story of the family of Ironbark Hill is told as a memoir describing a poor, hardscrabble existence beginning in the 1950’s. Part 1 is narrated by 16-year-old Natalie Chapman, a one-quarter part Aboriginal child in Australia. She works for a wealthy English couple as a housekeeper and also receives occasional art instruction from the lady of the house. No longer in school, Natalie divides her time between work and her home duties caring for her developmentally disabled brother, her younger half-sisters, and her grandfather. She must also defend herself, her siblings, and her mother from her abusive, alcoholic stepfather, while also dealing with the racial prejudice of the small town’s people, a prejudice luckily not shared by her supportive employers.
Natalie’s teenage emotions are expectedly dramatic, providing much of the excitement and encouraging sympathy for her character. From ecstasy to agony and back again, she carries the reader forward showing the world through her eyes. Her determination and resiliency are truly admirable.
The stepfather Alex is presented as a very realistic adversary. A classic “mean drunk”, Alex is by turns responsible and respectable then violent and dangerous, beating his wife and children and allowing his home and life to decay into ruin. Natalie sets herself to defy him and then destroy him when possible. The tension is ever-present throughout Part 1.
Parts 2 and 3 are narrated by each of the other characters with their own perspectives and opinions rounding out the continuing events of the story. Time becomes somewhat difficult to keep track of as the characters age. Descriptions bounce between present and past making it awkward trying to picture the individuals during each tale. The tone of Parts 2 and 3 is considerably different from Part 1, much slower and less dramatic and developing each character as a distinct individual.
Throughout the entire saga the author skillfully uses descriptions of color and texture to vividly create the landscape of Ironbark Hill and its environs in the mind’s eye. I found this to be one of the strongest features of this book and they are to be commended for it.
Overall, Part 1 is the most powerful and is capable of standing on its own. The other two parts are readable but not as compelling. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.
******
The Ironbark Hill Saga
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: First Survivor by Mark Unger
