Official Review: Splintered Heart by Linda Dowling
Posted: 15 Jun 2020, 16:32
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Splintered Heart" by Linda Dowling.]
Splintered Heart by Linda Dowling gives readers a glimpse into the life of Australians in the mid- to late-1900s, specifically the life of Lisa O’Connor. The book starts with Lisa’s rough childhood, centered mainly around the abusive relationship between her and her parents. By age thirteen, Lisa was regularly their victim but things were only to get worse for her. Lisa was subjected to the unwanted attentions of Lenny, her step-sister’s fiancé.
Years of this pass with Lisa enduring routine tortures in and out of the house. When she finally reveals the horrors she’s encountered, she is sent to a girls' home. Unfortunately, this isn’t the break she needs and she encounters similar problems. Thankfully, Lisa’s Aunt Zena helps when she learns of Lisa’s predicament. Zena takes her to the bush, what they call Woori, and Lisa begins to heal. Will she learn that not everyone is mean? Will she find someone to put her heart back together?
I was very excited about this book. It had other good reviews online and I’m a sucker for a good love story. However, in all honesty, I didn’t quite enjoy the book at the beginning. It started slowly, was stilted at times, and I found myself bored. The beginning was comprised of a lot of background information and probably what I disliked about the book the most. While I certainly appreciate background information, it was not really worked into the story well in my opinion. It made it difficult to continue reading.
On the other hand, once I pushed through the first few chapters, I found so much more. It was interesting to learn about Australia as someone who lives in the United States. Towards the second half of the book, the story addresses some of the racism that is present in Australia and it really hit home how it is everywhere.
The book also did a good job of making me feel, which I appreciated. At times, I was filled with a gauntlet of emotions because of all the experiences Lisa went through. It was heartbreaking, painful, and nauseating. At the same time, I needed to see if she made it out alright.
Overall, I have to give this book 3 out of 4 stars based on the above reasons and grammatical issues. I would recommend this to others who enjoy romance. That said, I have to provide some trigger warnings. There is a lot of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in this book. It was very difficult to read at times. In addition, there are racial issues that are addressed that may bother some readers.
******
Splintered Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Splintered Heart by Linda Dowling gives readers a glimpse into the life of Australians in the mid- to late-1900s, specifically the life of Lisa O’Connor. The book starts with Lisa’s rough childhood, centered mainly around the abusive relationship between her and her parents. By age thirteen, Lisa was regularly their victim but things were only to get worse for her. Lisa was subjected to the unwanted attentions of Lenny, her step-sister’s fiancé.
Years of this pass with Lisa enduring routine tortures in and out of the house. When she finally reveals the horrors she’s encountered, she is sent to a girls' home. Unfortunately, this isn’t the break she needs and she encounters similar problems. Thankfully, Lisa’s Aunt Zena helps when she learns of Lisa’s predicament. Zena takes her to the bush, what they call Woori, and Lisa begins to heal. Will she learn that not everyone is mean? Will she find someone to put her heart back together?
I was very excited about this book. It had other good reviews online and I’m a sucker for a good love story. However, in all honesty, I didn’t quite enjoy the book at the beginning. It started slowly, was stilted at times, and I found myself bored. The beginning was comprised of a lot of background information and probably what I disliked about the book the most. While I certainly appreciate background information, it was not really worked into the story well in my opinion. It made it difficult to continue reading.
On the other hand, once I pushed through the first few chapters, I found so much more. It was interesting to learn about Australia as someone who lives in the United States. Towards the second half of the book, the story addresses some of the racism that is present in Australia and it really hit home how it is everywhere.
The book also did a good job of making me feel, which I appreciated. At times, I was filled with a gauntlet of emotions because of all the experiences Lisa went through. It was heartbreaking, painful, and nauseating. At the same time, I needed to see if she made it out alright.
Overall, I have to give this book 3 out of 4 stars based on the above reasons and grammatical issues. I would recommend this to others who enjoy romance. That said, I have to provide some trigger warnings. There is a lot of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in this book. It was very difficult to read at times. In addition, there are racial issues that are addressed that may bother some readers.
******
Splintered Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon