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[Following is a volunteer review of "Ironbark Hill" by Jennie Linnane.]

I read this book over the past few days. I've rated it a 4 out of 4 stars. I very thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is not one that I probably would've picked to read on my own but I am very glad it was April's book of the month, which led me to read it.

The book was set in the time period after WWI. The main character was a young girl, Natalie, that was half-Aboriginal and the book was in the year she turned 16. Natalie was a poor young girl in a family of 6, her maternal grandfather also lived in the home. Natalie is the oldest child, her younger brother also half-Aboriginal but her 2 half-sisters are not. The book details the difficulties associated with race, poverty, alcoholism, among many other things. Natalie has a job with a prominent family that plays quite a large role in the book as well.

I enjoyed the setting. I felt like the author did a great job with explaining the differences in landscape, culture, and time period. There were some sayings and words that I had to look up because I had no idea what they meant, which I quite enjoy. I liked how Natalie was a fighter, a young lady that wasn't afraid to stand up for herself and her siblings. The author did a very good job portraying the characters and setting and telling the story. I felt like the book flowed well with just the right combination of intrigue and explanation. I also liked that when speaking of unpleasant things, the author made clear the intentions without being vulgar. I loved the relationship that Natalie had with her mother, it seemed appropriate to her age. I liked that Natalie realized how much knowledge and joy we can find in the elderly generation with her grandfather.

There really wasn't much I didn't like about this book. It could've been longer and given more of the story I suppose, but then it may have felt drawn out.

I will likely read this book again, I enjoyed it that much. It definitely was worthy of being the book of the month. I look forward to more work from this artist. I read through it quite quickly, it really kept my attention and I was looking forward to when I could get back to reading it. This was one of those books that keep you up late at night trying to finish it.

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Ironbark Hill
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Love your review Tricia. My only criticism was similar to yours, I wish it had been longer and given more of the story. It seemed to go too quickly between the episode with Alex and Libby at the bridge, and the end. Sign of a good book though, hating to see it end! Thanks for sharing.

Nice write up

Thank you!

I found it good. Nice to the writer for making me feel like I am like a 3d cinema hall. Superb

When you mentioned that the author described the culture and the landscape well I became curious of what is the life of a half aboriginal girl and her family was during those times! Thanks for the review!

I would have loved to see how Natalie traverses through the rough road of social inequality. Whenever, Aborigin, Black American or the Black in the Caribbean is in involved as a character in the literature of the first three quarters of last century, the scenarios are predictable: poverty, discrimination, abuse, violation of human rights etc.In the light of this, i see Natalie in Wright's Thomas Bigger. Fortunately, that dark spot in history has been buried in the debris of 21st century.