3 out of 4 stars
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Ironbark Hill by Jennie Linnane seeks to bestow upon readers an understanding of Natalie Chapman’s most difficult teenage year. Trials come in the all too familiar guise of racial prejudice, challenging family relationships, and a journey of self-discovery of who she will become. Natty struggles to watch her loving, yet weak-willed mother face try to protect and raise her family, in spite of an abusive and alcoholic husband Alex Townsend. Luckily she is able to draw inspiration from the vivacious and artistically talented Mrs. Glover to whom she is employed as a housemaid. Unfortunately for Natalie, there is a secret attraction that she can’t resist for Mr. Bruce Glover. Her secret affair and a long simmering hatred for her step-father put everything that Natalie loves at risk.
Whether or not your interest is normally piqued by a girl’s coming of age story Linnane’s novel is worth your time. I give the book a solid 3 out of 4 stars for the complex main characters, impressive use of diction, and immersion into rural Australia. Natalie Chapman, her stepfather Alex Townsend, and her mother Irma Townsend are all very complex characters that you will find yourself connecting to. At times I found myself laughing with Natalie at the trouble her younger brother and sisters could get into. At others I wanted to shake my head and have a long chat with her about how careless and at times even how callous she was to the feelings of others. All of these flaws however are exactly what we all must overcome as we grow up. While I thought the narration from the adult Natalie misplaced and distracting for the most part, it
Initially I was worried that Alex would remain a very shallow antagonist, someone who clearly deserved any misfortune that was to come his way. Learning more about how Irma and he came to become married, his encounters with Natalie’s half-aborigine father, and his struggles with alcohol really opened the window into a very human individual with inner demons. I was similarly afraid Irma would remain a stereotypical victim of domestic abuse who would never find the courage and will to face her attacker and defend her loved ones. Much to my delight she does exactly that and furthermore does it in a very believable way. Learning about Irma’s past and watching her grow despite a life of heartache is one of the shining moments in the book.
Lastly on my likes would be Linnane’s diction. I love it when I am able to learn new words from reading novels, especially when I do not need to have a dictionary right beside me. She uses elevated and sophisticated vocabulary yet it is all clearly understandable just from context. It flows beautifully and enhances the immersion. Along those lines, the reader can clearly see a view into what a small town in Australia might have been like in the twentieth century. It was a brilliant escape into what was for me a foreign and unknown society.
Since this is a tale of Natalie becoming an adult, who she becomes is very important. I did not like who she became in the least. She betrays the trust of her mentor, never overcomes her anger and frustration at how she is treated, and never learns that we need to face the consequences of her actions. She renounces her childhood faith because she doesn’t like how it makes her feel guilty for the pretty awful things she either does or allows to occur. The resolution of the main conflict is merely sweeping aside all consequences. This is very unsatisfactory and a little confusing to me as a reader as the journey in the book saw some characters seeing very profound development. As a smaller negative none of the other characters really caught your attention and felt very two dimensional. They were written to act as a catalyst in either the character development of one of the main characters; Natalie, Irma, and Alex.
Read this book if you are looking for a real glimpse into rural life, enjoy excellent diction and prose, and are not too concerned with who the main character is going to become morally by the end of the book.
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Ironbark Hill
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