Review of Ironbark Hill
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Artemis Zhang
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Review of Ironbark Hill
[Following is a volunteer review of "Ironbark Hill" by Jennie Linnane.]
Ironbark Hill by Jennie Linnane is a historical fiction novel about a willful sixteen-year-old girl named Natalie, who has to work hard to support her family. The story revolves around Australia during the 1950s. Natalie has a good relationship with everyone in her family except for her abusive stepfather, whom she has hated for a very long time. Throughout the book, Natalie fights with her stepfather, supports her mother, nurtures her younger siblings, explores her talents, worries about scandals, and boldly defends everything and everyone she loves and cares about.
I wholeheartedly enjoyed reading this book. I loved the descriptive style of the story, which greatly assisted in developing the setting. The plot was highly fascinating too. While family dynamics are a central focus in the book, the book also touches on people outside of the family, such as family friends and employers, who also play significant roles in the book. The backstories of the characters were also quite intriguing, providing explanations for why particular characters behaved in certain ways.
I also enjoyed the way the characters were developed. Natalie is not a Mary Sue in the story. About every single character had some kind of flaw, with some characters having more prominent flaws than others. In the book, even the people viewed in a positive light could make terrible mistakes, and nobody is truly perfect. I also liked how some of the characters with strong flaws also had good aspects to their personalities. This aids in making the characters seem more human and relatable. I didn't see any bad aspects of the book, apart from a minor spelling mistake that doesn’t bother me.
I would give this book 4 out of 4 stars. The plot had me engaged. I especially loved the character development as well as the writing style. I couldn’t find anything in the book that I disliked. The story had me glued to it, and I was eager to read what happens next and what becomes of the main character in the end. I am even considering checking out the sequels sometime in the future.
I would recommend this book to high schoolers and young adults, although I do believe middle-aged and older people may also find an interest in this book. I think high schoolers especially would enjoy this book since the main character is sixteen herself. Since this was a historical fiction novel, people with a passion for history may find themselves drawn to the book due to its warm style and tone, as well as the historical context set behind it. I would not recommend this book to younger children, such as middle schoolers, because the book contains mature topics such as abuse. The book contains profanity and racial slurs. There is some sexual content, but no actual sex occurs in the book. There is also some violence, so sensitive people may not want to consider this book. A couple of times, a gun was mentioned, but it was never used to kill any people.
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Ironbark Hill
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Ironbark Hill by Jennie Linnane is a historical fiction novel about a willful sixteen-year-old girl named Natalie, who has to work hard to support her family. The story revolves around Australia during the 1950s. Natalie has a good relationship with everyone in her family except for her abusive stepfather, whom she has hated for a very long time. Throughout the book, Natalie fights with her stepfather, supports her mother, nurtures her younger siblings, explores her talents, worries about scandals, and boldly defends everything and everyone she loves and cares about.
I wholeheartedly enjoyed reading this book. I loved the descriptive style of the story, which greatly assisted in developing the setting. The plot was highly fascinating too. While family dynamics are a central focus in the book, the book also touches on people outside of the family, such as family friends and employers, who also play significant roles in the book. The backstories of the characters were also quite intriguing, providing explanations for why particular characters behaved in certain ways.
I also enjoyed the way the characters were developed. Natalie is not a Mary Sue in the story. About every single character had some kind of flaw, with some characters having more prominent flaws than others. In the book, even the people viewed in a positive light could make terrible mistakes, and nobody is truly perfect. I also liked how some of the characters with strong flaws also had good aspects to their personalities. This aids in making the characters seem more human and relatable. I didn't see any bad aspects of the book, apart from a minor spelling mistake that doesn’t bother me.
I would give this book 4 out of 4 stars. The plot had me engaged. I especially loved the character development as well as the writing style. I couldn’t find anything in the book that I disliked. The story had me glued to it, and I was eager to read what happens next and what becomes of the main character in the end. I am even considering checking out the sequels sometime in the future.
I would recommend this book to high schoolers and young adults, although I do believe middle-aged and older people may also find an interest in this book. I think high schoolers especially would enjoy this book since the main character is sixteen herself. Since this was a historical fiction novel, people with a passion for history may find themselves drawn to the book due to its warm style and tone, as well as the historical context set behind it. I would not recommend this book to younger children, such as middle schoolers, because the book contains mature topics such as abuse. The book contains profanity and racial slurs. There is some sexual content, but no actual sex occurs in the book. There is also some violence, so sensitive people may not want to consider this book. A couple of times, a gun was mentioned, but it was never used to kill any people.
******
Ironbark Hill
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Man Mission by Eytan Uliel
