Review by mkd84 -- Irma's Daughters by Jennie Linnane
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mkd84
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- Latest Review: Irma's Daughters by Jennie Linnane
Review by mkd84 -- Irma's Daughters by Jennie Linnane
[Following is a volunteer review of "Irma's Daughters" by Jennie Linnane.]
I read the book called Irma's Daughters the Sequel to Ironbark Hill by Jennie Linnane. This book is about the lives of Irma and her family mainly her daughters as they navigate a changing world. The book takes place around the 1950s in rural Australia mainly Ironbark Hill where this family lives. It is a poignant story about the experiences of the girls mainly the oldest daughter Natalie Chapman and their mother and brother. Industrialization is becoming the new normal and things like electricity including electrical appliances are starting to become normal and reaching even rural areas. The story follows the journey of how this family deals with changing times and problems like acceptance, fitting in, finding love, and health. Though the story is fictional it is written like an autobiographical account from various points of view.
I would rate this book 3 stars out of 4 even 3.7 if that were a choice. The language and style of the book changed with the character who was talking so it was really easy to fall into their world. The descriptions were not overlong and were unique to the author, not cliche. I enjoyed reading each of them, I usually skip if they get long and tedious but I didn't want to. The book focused on the day to day life and thoughts of the characters and did not try to dramatize the life but made it true to how real-life passes slowly yet surely with small and big moments and normalcy.
The best part about the book was the insight it gave me on how different the thinking and lives of the people in the 1950s were and how they were still so very human. The book reminded me of the quote by the poet Dylan "Rage at the dying of the light." How brightly each of the lives that lived burned in their time and the stories and the hearts they touched before they slowly burn out. This story made it possible for me to see how resilient we humans are and how we grew throughout the ages but are still the same in our dreams and desires. For me, a book is good if it makes me feel and think about it a long time after I have read it and if I take a part of it with me to shape my thinking. That is exactly what this book did. It was truly beautiful.
The reason why I didn't give it four stars is that it did not offer much about the other characters maybe a few small pages at once. That kind of made it seemed rushed and cramped in and not true to the daughters part of the title since it was mainly through the eyes of Natalie. Maybe the author did it on purpose to show that the story was from Natalie's point of view and to either confirm her views or show that they were slightly off by inputting the other perspectives. Either way, I would have appreciated it if I had got to know all the characters at a deeper level and not just slight snatches here and there. It threw me off a balance and I couldn't get into it after these slight teases about the other people. But, all in all, I enjoyed the book and really appreciated that I could slightly better understand the story of the people that preceded me. I would definitely recommend it.
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Irma's Daughters
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I read the book called Irma's Daughters the Sequel to Ironbark Hill by Jennie Linnane. This book is about the lives of Irma and her family mainly her daughters as they navigate a changing world. The book takes place around the 1950s in rural Australia mainly Ironbark Hill where this family lives. It is a poignant story about the experiences of the girls mainly the oldest daughter Natalie Chapman and their mother and brother. Industrialization is becoming the new normal and things like electricity including electrical appliances are starting to become normal and reaching even rural areas. The story follows the journey of how this family deals with changing times and problems like acceptance, fitting in, finding love, and health. Though the story is fictional it is written like an autobiographical account from various points of view.
I would rate this book 3 stars out of 4 even 3.7 if that were a choice. The language and style of the book changed with the character who was talking so it was really easy to fall into their world. The descriptions were not overlong and were unique to the author, not cliche. I enjoyed reading each of them, I usually skip if they get long and tedious but I didn't want to. The book focused on the day to day life and thoughts of the characters and did not try to dramatize the life but made it true to how real-life passes slowly yet surely with small and big moments and normalcy.
The best part about the book was the insight it gave me on how different the thinking and lives of the people in the 1950s were and how they were still so very human. The book reminded me of the quote by the poet Dylan "Rage at the dying of the light." How brightly each of the lives that lived burned in their time and the stories and the hearts they touched before they slowly burn out. This story made it possible for me to see how resilient we humans are and how we grew throughout the ages but are still the same in our dreams and desires. For me, a book is good if it makes me feel and think about it a long time after I have read it and if I take a part of it with me to shape my thinking. That is exactly what this book did. It was truly beautiful.
The reason why I didn't give it four stars is that it did not offer much about the other characters maybe a few small pages at once. That kind of made it seemed rushed and cramped in and not true to the daughters part of the title since it was mainly through the eyes of Natalie. Maybe the author did it on purpose to show that the story was from Natalie's point of view and to either confirm her views or show that they were slightly off by inputting the other perspectives. Either way, I would have appreciated it if I had got to know all the characters at a deeper level and not just slight snatches here and there. It threw me off a balance and I couldn't get into it after these slight teases about the other people. But, all in all, I enjoyed the book and really appreciated that I could slightly better understand the story of the people that preceded me. I would definitely recommend it.
******
Irma's Daughters
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Irma's Daughters by Jennie Linnane
