Overall rating and opinion of "Ironbark Hill" by Jennie Linnane

[Eryn Bradshaw]

I thought the book was fantastically written. Not my normal sort of read but I loved reading it. Linnane has a great way with words, from the vivid imagery of Ironbark Hill and Australia to the accents of the characters. You can almost hear what the characters are saying in their country accents. I would highly recommend this book to high school age students or older.

[amandathebibliophile]

What a beautiful story! Natalia is a lovely young girl with dreams of becoming an artist. She also takes on the difficult role of caring for her family, and protecting them from their abusive step-father. I wish her mom would’ve stepped up to the plate more in this regard. I will definitely recommend this book to other people, because it has important messages that many people can relate to.

[bukworm543]

I could not honestly get very involved in this story. The plot moved to slowly and other than showing how much a person can truly overcome it did not seem to have a real point. However, the characters were well developed. Each had their own way of speaking and were easily distinguishable from one another which I loved. I also have to say that, while I did not enjoy it very much, it was quite well written and there was enough foreshadowing to keep me interested to read until the end. My main complaint would be that the scenes where any type of real action were involved came and went before I had even realized they had occurred. It tended to be a bit anti-climactic in that respect.

Thank you for sharing. Good character development is one of the hallmarks of a good book, but I agree with you that there also needs to be an interesting plot to engage the reader.

[Calypso Terrier]

"Ironbark Hill" is a very interesting book. I love how it was told from the perspective of a young girl dreaming to be an artist. Natalia's love for her mom, brother, and artwork really drew me into this book.

[mac83]

This sounds like a really good book with likable characters and a good plot. I think I would enjoy this book based on the comments.

[ChristeenaP]

I loved reading this book! The turn of events In the last few chapters was my favorite part! There were some sentences that could have been worded differently to make them easier to read. I would definitely recommend Ironbark Hill to others! It may have been slower in the beginning, but by the end, things speed up!

[Thokchom Alice]

This is a great story and I feel sympathy for the protagonist. This is the present day reality in many families. I would recommend it for everyone.

[Analeigh]

It's a great story. Natalia is a young flawless girl with dreams and hope. A girl who was trying to be there for her mother and siblings. Why didn't her mother take upon that role and responsibility to be there for Natalie and her siblings instead. I will definitely recommend this book to other people, because it relates to the lives of both teens and adults.

Looks interesting! I’m looking forward to checking this out.

[Theresam]

The book is an inspirational story for the young and old, I love and care so much for Natalie whose struggles and hardworking skills were just to take care of her beloved mother. that's the beauty of the heart of a female child to the parents. all the settings and plotting is perfectly put in place here.
what I dislike so much here is where her mother wasn't there for her as well. I think she would have done better in this book by transferring her care to her daughter as well no matter the circumstances.
I strongly recommend this book to everyone out there, there's always a lesson to be learnt from this inspirational piece

I thought this was a great comment. I have been thinking of adding this book to my reading list but I have seen mixed reviews. I think this sounds very interesting though so I am going to download it.

[KDJ]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was well written and I really felt for Natalie. I thought the ending was fitting. I did not feel for her step-father at all. Overall I liked this book. I gave Ironbark Hill 4 out of 4 stars.

This is my review.
viewtopic.php?f=114&t=90130

[Tobiasblackwell]

Natalie was indeed a remarkable character who, through empathy and love, was able to be a light to her siblings. Her strength in times of trials inspires me to better myself.