Jackaroo

The book's title refers to a legendary, masked outlaw hero called Jackaroo but there is a lot less dramatic derring-do than I expected. It's quieter, slower, more thoughtful. A coming-of-age story about an innkeeper's daughter, exploring her relationship with her family and the changes she faces.
Yet Jackaroo is a most appropriate title for this story, for it is also about the reasons why someone might step outside the laws of their society and take on the mantle of Jackaroo.

At 16, Gwyn is meant to either accept a husband or announce her intention to never marry, and is unhappy with the narrow choices before her. She is also becoming more aware of the hardship and inequality in the kingdom: the common folk struggle with grief and poverty show more and injustice, while the lords in their cities are too busy squabbling for power to care.

But when a lord staying at the inn asks for servants to accompany him around the surrounding countryside, Gwyn is sent on a trip that does not go to plan and that changes her perspective in unexpected ways.

I loved the way all the pieces of Gwyn's story fitted together - her uncertainty about her future, her growing understanding of her family, her concerns about her community and her frustration at not knowing how to address the problems she could see. I loved the way Jackaroo is thematically relevant to Gwyn's life.

She felt alone, even there in her own kitchen with a fire at her back. But it didn't feel like her own kitchen, not any more, and her family were strangers [...] They were wearing masks. It would hurt them if they knew she had noticed; and it wouldn't do any good for her to be angry, it wouldn't change what had happened.
Gwyn didn't want to think about it, because it frightened her to realise how little she belonged here, the one place where she belonged more than any other place. So she changed the subject. show less

In a medievalesque village, times are hard and rumors are flying of unrest in the south. The Lords have all the wealth and are a law unto themselves, while most people are scrambling to pay their taxes and comforting each other with tales of Jackaroo, the masked man outside the law who helps the people, if the Lords won't. Gwyn, the Innkeeper's daughter, is better off than most and doesn't believe the old tales. But she's struggling to determine who she is, as she's nearly past marrying age and has precious few options if she chooses to remain single.

I read this story at least twice as a teen. I hadn't read much fantasy beyond the classics, such as The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, and I really loved it then, not show more really picking up on the tropes that the story includes - Lords and people, medieval setting, stew and ale and....you get the picture. It's not a bad story, but it's very traditional fantasy that starts a bit slowly and almost reads like historical fiction because of the focus on politics and finances. When I was a teen, I focused on the adventure and Robin Hood-like character of Jackaroo, but on this reread it actually took much longer than I remembered to get to the more exciting elements. A few scenes stood out in my mind, but the details were fuzzy, so I enjoyed revisiting the story. I've passed on my copy - the library discard, the same copy I read as a teen - on to my sister to see if she enjoys it as much as I did at that age. show less

I really enjoyed this book. It was a much stronger told story than Voigt's more experimental Orfe. All the characters get a chance to mature over the course of Jackaroo and enough loose ends are tied up by the conclusion to give the book a satisifying sense of closure while still leaving the Kingdom interesting enough to start off a series of book. I certainly will want to read more of the books in this series! The book would have been even better if Voigt had tightened up the first half of the book where she introduces Gwyn and her motivations for her adventures in the second half of the book.

The harvest has been spare and still the earls taxes more than ever, leaving the people hungry and victim to lawlessness, and fueling their talk of the legendary bandit and protector of the poor, Jackaroo. As an innkeeper’s daughter, Gwyn notices the burgeoning whispers of his reappearance, but considers them merely beautiful stories. That is until a mysterious pair of Lords come to the inn and draft her to serve them on a mapmaking sojourn North and she is faced with the mask of Jackaroo herself.

From before I bothered to read series books in any particular sequence, I recall really appreciating Cynthia Voigt’s titular character Elske (Kingdom #4) for being crazy awesomebadass. Like seriously, she was a child wolf sacrifice bride, show more but instead of being doomed to that fate, she escaped, went South, and aligned herself as the right-hand woman to the female heir to the throne and helped said heir leverage politically to the top—in the sort of sordidly exciting tale that leaves an impression, even without its “Girl with a Pearl Earring” cover.

As the first book in the Kingdom series, Jackaroo doesn’t really show the same confidence in its fantasy surroundings to tell such an involving story… and in fact, the Kingdom itself doesn’t seem to be more than the usual generic medieval Europe setting. Even given its centerpiece in the inn, there’s a lot of stew and getting drunk on tankards of ale. But given these limitations, I found Jackaroo largely enjoyable, comfortable even. And while it may not make me run to continue the series, its a respectable entry in the Robin-Hood-esque genre, with nice believable characters, a plot that has some nice ideas about the heroism, and a satisfying, if slightly pat, ending. show less

Gwyn is an Innkeeper's daughter, down to earth and solely concentrated on her role within her family, when a chance encounter with an old lady leads her to fully realise the injustice of life.

Facing the practicalities of existence as one of the people, as opposed to a Lord, she has to accept there is nothing she can do, but things are about to change. A strange man and his son turn up at the Inn and instigate events that will lead Gwyn and those around her deep into the Legends of Jackaroo, the masked outlaw, a hero of the people and a helper of those in need. But who is Jackaroo, and how hard is it to fight the neverending unfairnes of life?

This is a fantasy with a difference. Not revolving around either the mystical worlds, or the show more doing and undoing of magic, this is instead just a tale of a girl and those around her, and how an attempt to do good can quickly spiral out of control in the midst of gossip, intrigue, poverty and political turmoil.

Gwyn is an fascinating character, well written and with a realistic balance of faults and a determination to go a different path, whose every choice appears very real to her to basic character. Those around her are also well portrayed, and I really felt that these were real people, with voices to be heard and stories to be told.

The ending is both a finale and yet simply the stopping of this part of their tale, and there is a definite feeling of these peoples lives going on far beyond the finishing of the book.

It is no epic, or sweeping tale of magic and darkness, but instead a much quieter and thoughtful fantasy and it doesn't suffer at all from not including many of the themes that authors often seem to see as so essential to a fantasy novel.

Highly recommended show less

Cynthia Voigt wrote a series of books about a kingdom in a far off land, in a far off time, in a far off place. And I have never even heard of them!! I'ver read many of her other books, Izzy Willy Nilly, Dicey's Song, A Solitary Blue and I have really enjoyed them. So - how did I miss these??

Jackaroo is the March book for our new family book club and I was excited to read a well-loved author in a completely different way!

Jackaroo is a fable - a made up character who swoops in and saves the downtrodden just like Robin Hood. He wears a mask - appears and disappears in a moment. And he is the savior of the people. That is what they are called - the people. There are also Lords and Earls and a King. But they are far off - and rarely seen. show more The Kingdom is carried along by the people who toil in the Inns, and the fields and barely make it. Because the Lords and Ladies take their money for taxes. The people are not allowed to learn to read. They work and they live and then they die - young!

Gwynn is an Innkeeper's daughter who has refused to marry and knows she will spend her days working for her brother when he runs the Inn - women are not allowed to run a business. And then there is a mysterious Lord and his son who show up at the Inn and ask for Gwynn and her servant to take them on a mapping trip. And then there is a snowstorm!

Gwynn is stranded in a cottage - snowed in - with a moody young Lord who is not to speak to her. And then she makes an unexpected discovery.

I really liked Gwynn. She is the girl that I wanted to be - sure of herself and willing to take the consequences of changing the world she lives in for what she needs. And with her courage she is able to see the world make a little change!

Great start to the series show less

What makes a legend? Gwyn, daughter of an innkeeper, discovers a set of clothes that match the description of those worn by "Jackaroo", a Robin Hood sort of figure who helps those less fortunate. She decides to put them on occasionally and use them to do just that -- bring food and money to the poor, and find ways to help others in difficult times. There are other sightings of the Jackaroo, and we figure out quickly that Gwyn's not the only Jackaroo in the land. But what are their reasons for the disguise? A wonderful historical mystery!