Review of Strong Heart
Posted: 11 Feb 2022, 06:43
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
The story revolves around Sarah, a 13-year-old orphan, who, unexpectedly reaches the doorstep of her grandfather Tom, while he was preparing to go on a hiking trip with his friend William and his daughter Myra. Shaken up by this sudden turn of events, little did he know his daughter had a child. Tom was anxious and decided to cancel the trip. Opposing Tom’s decision, William stressed upon him the main purpose of going, telling him exactly why he sees it important that Sarah join them.
Sarah’s constant carping on the journey does not make things easy for Tom and he realizes how wrong he was to bring her along. But things begin to change one evening by the campfire when Tom recounts the story of his past as a young adult. That was the time he walked this trail with his own grandfather.
Strong heart was a visual treat; the world-building, the magic of the author’s narrative describing the snow-clad mountain top, the river pass, the stream where they stooped and washed, the tent that they set up, the buzzing dragonflies, the cry of the eagle, the storm, and eventual rainfall. I liked the way, even though it felt unusual and interesting at the same time; out of the way of the traditional story plot, the author knitted very well another story–a variant, of the life of native tribes, the legends, and of human origin long, long ago.
The author carefully expressed and beautifully presented the relationship of Sarah and Tom, however copious that she was. Not once did the author use any disrespectful words in the narration. All the characters are very well defined and move effortlessly with the plot. Their worry, their fears, and their dreams seem bound, connecting them seeming a small family.
What I did not quite enjoy was the narrative at the beginning-middle of the story. The dialogues seemed to drag into a lengthy explanation of facts. I chose to skip a few. Then again, I quite enjoyed the narrative soon after Sergei joined in on the journey and the action-drama heightened.
Strong heart is a visually exciting read in the category of Young adult fiction, for young adults of course, though I also see adults, especially young mothers and grandparents, enjoying the book.
A professionally edited book. However, I found a few glitches, or maybe an oversight, in how some monologues were written. It did not resonate with me in my traditional reading of a story or a dialogue.
But, on the whole, I enjoyed the journey with Tom, William, Sarah, Myra, and Sergei. Without a hitch, I rate Strong heart four out of four stars as I see that the flaw or errors felt by me cannot be a basis for the entire plot and characterization. Teenagers, young adults, and adults who are looking for a hiking adventure or wishing a trip out camping will definitely enjoy this book.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The story revolves around Sarah, a 13-year-old orphan, who, unexpectedly reaches the doorstep of her grandfather Tom, while he was preparing to go on a hiking trip with his friend William and his daughter Myra. Shaken up by this sudden turn of events, little did he know his daughter had a child. Tom was anxious and decided to cancel the trip. Opposing Tom’s decision, William stressed upon him the main purpose of going, telling him exactly why he sees it important that Sarah join them.
Sarah’s constant carping on the journey does not make things easy for Tom and he realizes how wrong he was to bring her along. But things begin to change one evening by the campfire when Tom recounts the story of his past as a young adult. That was the time he walked this trail with his own grandfather.
Strong heart was a visual treat; the world-building, the magic of the author’s narrative describing the snow-clad mountain top, the river pass, the stream where they stooped and washed, the tent that they set up, the buzzing dragonflies, the cry of the eagle, the storm, and eventual rainfall. I liked the way, even though it felt unusual and interesting at the same time; out of the way of the traditional story plot, the author knitted very well another story–a variant, of the life of native tribes, the legends, and of human origin long, long ago.
The author carefully expressed and beautifully presented the relationship of Sarah and Tom, however copious that she was. Not once did the author use any disrespectful words in the narration. All the characters are very well defined and move effortlessly with the plot. Their worry, their fears, and their dreams seem bound, connecting them seeming a small family.
What I did not quite enjoy was the narrative at the beginning-middle of the story. The dialogues seemed to drag into a lengthy explanation of facts. I chose to skip a few. Then again, I quite enjoyed the narrative soon after Sergei joined in on the journey and the action-drama heightened.
Strong heart is a visually exciting read in the category of Young adult fiction, for young adults of course, though I also see adults, especially young mothers and grandparents, enjoying the book.
A professionally edited book. However, I found a few glitches, or maybe an oversight, in how some monologues were written. It did not resonate with me in my traditional reading of a story or a dialogue.
But, on the whole, I enjoyed the journey with Tom, William, Sarah, Myra, and Sergei. Without a hitch, I rate Strong heart four out of four stars as I see that the flaw or errors felt by me cannot be a basis for the entire plot and characterization. Teenagers, young adults, and adults who are looking for a hiking adventure or wishing a trip out camping will definitely enjoy this book.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon