Review of Strong Heart
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Laura De Wet
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- Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
Review of Strong Heart
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
Great Heart by Charlie Sheldon is a novel that is both a modern-day adventure story, as well as a time-slip tale concerning a long ago past, with many mythical elements. It tells the story of an extraordinary young girl, Sarah, and her journey in the modern day Pacific Northwest, as well as another adventure she experiences in a past lost in the mists of history. We first meet her where she us being unceremoniously dumped on the doorstep of her grandfather, Tom, by his ex-wife, Ruth. As it turns out, Sarah is the granddaughter neither of them knew about. Her mother was Becky, a teenage runaway who had become estranged from both her parents. Bad blood exists between Tom and Ruth, due to the fact that Ruth’s husband is Fletcher Lynch, who had been a rival for Ruth’s affections around the time of Becky’s birth. He is also the chairman of a company, Buckhorn, which is seeking to obtain mining rights in the nearby Olympics national park.
Sarah turns out to be a problematic child for Tom (she is frequently referred to as being ornery) . His Native American friend, William suggests that they take her with them on a hiking trip that Tom was planning into the park itself, to honour the memory of his grandfather. There is some unfinished business surrounding an artefact, known as an atlatl (or spear thrower), that also plays an important role in the plot. The journey, as one might reasonably expect, turns out to be eventful. We experience the developing relationship between Tom and Sarah, as well as some run-ins with some surveyors for the Buckhorn corporation, who are clearly up to no good. And then, as they are about to return to their homes, Sarah disappears...
I have not encountered many books in my life that is centred on the Native American experience, and I, for one, found it both refreshing and fascinating. The sad fact is that in this modern era, these people are largely forgotten, but Charlie Sheldon has turned the spotlight on them and is forcing us to look at these people, North America oldest inhabitants.
I have always believed that the true hallmark of a really good writer, who is a master of his craft, is one who can write believable dialogue, without once having to resort to profanity. Charlie Sheldon does this admirably (an ability I find in another favourite writer of mine, Anne Tyler). The novel is also filled with wonderful characters, especially young Sarah, the Great Heart of the title. Her orneriness turns about to be a wonderful attribute that enables her to survive against the odds.
I have to be honest. I straight-up loved this book. Great Heart is the first of a trilogy, and therefore not all plotlines are completely resolved. I’ve already purchased the other two volumes, Adrift and Totem, and I cannot wait to complete the saga of the extraordinary young woman that Sarah is becoming. 4 out of 4
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Great Heart by Charlie Sheldon is a novel that is both a modern-day adventure story, as well as a time-slip tale concerning a long ago past, with many mythical elements. It tells the story of an extraordinary young girl, Sarah, and her journey in the modern day Pacific Northwest, as well as another adventure she experiences in a past lost in the mists of history. We first meet her where she us being unceremoniously dumped on the doorstep of her grandfather, Tom, by his ex-wife, Ruth. As it turns out, Sarah is the granddaughter neither of them knew about. Her mother was Becky, a teenage runaway who had become estranged from both her parents. Bad blood exists between Tom and Ruth, due to the fact that Ruth’s husband is Fletcher Lynch, who had been a rival for Ruth’s affections around the time of Becky’s birth. He is also the chairman of a company, Buckhorn, which is seeking to obtain mining rights in the nearby Olympics national park.
Sarah turns out to be a problematic child for Tom (she is frequently referred to as being ornery) . His Native American friend, William suggests that they take her with them on a hiking trip that Tom was planning into the park itself, to honour the memory of his grandfather. There is some unfinished business surrounding an artefact, known as an atlatl (or spear thrower), that also plays an important role in the plot. The journey, as one might reasonably expect, turns out to be eventful. We experience the developing relationship between Tom and Sarah, as well as some run-ins with some surveyors for the Buckhorn corporation, who are clearly up to no good. And then, as they are about to return to their homes, Sarah disappears...
I have not encountered many books in my life that is centred on the Native American experience, and I, for one, found it both refreshing and fascinating. The sad fact is that in this modern era, these people are largely forgotten, but Charlie Sheldon has turned the spotlight on them and is forcing us to look at these people, North America oldest inhabitants.
I have always believed that the true hallmark of a really good writer, who is a master of his craft, is one who can write believable dialogue, without once having to resort to profanity. Charlie Sheldon does this admirably (an ability I find in another favourite writer of mine, Anne Tyler). The novel is also filled with wonderful characters, especially young Sarah, the Great Heart of the title. Her orneriness turns about to be a wonderful attribute that enables her to survive against the odds.
I have to be honest. I straight-up loved this book. Great Heart is the first of a trilogy, and therefore not all plotlines are completely resolved. I’ve already purchased the other two volumes, Adrift and Totem, and I cannot wait to complete the saga of the extraordinary young woman that Sarah is becoming. 4 out of 4
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
