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Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 22 Apr 2019, 03:55
by Vtonionline
sweetnsassymom wrote: ↑04 Apr 2019, 19:38
I had no idea that his story was an allusion to a previous book...that is good to know now.
After reading the book, I disliked that I was left with the feeling of wanting more of the stories that were told while they were struggling to survive, especially since these ancestral stories are so significant to the native American culture. I love a story within a story. The chapters ended with the character beginning to tell a story, so I was expecting to hear the story being told in the following chapters, but I felt disappointed and never actually got to listen to the story being told. Only hearing the conversation after the story has already been told when the spectators are asking the storyteller clarifying questions felt like I was being gypped out of hearing a great story. Because this missing story within the story is integral to the plot and theme, it was like missing a piece to the puzzle, leaving a whole in the picture for me.
I felt the same and it does make me want to read the first book. I was not pleased with the gaps but I understand how it would be repetition for those who have read the first book. I know that somehow, the questions afterwards gave me an inkling as to what was missed. Thus, perhaps, it should not totally be called a standalone book. Maybe time passed, should have been used to imply that William's stories would have been too long to insert in the book.
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 24 Apr 2019, 05:27
by Popcorn1
Although I haven't read Strong Heart, I think that Adrift is like in some parts the continuation of it. The story that William narrated is like the summary of Strong Heart so I kind of got what the story is all about. In Strong Heart, the Focus is Sara, however, William is the focus in Adrift. Strong Heart is the first part of a whole story and Adrift is its second part.
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 26 Apr 2019, 04:32
by Kibet Hillary
It seemed that the author also was able to arouse some curiosity for readers who had not read Strong Heart to read it. The story narrated by William is interesting and it will much more fascinating to read the entire story individually. I am sure that there were other stories that William could have narrated.
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 29 Apr 2019, 09:03
by Radiant3
I think it is a combination of both things. Also, it's part of William's history and he told it to keep the crew motivated.
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 30 Apr 2019, 23:09
by Poppy Drear
There are few things I hate more than a series of books that absolutely must be read in order to understand what's going on. I appreciate the author's attempt to tie the books together, though I can't speak on whether or not it was a marketing move!
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 03 May 2019, 13:15
by jahagen
I actually didn't initially realize that the story William was telling was the story in the first book, which makes the broad skipping of most of the story make a lot more sense. I think it works both ways, because if you haven't read the first book then only getting some of the details in this will certainly make you want to find out more. But having it still certainly connects the two books.
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 07 May 2019, 15:31
by Azrevread
I think that Adrift is an excellent stand-alone novel. I thought that there were two meanings behind
the character William telling stories to the stranded crew of the Seattle Express. My first impression was
for the stories to motivate and encourage the crew during their time of crisis. My second impression
was that the stories that William told did sound familiar, although the whole novel of Adrift inspires
the reader to read the previous novel.
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 24 May 2019, 18:12
by alicia_fountain
Kajori50 wrote: ↑02 Apr 2019, 03:20
I have read both the books. I believe William's story telling was a both a ploy to attract the readers to read the previous book and also a means to the the two books together. It provides some background for those who did not read
Strong Heart. Also, it did not disrupt the flow of the story.
Hi Kajori,
I feel that is what most authors intend if they try to tie in other books they have written. I haven't read
Strong Heart, but I may end up reading it. If it is of the same caliber as
Adrift I think it would be worthwhile! I agree that the reminiscing didn't really detract from the overall story. It was nice to get some background information.
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 29 May 2019, 06:06
by Verna Coy
I loved the way that William's storytime tied the two books together. I read Adrift first and Strong Heart second, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read them in the right order. In Adrift, I felt like I needed to know more about the characters in William's stories. Now that I've rad Strong Heart, I feel that I do. I'll be watching for the next book Charlie Sheldon writes!
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 03 Jun 2019, 04:43
by Beatus
Only if you have read the other book or know of its existence you can discern the connection. I didn't know about it and I enjoyed this story.
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 12 Jun 2019, 14:42
by a-b-c-
I think it helped the others past the time. In the hopital, it helped Sarah remember where she was and she recognizes the girl that William told about in his story's. She started to talk about where she left William.
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 30 Jul 2019, 18:51
by Leyla
It was said in Adrift that the stories told by events William werethat happened the previous summer. Most of the characters had memories of the same event, so the book flowed. In its own way it had me interested to read the previous book to find out what had happened. It was a great attempt to tempt the reader to read Strong Heart.
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 22 May 2020, 23:16
by Jajachris
The intention could easily be both, I can also say that the intention was achieved because I have only read adrift and not the first book. so that part of the book made me want to read the preceding book.
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 30 Nov 2020, 04:09
by Sarah Schmidt
This was actually what prompted me to read Strong Heart in the first place, so if that was the author's intent, it's more than successful in my case. There were so many references to Strong Heart it felt like I was missing a huge chunk of the story by not reading it.
Re: Storytelling time with William
Posted: 01 Jul 2021, 13:41
by Michelle Menezes
I think the author wanted us to read the first book as well. I'm not the kind of person who goes from the 2nd book to the 1st even though it's a standalone, and since there are some parts I already know about, I'm not very keen on going back. But I'd definitely read the sequel when it comes out.