Review by autumnr13 -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
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Autumn Faith Rogers
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Review by autumnr13 -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Packing for a familiar trip into the forest, Tom Olsen is prepared to set out on an important journey to return an ancient artifact to his grandfather's grave with the help of his good friend, William, and William's daughter, Myra. Life and journey-changing news is delivered to his front door as his new-found granddaughter is sent to his front door with surprising news. All at once he comes to learn that he has a granddaughter whose father suddenly moved to Europe, leaving the girl, Sarah, in the care of her grandmother and Tom's ex-wife, Ruth.
Ornery behavior warrants Ruth passing off Sarah into the care of Tom who now must accept her presence on the journey against his better judgment. Tom is consistently worrying about inability to take on the new responsibilities of a caretaker. Sassy remarks and negative comments are reported by Sarah at the beginning of this trip, but she slowly begins to find interest in the wilderness experience. Shortly into the trip, a strange event transpires and Sarah is in awe, but the adults don't seem to believe her due to logical and historical evidence that proves her findings to be wrong. In a fit of anger, Sarah storms off and falls down into a cave.
She goes missing for 8 days but travels back in time for an experience that takes place over a month with ancient tribes. The book bounces back and forth between the journey through the forest and Sarah telling her tale of ancient travels. The adults remain in disbelief for a long period of time, wondering if Sarah's mental stability had been damaged during the injuries received after she ran away. Over the course of the book, the bond between Tom and Sarah grows.
In both scenarios, Sarah is pushing herself to illustrate her power, strength, and intelligence. In present time she strives to earn the respect and belief of her elders regarding the experience with the tribe and the tragic treatment she had to undergo while in her stepfather's care. In ancient times she had to work with every ounce of strength she had to pull her own weight in the tribe and just survive and grow on a daily basis. While she gained new skills through the tribe, these new abilities were carried over into real life and made the people she had grown close to wonder how it is possible.
These elements illuminate the theme of finding courage, truth, and strength within the soul and explores the metaphorical and literal journey of coming of age through life-changing experiences and the search for identity. By the development of her personality and character, by the end of this story, she had proven her tribe-given name of Strong Heart.
I rate Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon a 4 out of 4 because of the beautiful telling of two parallel storylines being brought together to explore of the possibility of discovering a more meaningful identity while living through an early sense of coming of age. The desire to be accepted, understood, and believed is strong in the present time and was expected in the past which is perfectly illustrated in great and sensory details. The use of splitting up the two journies gives the reader time to piece together the puzzle-like chain of events and keeps the reader on their toes waiting to reach a conclusion.
I enjoyed the use of geography, ancient history, and science and applaud the research and time it took to incorporate all of these elements and tie the past and present together. I cannot say there were any outstanding flaws in the construction of the book or elements I strongly did not like, but the book was left on a cliff hanger and I wish there would have been a resolution to the trip through the forest. The book was exceptionally well edited and I did not see mistakes. I think this book would be great for people who love science, nature, history, and self-exploration books about the mind, soul, and identity.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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Packing for a familiar trip into the forest, Tom Olsen is prepared to set out on an important journey to return an ancient artifact to his grandfather's grave with the help of his good friend, William, and William's daughter, Myra. Life and journey-changing news is delivered to his front door as his new-found granddaughter is sent to his front door with surprising news. All at once he comes to learn that he has a granddaughter whose father suddenly moved to Europe, leaving the girl, Sarah, in the care of her grandmother and Tom's ex-wife, Ruth.
Ornery behavior warrants Ruth passing off Sarah into the care of Tom who now must accept her presence on the journey against his better judgment. Tom is consistently worrying about inability to take on the new responsibilities of a caretaker. Sassy remarks and negative comments are reported by Sarah at the beginning of this trip, but she slowly begins to find interest in the wilderness experience. Shortly into the trip, a strange event transpires and Sarah is in awe, but the adults don't seem to believe her due to logical and historical evidence that proves her findings to be wrong. In a fit of anger, Sarah storms off and falls down into a cave.
She goes missing for 8 days but travels back in time for an experience that takes place over a month with ancient tribes. The book bounces back and forth between the journey through the forest and Sarah telling her tale of ancient travels. The adults remain in disbelief for a long period of time, wondering if Sarah's mental stability had been damaged during the injuries received after she ran away. Over the course of the book, the bond between Tom and Sarah grows.
In both scenarios, Sarah is pushing herself to illustrate her power, strength, and intelligence. In present time she strives to earn the respect and belief of her elders regarding the experience with the tribe and the tragic treatment she had to undergo while in her stepfather's care. In ancient times she had to work with every ounce of strength she had to pull her own weight in the tribe and just survive and grow on a daily basis. While she gained new skills through the tribe, these new abilities were carried over into real life and made the people she had grown close to wonder how it is possible.
These elements illuminate the theme of finding courage, truth, and strength within the soul and explores the metaphorical and literal journey of coming of age through life-changing experiences and the search for identity. By the development of her personality and character, by the end of this story, she had proven her tribe-given name of Strong Heart.
I rate Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon a 4 out of 4 because of the beautiful telling of two parallel storylines being brought together to explore of the possibility of discovering a more meaningful identity while living through an early sense of coming of age. The desire to be accepted, understood, and believed is strong in the present time and was expected in the past which is perfectly illustrated in great and sensory details. The use of splitting up the two journies gives the reader time to piece together the puzzle-like chain of events and keeps the reader on their toes waiting to reach a conclusion.
I enjoyed the use of geography, ancient history, and science and applaud the research and time it took to incorporate all of these elements and tie the past and present together. I cannot say there were any outstanding flaws in the construction of the book or elements I strongly did not like, but the book was left on a cliff hanger and I wish there would have been a resolution to the trip through the forest. The book was exceptionally well edited and I did not see mistakes. I think this book would be great for people who love science, nature, history, and self-exploration books about the mind, soul, and identity.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like autumnr13's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Adrift by Charlie Sheldon
