Review by moomawpw -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon

[moomawpw]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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In Strong Heart, author Charlie Sheldon essentially squeezes two novels between the covers of one book.

The first is the story of a group of friends who live on the Olympic Peninsula in the state of Washington, all of them with Native American links, and all determined to work to preserve the natural beauty of the land they call home. They face a challenge in the form of an outfit called the Buckhorn Company, which plans to mine for rare metals, and which has the support of some of the area residents.

The second story is that of Sarah, the rebellious, angry granddaughter of one of these friends, Tom. He has not even realized that she exists until just as this story begins. Sarah vanishes on a camping trip, is gone for days, and returns with a tale of having spent that time with people who lived thousands of years ago. She tells a story of being captured from her coastal village by marauders and taken south to their homeland to become a wife. This story takes up several chapters in two separate sections of the book.

Strong Heart is not Sheldon's first book. He says that he started writing thirty years ago, at the age of forty. Trained initially as a wildlife biologist, he has also worked as a seaman, a longshoreman, and a commercial fisherman. In more recent years he has spent much of his time exploring the Olympic Peninsula. All of this experience shows in his writing, in the details and descriptions that fill this novel. It is also obvious, as the reader meets and gets to know Sarah, that the author has had his share of experience with adolescent girls.

Strong Heart is cleanly edited. This reviewer noted no typographical errors. There were no problems around grammar or usage. The book is very readable. The writing flows smoothly. The dialogue is natural. Action scenes are concrete, believable, and easy to follow. The wilderness environment is described well.

The switch in the story from the present to the distant past comes abruptly. It may be confusing at first to some readers. One is suddenly faced with an entire new group of characters--people with names like Weeps a Lot, Cold Eye, Fat Hair, Pretty Face. It should not, however, take the reader long to adjust and dive into this new story line.

Strong Heart, expertly edited and with two gripping, well-written tales, earns a rating of 4 out of 4.

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Strong Heart
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