Review by alisonbarnett -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
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- Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
Review by alisonbarnett -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon (ISBN 978-0-9970600-5-8)
“Stories are what make us human. The ability to tell a story is a means to remember, to pass culture generation to generation, to learn and hold memory.”
In Strong Heart, author Charlie Sheldon weaves together two parallel stories – each happening 100,000 years apart.
It’s Spring and we’re in the vast Olympic National Mountain Park on Canada’s north west coast. Its mountains, forests, and rivers are steeped in the ‘magic and myth of the local Haida tribe. Since time immemorial, the boats of the Haida have set out from the fishing pier at the local port town of Haida Gwaii. Now the pier, the town, and the whole area are under threat from a takeover by a mining conglomerate. If successful, its activities will destroy the natural landscapes that the Haida have called home for millennia, as well as their fishing industry. It’s a desperate situation, with the population split between those who want the jobs the mining will bring, and those who want to preserve the area. A final public vote will decide the outcome at a conference soon to be held in the town.
The book is written in the third person, so readers get an insight into the lives and pasts of the central characters. Each reflects a different generational outlook on their tribal past and the present threat to their homeland. Elder William has travelled the world as a sailor, but retains deep respect for tribal beliefs and traditions. Tom, his old friend and boss, is a Vietnam veteran with a broken marriage and an estranged daughter. William’s daughter, the capable and well-educated Myra is undecided, caught between tradition and science, but nevertheless open-minded.
The action opens at William’s remote cabin near Haida Gwaii. The trio are preparing for a long hike into the forest, and must complete the journey to pay their respects to Tom’s father’s grave deep the forest in time to attend the decisive town conference. They want to vote against selling out their fishing rights for mining jobs. If the mining faction wins, it could be their last chance to make the trip.
Their plans are disrupted when Tom’s estranged, troubled, 12-year old daughter Sarah is unexpectedly dumped on William’s doorstep by Ruth, Tom’s ex-wife. She’s had enough of the troublesome teenager. Now saddled with the ‘ornery’ Sarah, the trio decide she must accompany them on the hike, which she calls ‘child abuse’.
On arrival at their destination, Tom reveals he may have a secret weapon in the fight against the mining faction; he produces an atlatl, an ancient carved bone spear thrower that he found in the area. If proved old enough, it could destroy the mining corporation’s bid, as the area would be protected as an historic site. It’s not just wild animals that pose a danger to the family as they journey - the sinister presence of surveyors from the mining company leaves them feeling threatened and afraid for the safety of the precious artefact.
In the meantime, Sarah proves surprisingly resilient and, when she has a vision of a long extinct bear, Myra and William are receptive to the idea. But Tom thinks Sarah is lying, so that she runs off and ends up missing for over a week, along with the precious atlatl. After a large-scale search and an agony of uncertainty for the three adults, Sarah reappears during a terrible storm, thin, filthy and missing a finger. But before she is rushed to hospital to recover, she tells the others an extraordinary tale that accounts for her absence and plunges the reader 100,000 years into humanity’s past.
In this parallel narrative, a truly engaging piece of descriptive prose, we travel with Strong Heart, her fellow captives, and their captors on a perilous canoe journey to the Arctic north across thousands of miles of sea. By following her journey we learn how tough our ancestors had to be to survive in a hostile world, hunting seal, battling bears and big cats, at the mercy of the sea and weather, and travelling huge distances to bring new blood to ‘the People’. But was it all a dream, a prophetic vision, or simply imagination? And what does it mean for the future of the Olympian Park?
This is a true adventure story, or stories, with plenty of highs and lows along the way. There are numerous strands and themes that Sheldon manages to interweave into a meaningful whole. The supporting characters are all well drawn. Those travelling with Strong Heart in the distant past become real people, imbued with all the familiar human traits, including jealousy and hate, as well as love. At the start of the modern narrative, neither Sarah nor her newly acquired family, or the reader suspect that it will be this young and troubled teenager, who seems to have a mysterious connection to the area’s tribal past, who will finally unite them.
I liked everything about this book and will probably read it again more than once. The writing style is clear and the action well-paced. Despite its mystical aspects, it is totally believable, weaving the dual story lines into a neatly dovetailed ending. It appeals on many levels and deserves a wide audience. Children from 12 upwards, or anyone who likes adventure and history deftly woven together with modern themes of ecology, preservation of heritage, finding your roots and yourself, will enjoy it.
I have awarded this book 4 out of 4 stars. This high score is well deserved – anything less would not reflect the fact that its beautifully written, well-plotted, and expertly edited. I found not a single error.
There’s mild profane language, the worst being ‘What the hell’ (P. 4, Ch.1). There is no sexual or other offensive content.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon (ISBN 978-0-9970600-5-8)
“Stories are what make us human. The ability to tell a story is a means to remember, to pass culture generation to generation, to learn and hold memory.”
In Strong Heart, author Charlie Sheldon weaves together two parallel stories – each happening 100,000 years apart.
It’s Spring and we’re in the vast Olympic National Mountain Park on Canada’s north west coast. Its mountains, forests, and rivers are steeped in the ‘magic and myth of the local Haida tribe. Since time immemorial, the boats of the Haida have set out from the fishing pier at the local port town of Haida Gwaii. Now the pier, the town, and the whole area are under threat from a takeover by a mining conglomerate. If successful, its activities will destroy the natural landscapes that the Haida have called home for millennia, as well as their fishing industry. It’s a desperate situation, with the population split between those who want the jobs the mining will bring, and those who want to preserve the area. A final public vote will decide the outcome at a conference soon to be held in the town.
The book is written in the third person, so readers get an insight into the lives and pasts of the central characters. Each reflects a different generational outlook on their tribal past and the present threat to their homeland. Elder William has travelled the world as a sailor, but retains deep respect for tribal beliefs and traditions. Tom, his old friend and boss, is a Vietnam veteran with a broken marriage and an estranged daughter. William’s daughter, the capable and well-educated Myra is undecided, caught between tradition and science, but nevertheless open-minded.
The action opens at William’s remote cabin near Haida Gwaii. The trio are preparing for a long hike into the forest, and must complete the journey to pay their respects to Tom’s father’s grave deep the forest in time to attend the decisive town conference. They want to vote against selling out their fishing rights for mining jobs. If the mining faction wins, it could be their last chance to make the trip.
Their plans are disrupted when Tom’s estranged, troubled, 12-year old daughter Sarah is unexpectedly dumped on William’s doorstep by Ruth, Tom’s ex-wife. She’s had enough of the troublesome teenager. Now saddled with the ‘ornery’ Sarah, the trio decide she must accompany them on the hike, which she calls ‘child abuse’.
On arrival at their destination, Tom reveals he may have a secret weapon in the fight against the mining faction; he produces an atlatl, an ancient carved bone spear thrower that he found in the area. If proved old enough, it could destroy the mining corporation’s bid, as the area would be protected as an historic site. It’s not just wild animals that pose a danger to the family as they journey - the sinister presence of surveyors from the mining company leaves them feeling threatened and afraid for the safety of the precious artefact.
In the meantime, Sarah proves surprisingly resilient and, when she has a vision of a long extinct bear, Myra and William are receptive to the idea. But Tom thinks Sarah is lying, so that she runs off and ends up missing for over a week, along with the precious atlatl. After a large-scale search and an agony of uncertainty for the three adults, Sarah reappears during a terrible storm, thin, filthy and missing a finger. But before she is rushed to hospital to recover, she tells the others an extraordinary tale that accounts for her absence and plunges the reader 100,000 years into humanity’s past.
In this parallel narrative, a truly engaging piece of descriptive prose, we travel with Strong Heart, her fellow captives, and their captors on a perilous canoe journey to the Arctic north across thousands of miles of sea. By following her journey we learn how tough our ancestors had to be to survive in a hostile world, hunting seal, battling bears and big cats, at the mercy of the sea and weather, and travelling huge distances to bring new blood to ‘the People’. But was it all a dream, a prophetic vision, or simply imagination? And what does it mean for the future of the Olympian Park?
This is a true adventure story, or stories, with plenty of highs and lows along the way. There are numerous strands and themes that Sheldon manages to interweave into a meaningful whole. The supporting characters are all well drawn. Those travelling with Strong Heart in the distant past become real people, imbued with all the familiar human traits, including jealousy and hate, as well as love. At the start of the modern narrative, neither Sarah nor her newly acquired family, or the reader suspect that it will be this young and troubled teenager, who seems to have a mysterious connection to the area’s tribal past, who will finally unite them.
I liked everything about this book and will probably read it again more than once. The writing style is clear and the action well-paced. Despite its mystical aspects, it is totally believable, weaving the dual story lines into a neatly dovetailed ending. It appeals on many levels and deserves a wide audience. Children from 12 upwards, or anyone who likes adventure and history deftly woven together with modern themes of ecology, preservation of heritage, finding your roots and yourself, will enjoy it.
I have awarded this book 4 out of 4 stars. This high score is well deserved – anything less would not reflect the fact that its beautifully written, well-plotted, and expertly edited. I found not a single error.
There’s mild profane language, the worst being ‘What the hell’ (P. 4, Ch.1). There is no sexual or other offensive content.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
