Review by Tbregman -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
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Tbregman
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Review by Tbregman -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
Seventy-year-old Tom Olsen is ready to hike a 30-mile Washington State deep wilderness trek to the site where his grandfather died forty-five years before. It will take several days. Unexpectedly, he finds himself instant grandfather and guardian to a rebellious and emotionally wounded twelve-year-old girl Sarah. She and Tom's friends William and Myra, American Indian father and adult daughter, join the journey. Sarah disappears during the trip and returns eight days later with a jaw-dropping account of her adventure. Charlie Sheldon's Strong Heart storyline weaves family lineage, North American Indian ancestry, and the Washington State deep wilderness into a fascinating book I found challenging to put down. I rate the book 4 out of 4 and recommend it to readers who enjoy adventure books.
Reading the opening chapters, I assumed Strong Heart was a feel-good story where four people grow close during a challenging experience, and a guarded girl finds love with strangers. There is much more to this tale than contemporary family dynamics. After her disappearance and return, Sarah tells of living in a time thousands of years before with the first humans on North American soil, long before experts thought they lived in the region. She demonstrates her newfound ability to throw dart weapons up to a hundred feet away with precision, a skill learned from her adventure. Strong Heart forks into two stories connected by ancient bone carvings created by early man - Tom owns one given to him by his Grandpa Bob-Bob. The first story is the main characters' personal development and their mutual goal to prevent a ruthless mining company from destroying the wilderness, which may possess ancient artifacts and should be protected. The second story is about Sarah, whose name in her other life was Strong Heart, living in a harsh world where vulnerable mankind battles both nature and predatory animals and is often the underdog.
Sheldon knows the geography of which he writes. The locations and descriptions are accurate, thorough, and visual - I imagined myself in the scenery. An avid day hiker, I want to visit this beautiful area and take in the magnificence. I love the scenery details most about the book. I found the thorough descriptions of Strong Heart's living conditions brutal and wondrous and enjoyed this in the second part of the book. Sheldon describes those scenes well, and I could picture Strong Heart in a large canoe enduring adversity daily. Death came unexpectedly to characters in this section, and the violence might be too severe for some readers.
My complaint is Sheldon struggles to maintain a credible voice for twelve-year-old Sarah. She is implausibly insightful beyond her years, and her comments are just too sophisticated for her age. Perhaps if he created her as an older teen or young adult, I'd be more convinced when wisdom comes from her mouth. Despite this, I enjoy this character, and her evolvement into a fearless and ambitious person was satisfying to witness. I finished the book with hope for the continued relationship with her newly found Grandpa Tom-Tom.
The ending left open questions a sequel would answer, and I will read Sheldon's next book which stays with the core characters who pursue a new adventure. There is no inappropriate language or sex in the book. I found some editing mistakes - they were few enough to not detract from the story.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Seventy-year-old Tom Olsen is ready to hike a 30-mile Washington State deep wilderness trek to the site where his grandfather died forty-five years before. It will take several days. Unexpectedly, he finds himself instant grandfather and guardian to a rebellious and emotionally wounded twelve-year-old girl Sarah. She and Tom's friends William and Myra, American Indian father and adult daughter, join the journey. Sarah disappears during the trip and returns eight days later with a jaw-dropping account of her adventure. Charlie Sheldon's Strong Heart storyline weaves family lineage, North American Indian ancestry, and the Washington State deep wilderness into a fascinating book I found challenging to put down. I rate the book 4 out of 4 and recommend it to readers who enjoy adventure books.
Reading the opening chapters, I assumed Strong Heart was a feel-good story where four people grow close during a challenging experience, and a guarded girl finds love with strangers. There is much more to this tale than contemporary family dynamics. After her disappearance and return, Sarah tells of living in a time thousands of years before with the first humans on North American soil, long before experts thought they lived in the region. She demonstrates her newfound ability to throw dart weapons up to a hundred feet away with precision, a skill learned from her adventure. Strong Heart forks into two stories connected by ancient bone carvings created by early man - Tom owns one given to him by his Grandpa Bob-Bob. The first story is the main characters' personal development and their mutual goal to prevent a ruthless mining company from destroying the wilderness, which may possess ancient artifacts and should be protected. The second story is about Sarah, whose name in her other life was Strong Heart, living in a harsh world where vulnerable mankind battles both nature and predatory animals and is often the underdog.
Sheldon knows the geography of which he writes. The locations and descriptions are accurate, thorough, and visual - I imagined myself in the scenery. An avid day hiker, I want to visit this beautiful area and take in the magnificence. I love the scenery details most about the book. I found the thorough descriptions of Strong Heart's living conditions brutal and wondrous and enjoyed this in the second part of the book. Sheldon describes those scenes well, and I could picture Strong Heart in a large canoe enduring adversity daily. Death came unexpectedly to characters in this section, and the violence might be too severe for some readers.
My complaint is Sheldon struggles to maintain a credible voice for twelve-year-old Sarah. She is implausibly insightful beyond her years, and her comments are just too sophisticated for her age. Perhaps if he created her as an older teen or young adult, I'd be more convinced when wisdom comes from her mouth. Despite this, I enjoy this character, and her evolvement into a fearless and ambitious person was satisfying to witness. I finished the book with hope for the continued relationship with her newly found Grandpa Tom-Tom.
The ending left open questions a sequel would answer, and I will read Sheldon's next book which stays with the core characters who pursue a new adventure. There is no inappropriate language or sex in the book. I found some editing mistakes - they were few enough to not detract from the story.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Rescued by E. Alan Fleischauer
