Review of Strong Heart
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Richgirlfriend
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- Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
Review of Strong Heart
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
On a stormy night, Tom and his two Native American friends, Myra and her father William (Walleye), are busy packing for a long-planned hike deep into the interior of the Olympic National Park to visit the grave of Tom’s grandfather. It has been a wish of Tom’s for 40 years to return a treasured item to his grandfather and leave it at his grave where he feels it belongs. They are rudely interrupted by the arrival of Tom’s ex-wife who unceremoniously dumps a skinny, now rain-soaked 13-year-old girl who is sullen and angry and who he is now informed is his granddaughter! What will they do? Should they change their plans? Against Tom’s better judgement, they decide to continue with their plans and much to her chagrin, they take Sarah with them.
During their hike, Sarah gets angry, stalks off, and goes missing. They search for her unsuccessfully for eight days, frantic to find her alive in the unforgiving terrain; then resigned to finding her remains to take them home. Suddenly, she appears, emaciated, injured and totally disoriented. When she finally revives enough to reveal where she has been, no one can believe her story. Will you?
What Sarah describes will fill you with wondering questions. It will stretch the limits of your imagination, as the author Charlie Sheldon takes you on an adventure into, as Myra describes it, “the land of magic, history and legend.” He leads the characters and the reader to question their beliefs about the origin of the original inhabitants of North America. He has woven his own life experiences and education together with Native American legends and scientific theories into a tapestry of stories and sub-plots which, when combined, create a warm, colorful and exciting fabric, leading this reader from chapter to chapter, eager to see what will happen next.
The book has many North, South, East and West directions, which I found difficult to navigate at times, however, it was not distracting enough to discourage further reading. In addition, the beautifully descriptive language created mental pictures of the snow-capped mountains, landscapes and seascapes which are still with me long after the finished reading.
The profanity in this book is mild and suitable for teens and there is no religious content that is objectionable, however, “Jesus” is used as an expletive in a few places.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 due to its creative and descriptive language, sensitivity to Native American culture and environmental awareness, ability to weave sub-plots seamlessly into the story so as not to appear choppy or intentional as well as to create interest in legends of cultures of long ago. Also, it was quite evident that this book was professionally edited due to the absence of typos and grammatical errors.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a compelling story, and longs for the answers to the questions about where Sarah ended up and the outcome of the National Park, as the ending answered none of these questions. As the first book in the Strong Heart Trilogy, I am eager myself to continue reading the saga of this land and the characters I have come to know and care about.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
On a stormy night, Tom and his two Native American friends, Myra and her father William (Walleye), are busy packing for a long-planned hike deep into the interior of the Olympic National Park to visit the grave of Tom’s grandfather. It has been a wish of Tom’s for 40 years to return a treasured item to his grandfather and leave it at his grave where he feels it belongs. They are rudely interrupted by the arrival of Tom’s ex-wife who unceremoniously dumps a skinny, now rain-soaked 13-year-old girl who is sullen and angry and who he is now informed is his granddaughter! What will they do? Should they change their plans? Against Tom’s better judgement, they decide to continue with their plans and much to her chagrin, they take Sarah with them.
During their hike, Sarah gets angry, stalks off, and goes missing. They search for her unsuccessfully for eight days, frantic to find her alive in the unforgiving terrain; then resigned to finding her remains to take them home. Suddenly, she appears, emaciated, injured and totally disoriented. When she finally revives enough to reveal where she has been, no one can believe her story. Will you?
What Sarah describes will fill you with wondering questions. It will stretch the limits of your imagination, as the author Charlie Sheldon takes you on an adventure into, as Myra describes it, “the land of magic, history and legend.” He leads the characters and the reader to question their beliefs about the origin of the original inhabitants of North America. He has woven his own life experiences and education together with Native American legends and scientific theories into a tapestry of stories and sub-plots which, when combined, create a warm, colorful and exciting fabric, leading this reader from chapter to chapter, eager to see what will happen next.
The book has many North, South, East and West directions, which I found difficult to navigate at times, however, it was not distracting enough to discourage further reading. In addition, the beautifully descriptive language created mental pictures of the snow-capped mountains, landscapes and seascapes which are still with me long after the finished reading.
The profanity in this book is mild and suitable for teens and there is no religious content that is objectionable, however, “Jesus” is used as an expletive in a few places.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 due to its creative and descriptive language, sensitivity to Native American culture and environmental awareness, ability to weave sub-plots seamlessly into the story so as not to appear choppy or intentional as well as to create interest in legends of cultures of long ago. Also, it was quite evident that this book was professionally edited due to the absence of typos and grammatical errors.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a compelling story, and longs for the answers to the questions about where Sarah ended up and the outcome of the National Park, as the ending answered none of these questions. As the first book in the Strong Heart Trilogy, I am eager myself to continue reading the saga of this land and the characters I have come to know and care about.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
