Review of Strong Heart
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Ana Chao
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Review of Strong Heart
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
Charlie Sheldon's Strong Heart is a beautiful tale set in the wilderness of the Olympic Peninsula, spanning the North Pacific Coast. There, and through the phenomenal use of magical realism, we follow the coming-of-age story of Sarah Cooley, Tom Olsen (her grandfather), and his friends: Myra (William's Daughter) and William (Tom's oldest friend). Together they will hike and journey across the North Pacific Coast and right an old wrong.
Sheldon has created a masterful and heart-wrenching story that will leave you immersed from the start. It is horrendously challenging to narrow down my positives for Strong Heart because of how much I enjoyed this book. A significant positive is that I could not find any grammatical or spelling errors; this book is wonderfully edited. Now, the setting and its accompanying descriptions are lovely and will have you immersed, feeling as though you are journeying alongside this ragtag crew. Another remarkable aspect of the novel is the use of magical realism, specifically with the repeated sitings of animals, as well as the elements specific to Sarah and her journey (I don't want to elaborate so as not to spoil this fantastic reveal). Also, despite the setup of Strong Heart being that of a coming-of-age story, the focus is not on Sarah as the child but on those around her. In fact, what makes Strong Heart so unique is that it is not the child coming of age and growing (apart from her survival skills); it is all those around her that come into their own.
The only negative point I can think of is based solely on my desires rather than an actual critique. I wish there had been more details and scenes about Sarah's individual journey because I want to know more about the people she met and what happened after she left. Additionally, this was the moment when Sarah was truly happy despite the journey's difficulty, which makes it all the more deserving of elaboration.
I give Strong Heart 5 out of 5 stars. Sheldon has created a masterful and heart-wrenching story that will immerse you from the very start. All of the characters and their actions are relatable and understandable to their motives and essence. Moreover, the detailed description of the setting truly places you in the Olympic Peninsula. Also, the repeated use of either animals or words to highlight critical moments in the story and harken to a previous point in time, all the while leaving something to the imagination, is so great. I just cannot put into words how great of an impression Strong Heart has left on me.
I recommend this novel to lovers of magical realism, specifically those who enjoyed the stories of Isabel Allende. Sheldon has created a book that surpasses fantasy by a mile. Strong Heart will take you on a journey of strength and self-discovery of what it truly means to be wise and how it is not dependent on age.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Charlie Sheldon's Strong Heart is a beautiful tale set in the wilderness of the Olympic Peninsula, spanning the North Pacific Coast. There, and through the phenomenal use of magical realism, we follow the coming-of-age story of Sarah Cooley, Tom Olsen (her grandfather), and his friends: Myra (William's Daughter) and William (Tom's oldest friend). Together they will hike and journey across the North Pacific Coast and right an old wrong.
Sheldon has created a masterful and heart-wrenching story that will leave you immersed from the start. It is horrendously challenging to narrow down my positives for Strong Heart because of how much I enjoyed this book. A significant positive is that I could not find any grammatical or spelling errors; this book is wonderfully edited. Now, the setting and its accompanying descriptions are lovely and will have you immersed, feeling as though you are journeying alongside this ragtag crew. Another remarkable aspect of the novel is the use of magical realism, specifically with the repeated sitings of animals, as well as the elements specific to Sarah and her journey (I don't want to elaborate so as not to spoil this fantastic reveal). Also, despite the setup of Strong Heart being that of a coming-of-age story, the focus is not on Sarah as the child but on those around her. In fact, what makes Strong Heart so unique is that it is not the child coming of age and growing (apart from her survival skills); it is all those around her that come into their own.
The only negative point I can think of is based solely on my desires rather than an actual critique. I wish there had been more details and scenes about Sarah's individual journey because I want to know more about the people she met and what happened after she left. Additionally, this was the moment when Sarah was truly happy despite the journey's difficulty, which makes it all the more deserving of elaboration.
I give Strong Heart 5 out of 5 stars. Sheldon has created a masterful and heart-wrenching story that will immerse you from the very start. All of the characters and their actions are relatable and understandable to their motives and essence. Moreover, the detailed description of the setting truly places you in the Olympic Peninsula. Also, the repeated use of either animals or words to highlight critical moments in the story and harken to a previous point in time, all the while leaving something to the imagination, is so great. I just cannot put into words how great of an impression Strong Heart has left on me.
I recommend this novel to lovers of magical realism, specifically those who enjoyed the stories of Isabel Allende. Sheldon has created a book that surpasses fantasy by a mile. Strong Heart will take you on a journey of strength and self-discovery of what it truly means to be wise and how it is not dependent on age.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Luray by Dennis Haupt
