Review by Clinical1 -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon

Post by **Clinical1** » 07 Mar 2018, 21:46

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

4 out of 4 stars

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Charlie Sheldon tells a tale of Indian lore in his book Strong Heart. He opened the book with strong character development early in the first chapter. The reader was introduced to 2 families with Native American heritage. William (Walleye) and his daughter Myra were preparing for a camping trip into Olympic National Park. This area was home to Native Americans, when the tribes were forced west. However, the Indians believe they have always inhabited this area. Several Indian reservations still exist in the Pacific North West. William and Myra prepared to travel with their friend, Tom, who was suddenly face-to-face with his granddaughter, Sarah. Until that moment, Tom was not aware he had a granddaughter, so this meeting was something of a shock.

After hearing the events that brought Sarah to William’s front step, in the pouring rain, Tom had no choice but to take her in. The group decided to take Sarah with them on their journey. Taking Sarah had several advantages. By including her, Tom didn’t have to worry about where Sarah will stay and who will stay with her. By showing Sarah the native land, the group introduced her to her Indian heritage. And not least of all, William was older and weaker than the last time he had taken this journey. At the age of 13, Sarah was young and vibrant. Her presence helped with the equipment and the hike.

Along the journey, Tom, William and Myra shared stories of Indian legend and of life on a reservation with Sarah. They Spoke of the Sol Duc tribe and the land. They knew that Buckhorn International wanted to lease a pier on Sol Duc land and talked of the future of the tribe, if the lease went through.

The writer delved deeply into the relationships between the characters. Through words and actions, you saw Sarah change and grow along her journey. Her relationship with Myra, the only other female on the trip, was predictable, but also pleasantly portrayed. The minor characters were also developed so that you could feel the antagonism between the interactions.

When the writer took us into the Indian history with Sarah, she became the storyteller. Her descriptions of sights, sounds and smell were very real. It was easy to see what she could see as well as feel what she could feel. As an artist, Sarah drew what she saw so the others had a visual idea of what she was describing. This was a great technique to show the reader the depth of Sarah’s visions.

This story of Strong Heart was steeped with legend and history. With no written records, stories such as these have been passed down through generations of Indians. Some of the details were verified with other records, like maps. Some, the reader was left to believe or not believe. The author used an effective combination of facts and legends to tell the storie. As the reader, I used the descriptions in the book, along with my memory of early American History to visualize the scenes and the paths traveled.

The strong character development, along with descriptive story telling made this book enjoyable to read. I found myself invested in the characters and wanting to know more. I would welcome the opportunity to read more books like Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon. For that reason, I give this book a rating of 4 out of four stars.

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Strong Heart
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VictoriaMcMillen · Post by **VictoriaMcMillen** » 12 Mar 2018, 12:19

I have also enjoyed this wonderful novel. I like the way you were able to fit all the aspects of the story into your review. Sarah definitely was a character that kept surprising you, being the seemingly ignorant newbie and then turning into the historian of an epic journey in history. The author did an impeccable job at telling the story through the eyes and experiences of others. Thanks for the review!

Espie · Post by **Espie** » 29 May 2018, 19:26

Thank you for your review. I also read, reviewed and loved the book. The shift in narrative perspective from one character to another had been an initial struggle for me to comprehend but I guess that worked to grip my attention and prod me to read on further. Our wait for what's next won't be for long now, as I believe that volume 2 (and 3) of the series is already in the pipeline.

Espie · Post by **Espie** » 29 May 2018, 19:29

VictoriaMcMillen wrote: ↑12 Mar 2018, 12:19 I have also enjoyed this wonderful novel. I like the way you were able to fit all the aspects of the story into your review. Sarah definitely was a character that kept surprising you, being the seemingly ignorant newbie and then turning into the historian of an epic journey in history. The author did an impeccable job at telling the story through the eyes and experiences of others. Thanks for the review!

Sarah initially seemed annoying in her stubbornness yet knowing her past would surely explain why later on. I like her resilience and ability to take on life's challenges even at such an early age.