Review by mphelp2 -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
-
mphelp2
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 29 Jun 2019, 19:12
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 7
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mphelp2.html
- Latest Review: And Throw Away The Skins by Scott Archer Jones
Review by mphelp2 -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
This novel surprised me in a lot of good ways. With the promise of semi-magical-realism and the exploration of what it means to be human, Strong Heart is a story that showcases resilience. Charlie Sheldon creates characters that are unique in their backgrounds, providing a diverse set of views and relationships. From estranged 13-year-old Sarah, dropped off on her grandfather’s doorstep with nowhere else to go, to a cast of scientists determined to figure out the exact history of human evolution, this story is not lacking in perspective. Overall, the story has such a well-balanced mix of science and fiction that I feel like I came away having learned something not only about human history but human experience as well, because of the way in which Sheldon navigates what things like family and heritage mean. Because of all of this, I would give Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon 4 out of 4 stars for his ability to tell a story not just about one single individual’s journey to self-discovery but rather a band of characters coming together to figure out what it means to be human.
This story would be a good read for adults that might miss reading Young Adult books but find that they no longer relate to the problems being faced by the young characters in those stories. Strong Heart explores themes similar to those found in the Young Adult genre, such as crisis of identity and family, but there is a much more mature tone to the story. There is a lot to unpack with the characters, and I think Sheldon does a good job with this considering the page count. I think it could have been very easy for someone to drag this story out extensively, to the point of too much, but Sheldon gives just the right amount of detail for his story to make sense. It is very clear that this story is written by somebody with a background in science, but the reader doesn’t really need to know anything about human origins and evolution to read and understand what is happening. Sheldon effectively explains the scientific aspects of his story in a way that didn’t make me feel like I picked up a science textbook instead of a fictional novel.
Additionally, the sequence of the storytelling is really refreshing, especially for a novel that dips into the coming-of-age territory. However, instead of following the bildungsroman blueprint, Sheldon incorporates much larger and intense problems than just a teenager gone awry and having to find herself. Don’t get me wrong, I think that those narratives are important in their own ways, but this story is a lot more than just that. Sheldon’s characters deal a lot with Native legends, and I do like how he seemed to be bridging multiple stories and problems together under the guise of myths and discovery. At first, I thought that it would be nice to see more of Sarah’s perspective on her story; how she got where she did, how she felt about it, really anything about how she thinks because up until about chapter 15, she isn’t really given much depth outside of how the other characters perceive her, even though she has plenty of things happening to her that could warrant a dive into her point of view. Otherwise, most of what the audience is given of Sarah’s character is provided by the descriptions and opinions of others such as her grandfather, aunt, and other adults. I was initially worried that her story would be eclipsed by the fact that she was a “moody teen” and that a lot of the narrative would be lessons on morality and older people shaming younger people for having emotions, but was pleasantly surprised to find that, by the end, Sheldon managed to tell Sarah’s story, her family’s story, the story of human evolution, as well as Native struggles and history, all without things feeling crammed together or overdone.
There is little that I didn’t like about this novel. I loved that this novel was really two adventures in one for the main character, and the way that Sarah eventually tells her story is captivating and entertaining. Sheldon commits to the voice and expression of Sarah transported thousands of years in the past through a vision and creates perhaps the most visceral world out of her experience. There was so much happening in 250 pages, but never once did I feel like I was being overwhelmed by information or plot points. Even small things that just seemed like fluff to fill out the story’s word count ended up being important to the overall plot.
In his afterward, Sheldon says, “Stories are what make us human” and I think that he does a marvelous job of exploring this idea. His characters explore the Native legends surrounding their lands and personal histories. I liked how his characters did not seem to fight for page time but rather came together to tell their stories as one. Overall, it takes every single character to come together and survive the adventures in this story. Sheldon’s writing is captivating— when I wasn’t reading the book, I often found myself wondering about the characters and what was happening to them in the parts that I had yet to read. I definitely recommend this book as a wonderful adventure into the art of storytelling.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
This novel surprised me in a lot of good ways. With the promise of semi-magical-realism and the exploration of what it means to be human, Strong Heart is a story that showcases resilience. Charlie Sheldon creates characters that are unique in their backgrounds, providing a diverse set of views and relationships. From estranged 13-year-old Sarah, dropped off on her grandfather’s doorstep with nowhere else to go, to a cast of scientists determined to figure out the exact history of human evolution, this story is not lacking in perspective. Overall, the story has such a well-balanced mix of science and fiction that I feel like I came away having learned something not only about human history but human experience as well, because of the way in which Sheldon navigates what things like family and heritage mean. Because of all of this, I would give Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon 4 out of 4 stars for his ability to tell a story not just about one single individual’s journey to self-discovery but rather a band of characters coming together to figure out what it means to be human.
This story would be a good read for adults that might miss reading Young Adult books but find that they no longer relate to the problems being faced by the young characters in those stories. Strong Heart explores themes similar to those found in the Young Adult genre, such as crisis of identity and family, but there is a much more mature tone to the story. There is a lot to unpack with the characters, and I think Sheldon does a good job with this considering the page count. I think it could have been very easy for someone to drag this story out extensively, to the point of too much, but Sheldon gives just the right amount of detail for his story to make sense. It is very clear that this story is written by somebody with a background in science, but the reader doesn’t really need to know anything about human origins and evolution to read and understand what is happening. Sheldon effectively explains the scientific aspects of his story in a way that didn’t make me feel like I picked up a science textbook instead of a fictional novel.
Additionally, the sequence of the storytelling is really refreshing, especially for a novel that dips into the coming-of-age territory. However, instead of following the bildungsroman blueprint, Sheldon incorporates much larger and intense problems than just a teenager gone awry and having to find herself. Don’t get me wrong, I think that those narratives are important in their own ways, but this story is a lot more than just that. Sheldon’s characters deal a lot with Native legends, and I do like how he seemed to be bridging multiple stories and problems together under the guise of myths and discovery. At first, I thought that it would be nice to see more of Sarah’s perspective on her story; how she got where she did, how she felt about it, really anything about how she thinks because up until about chapter 15, she isn’t really given much depth outside of how the other characters perceive her, even though she has plenty of things happening to her that could warrant a dive into her point of view. Otherwise, most of what the audience is given of Sarah’s character is provided by the descriptions and opinions of others such as her grandfather, aunt, and other adults. I was initially worried that her story would be eclipsed by the fact that she was a “moody teen” and that a lot of the narrative would be lessons on morality and older people shaming younger people for having emotions, but was pleasantly surprised to find that, by the end, Sheldon managed to tell Sarah’s story, her family’s story, the story of human evolution, as well as Native struggles and history, all without things feeling crammed together or overdone.
There is little that I didn’t like about this novel. I loved that this novel was really two adventures in one for the main character, and the way that Sarah eventually tells her story is captivating and entertaining. Sheldon commits to the voice and expression of Sarah transported thousands of years in the past through a vision and creates perhaps the most visceral world out of her experience. There was so much happening in 250 pages, but never once did I feel like I was being overwhelmed by information or plot points. Even small things that just seemed like fluff to fill out the story’s word count ended up being important to the overall plot.
In his afterward, Sheldon says, “Stories are what make us human” and I think that he does a marvelous job of exploring this idea. His characters explore the Native legends surrounding their lands and personal histories. I liked how his characters did not seem to fight for page time but rather came together to tell their stories as one. Overall, it takes every single character to come together and survive the adventures in this story. Sheldon’s writing is captivating— when I wasn’t reading the book, I often found myself wondering about the characters and what was happening to them in the parts that I had yet to read. I definitely recommend this book as a wonderful adventure into the art of storytelling.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: And Throw Away The Skins by Scott Archer Jones
