Review by Teesheetz -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
-
Teesheetz
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 21 Feb 2019, 21:47
- Currently Reading: Your Adventurous Life Awaits
- Bookshelf Size: 21
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-teesheetz.html
- Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
- Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
Review by Teesheetz -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
This compelling book kept my interest from page one. I never enjoy a book where I can foresee the ending by reading the first chapter (I save the predictable ending entertainment for my Hallmark movie watching!). There was no predictability in this book. It was quite multifaceted with lessons, legends, dangers, and mystery. Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon is one of the most different books I have read.
Sarah, a young, troubled teen, abandoned by her stepfather after her mother’s death, is left to live with her estranged maternal grandmother and step-grandfather. The rebellious teen faces trouble at school, and her grandmother loses patience. She takes Sarah to stay with her maternal grandfather, Tom, who also never knew he had a granddaughter. Tom, his Native American friend, William, and William’s daughter, Myra, were heading out on a backpacking expedition to honor Tom’s grandfather’s grave. At William’s suggestion, they reluctantly decide to take Sarah with them on this journey. Sarah is entirely averse to joining this trip into the Washington State Olympic Peninsula wilderness with strangers. She is very defiant and miserable. Her negativity and defensiveness make for an uneasy atmosphere among the travelers. The beginning of the story sets the foundation with the rich, cultural background of the characters and their hike's mission.
Though sassy, Sarah is a talented artist and sketches often. She shares her drawing of a large bear that she saw while venturing out alone one day, leading to more conflict. In her picture, the short face bear was a breed that has been long extinct from the Earth. Her grandfather and his friends scrutinize her outlandish story, and this deeply upsets Sarah. Their disbelief increases the wedge between her and her grandfather.
Leaving in an angry huff, Sarah found herself alone and lost when she separates from her grandfather and his friends. She takes with her the atlatl, the treasured artifact the hikers had found near Tom’s grandfather’s burial site. It is at this point that the author spins off to a parallel story of legend and history. Taking us back in time, it is about an ancient nomadic tribe in their canoe and their voyage across the seas. From Sarah’s point of view as Strong Heart, we shift to meet early natives facing the perils of unknown lands and forces of nature.
While Sarah is missing, her frantic grandfather and his friends must make difficult decisions and self-reflect on their behaviors, beliefs, and values. Eventually, Sarah shares her experience and dream with the others, and though it seems unbelievable, they take heed. Her incredible tale leads them to search further for answers.
The author did an excellent job with character development and engaging interactions. He masterfully captures the complexity of human nature. In the layered story that took Sarah back in time, he captures social interaction and timeless relationships and reflects what we witness in everyday life. Sheldon depicts realistic challenges and natural emotions encountered when family members are forced upon each other. Additionally, he exposes the thoughts and internal struggles felt when faced with making decisions between what is permissible and what is necessary for the good. With grit and determination, the characters faced a moral dilemma of breaking a rule to uphold another rule.
A quote from the book is quite relevant to the world we live in today, filled with pandemic and politics, "…many people now do confuse belief with fact. They feel something is true only if they strongly believe it is so as if utter faith equals truth." Comparably, the characters wrestled between religious and cultural beliefs and scientific data. I feel that the author's message is that the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
There was very little, if anything, that I disliked about this book. I had some difficulty keeping the characters in Strong Heart’s story straight with their names such as Thin Hair, Fat Hair, and Pretty Face. In all honesty, less of criticism to the author, I think this was more of a reflection on how I read and processed that storyline and foreign naming convention.
I was drawn to the book after reading an intriguing summary. I needed a change from the type of books I had been recently reading. The shift in the genre was refreshing, and I enjoyed the book. Immediately after I completed it, I bought the next book in the series. Also, Strong Heart is an excellent title for the book, and though I didn't understand it at first, it is explained midway through the book. Professionally written and well-edited, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Charlie Sheldon cleverly blends a touch of mystery and unexplained with historical theory and quest. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy adventure, historical fiction, Native American legends, and science.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
This compelling book kept my interest from page one. I never enjoy a book where I can foresee the ending by reading the first chapter (I save the predictable ending entertainment for my Hallmark movie watching!). There was no predictability in this book. It was quite multifaceted with lessons, legends, dangers, and mystery. Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon is one of the most different books I have read.
Sarah, a young, troubled teen, abandoned by her stepfather after her mother’s death, is left to live with her estranged maternal grandmother and step-grandfather. The rebellious teen faces trouble at school, and her grandmother loses patience. She takes Sarah to stay with her maternal grandfather, Tom, who also never knew he had a granddaughter. Tom, his Native American friend, William, and William’s daughter, Myra, were heading out on a backpacking expedition to honor Tom’s grandfather’s grave. At William’s suggestion, they reluctantly decide to take Sarah with them on this journey. Sarah is entirely averse to joining this trip into the Washington State Olympic Peninsula wilderness with strangers. She is very defiant and miserable. Her negativity and defensiveness make for an uneasy atmosphere among the travelers. The beginning of the story sets the foundation with the rich, cultural background of the characters and their hike's mission.
Though sassy, Sarah is a talented artist and sketches often. She shares her drawing of a large bear that she saw while venturing out alone one day, leading to more conflict. In her picture, the short face bear was a breed that has been long extinct from the Earth. Her grandfather and his friends scrutinize her outlandish story, and this deeply upsets Sarah. Their disbelief increases the wedge between her and her grandfather.
Leaving in an angry huff, Sarah found herself alone and lost when she separates from her grandfather and his friends. She takes with her the atlatl, the treasured artifact the hikers had found near Tom’s grandfather’s burial site. It is at this point that the author spins off to a parallel story of legend and history. Taking us back in time, it is about an ancient nomadic tribe in their canoe and their voyage across the seas. From Sarah’s point of view as Strong Heart, we shift to meet early natives facing the perils of unknown lands and forces of nature.
While Sarah is missing, her frantic grandfather and his friends must make difficult decisions and self-reflect on their behaviors, beliefs, and values. Eventually, Sarah shares her experience and dream with the others, and though it seems unbelievable, they take heed. Her incredible tale leads them to search further for answers.
The author did an excellent job with character development and engaging interactions. He masterfully captures the complexity of human nature. In the layered story that took Sarah back in time, he captures social interaction and timeless relationships and reflects what we witness in everyday life. Sheldon depicts realistic challenges and natural emotions encountered when family members are forced upon each other. Additionally, he exposes the thoughts and internal struggles felt when faced with making decisions between what is permissible and what is necessary for the good. With grit and determination, the characters faced a moral dilemma of breaking a rule to uphold another rule.
A quote from the book is quite relevant to the world we live in today, filled with pandemic and politics, "…many people now do confuse belief with fact. They feel something is true only if they strongly believe it is so as if utter faith equals truth." Comparably, the characters wrestled between religious and cultural beliefs and scientific data. I feel that the author's message is that the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
There was very little, if anything, that I disliked about this book. I had some difficulty keeping the characters in Strong Heart’s story straight with their names such as Thin Hair, Fat Hair, and Pretty Face. In all honesty, less of criticism to the author, I think this was more of a reflection on how I read and processed that storyline and foreign naming convention.
I was drawn to the book after reading an intriguing summary. I needed a change from the type of books I had been recently reading. The shift in the genre was refreshing, and I enjoyed the book. Immediately after I completed it, I bought the next book in the series. Also, Strong Heart is an excellent title for the book, and though I didn't understand it at first, it is explained midway through the book. Professionally written and well-edited, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Charlie Sheldon cleverly blends a touch of mystery and unexplained with historical theory and quest. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy adventure, historical fiction, Native American legends, and science.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
