Review of Strong Heart
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Mirrow Wise
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Review of Strong Heart
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
Like a newborn child abandoned at the doorstep of an orphanage home by their parent(s), teenage Sarah is dropped off at the doorstep of Tom, her grandpa. This should surely be a happy event that should witness hugs, kisses, and tears of joy by both granddaughter and grandfather, but that is not to be so. You see, Tom never knew that he had a granddaughter before Sarah’s unannounced arrival. That event brought great shock to both people in question. Immediately, Tom is barraged with thoughts of how to raise a child (a teenager for that matter) seeing as it has been years since he did that particular job. Confused and deep in thought about what to do with Sarah when he was gone on his already scheduled hiking trip, Myra and William, his friends, generously suggest that Sarah tag along with them on this hiking trip.
Both grandfather and granddaughter are not thrilled with that suggestion. But with no other viable option available, they both agree. This should have been a bonding trip for both of them. But a day into the hiking trip, Sarah disappears without a trace. Scared and distraught, the company she left behind launches a search for her. While they are searching, Sarah sees herself (body and soul) on a ship of wanderers that walked the earth thousands of years ago. It was probably a time closer to the ice age. How did she get there? Most importantly, how can she escape that reality and go back home to her grandpa? As for Tom, will he ever see Sarah again?
Strong Heart is a book that is characterized by visions, spirituality, survival, doubt, fear, and pain. All of these themes were woven into the story which made the end result beautiful. The thrill, suspense, and illogical happenings got my head spinning with thoughts and excitement of which I have never felt before.
The suspense especially kept me reading this book till it came to an end. The twists and turns in events in the book also made the suspense unbelievably thicker. I could never guess what event would happen next or whether or not someone would lose their life in scenes in the book. I am so impressed with Charlie Sheldon's creativity. The suspense that single-handedly kept me reading this novel is my favorite and most like thing/feature in Strong Heart.
Another thing that I greatly enjoyed reading about is the stories told by William and Tom about their people. You see, Tom and William are of Native American descent. These people are well known for their rich culture and way of life. They recounted tales told to them by their parents and even explained some of their cultural heritage to young Sarah. I was fascinated with all the tales told.
Even more interesting is the humor in the book. I can never forget the scene where Myra said that because they are all of the same descent they were all cousins and Sarah’s ridiculous and very funny reply to that and them marrying people of the same descent. I found Sarah to be a ray of sunshine in the book. Her witty replies made me laugh more times than I can count. I only wish that they were more of that than Charlie Sheldon put in the book.
I really enjoyed reading Strong Heart. I cannot point to any fault in it too. It was perfectly and flawlessly edited. It was filled with so much imagery that will keep me daydreaming for a long time. The suspense was golden. In summary, I did not dislike anything in the book. So I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.
I recommend Strong Heart to persons interested in the history and beliefs of the Native American people. Although Charlie Sheldon did not go into detail into their history, he told stories of certain important events and beliefs that his people had. Also, readers interested in general tales of adventure experiences that beat logic (like sighting extinct creatures), and hiking will find this book interesting.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like a newborn child abandoned at the doorstep of an orphanage home by their parent(s), teenage Sarah is dropped off at the doorstep of Tom, her grandpa. This should surely be a happy event that should witness hugs, kisses, and tears of joy by both granddaughter and grandfather, but that is not to be so. You see, Tom never knew that he had a granddaughter before Sarah’s unannounced arrival. That event brought great shock to both people in question. Immediately, Tom is barraged with thoughts of how to raise a child (a teenager for that matter) seeing as it has been years since he did that particular job. Confused and deep in thought about what to do with Sarah when he was gone on his already scheduled hiking trip, Myra and William, his friends, generously suggest that Sarah tag along with them on this hiking trip.
Both grandfather and granddaughter are not thrilled with that suggestion. But with no other viable option available, they both agree. This should have been a bonding trip for both of them. But a day into the hiking trip, Sarah disappears without a trace. Scared and distraught, the company she left behind launches a search for her. While they are searching, Sarah sees herself (body and soul) on a ship of wanderers that walked the earth thousands of years ago. It was probably a time closer to the ice age. How did she get there? Most importantly, how can she escape that reality and go back home to her grandpa? As for Tom, will he ever see Sarah again?
Strong Heart is a book that is characterized by visions, spirituality, survival, doubt, fear, and pain. All of these themes were woven into the story which made the end result beautiful. The thrill, suspense, and illogical happenings got my head spinning with thoughts and excitement of which I have never felt before.
The suspense especially kept me reading this book till it came to an end. The twists and turns in events in the book also made the suspense unbelievably thicker. I could never guess what event would happen next or whether or not someone would lose their life in scenes in the book. I am so impressed with Charlie Sheldon's creativity. The suspense that single-handedly kept me reading this novel is my favorite and most like thing/feature in Strong Heart.
Another thing that I greatly enjoyed reading about is the stories told by William and Tom about their people. You see, Tom and William are of Native American descent. These people are well known for their rich culture and way of life. They recounted tales told to them by their parents and even explained some of their cultural heritage to young Sarah. I was fascinated with all the tales told.
Even more interesting is the humor in the book. I can never forget the scene where Myra said that because they are all of the same descent they were all cousins and Sarah’s ridiculous and very funny reply to that and them marrying people of the same descent. I found Sarah to be a ray of sunshine in the book. Her witty replies made me laugh more times than I can count. I only wish that they were more of that than Charlie Sheldon put in the book.
I really enjoyed reading Strong Heart. I cannot point to any fault in it too. It was perfectly and flawlessly edited. It was filled with so much imagery that will keep me daydreaming for a long time. The suspense was golden. In summary, I did not dislike anything in the book. So I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.
I recommend Strong Heart to persons interested in the history and beliefs of the Native American people. Although Charlie Sheldon did not go into detail into their history, he told stories of certain important events and beliefs that his people had. Also, readers interested in general tales of adventure experiences that beat logic (like sighting extinct creatures), and hiking will find this book interesting.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: A Fate Unwound Too Soon by anna-karen sorensen
