Review of Strong Heart
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Sheila Gehlmann
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Review of Strong Heart
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon is the fictional story about the journey of Sarah Cooley, a rebellious 13 year old orphan who is trying to find her place in the world. Sarah lived with her grandmother for a short time before going to live with her grandfather, Tom. She does not like anything about the area where Tom lives in Sol Duc, Washington. Sarah is restless and angry when introduced to Tom's friend William and his daughter Myra. William and Myra are American Indians who live on the nearby reservation.
The three adults were about to set out on a backpacking trip through Olympic National Park to visit Tom's grandfather's grave and return an ancient artifact that belonged to Bob-Bob, Tom's grandfather. Sarah reluctantly joins them on the rugged journey and takes a short walk alone off the trail away from the group. On her walk, Sarah sees a black short face bear that roamed the area more than 12 thousand years ago. She draws it in her sketchpad.
A struggle eventually ensues between these four people and a company that intends to change the area with mining activity, and Sarah embarks on a magical journey of her own.
There are many positive aspects to the book. Mr. Sheldon does a great job of character development. There are quite a few characters, and the story is very fast moving with exciting twists and turns throughout the chapters. I was particularly thankful for the maps that he included at the beginning of the book, and I referred to them many times as a way to follow along with the group's journey. The detailed description of both characters and terrain in made them very easy to visualize. Several historical facts as woven into the tale in an interesting and exciting way helps the reader to experience it along with the characters. I prefer to learn history in this way rather than memorizing names and places.
The book kept my attention from beginning to end, and I enjoyed it immensely. I experienced every vivid scene as if being right there in the story. It is such a pleasure to read a book that I look forward to returning to every day until completely read. I will definitely read the other two books in this series.
There was only one slightly negative aspect to the book. That is, it was difficult to determine who was speaking in some of the dialogue between multiple characters in Chapters 37, 38 and 39. I thought that stating their names either in front of or following the statements would have provided clarification.
This is an exceptionally well-edited book with no errors. Its chapters are thrilling and organized. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
Readers who are interested in learning about ancient history and American Indian culture may enjoy reading this book. I also recommend it to those who like adventure stories, reading about survival in rough terrain and solving ancient mysteries. The content could appeal to individuals who enjoy reading about a restless teenager struggling to understand her world.
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Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon is the fictional story about the journey of Sarah Cooley, a rebellious 13 year old orphan who is trying to find her place in the world. Sarah lived with her grandmother for a short time before going to live with her grandfather, Tom. She does not like anything about the area where Tom lives in Sol Duc, Washington. Sarah is restless and angry when introduced to Tom's friend William and his daughter Myra. William and Myra are American Indians who live on the nearby reservation.
The three adults were about to set out on a backpacking trip through Olympic National Park to visit Tom's grandfather's grave and return an ancient artifact that belonged to Bob-Bob, Tom's grandfather. Sarah reluctantly joins them on the rugged journey and takes a short walk alone off the trail away from the group. On her walk, Sarah sees a black short face bear that roamed the area more than 12 thousand years ago. She draws it in her sketchpad.
A struggle eventually ensues between these four people and a company that intends to change the area with mining activity, and Sarah embarks on a magical journey of her own.
There are many positive aspects to the book. Mr. Sheldon does a great job of character development. There are quite a few characters, and the story is very fast moving with exciting twists and turns throughout the chapters. I was particularly thankful for the maps that he included at the beginning of the book, and I referred to them many times as a way to follow along with the group's journey. The detailed description of both characters and terrain in made them very easy to visualize. Several historical facts as woven into the tale in an interesting and exciting way helps the reader to experience it along with the characters. I prefer to learn history in this way rather than memorizing names and places.
The book kept my attention from beginning to end, and I enjoyed it immensely. I experienced every vivid scene as if being right there in the story. It is such a pleasure to read a book that I look forward to returning to every day until completely read. I will definitely read the other two books in this series.
There was only one slightly negative aspect to the book. That is, it was difficult to determine who was speaking in some of the dialogue between multiple characters in Chapters 37, 38 and 39. I thought that stating their names either in front of or following the statements would have provided clarification.
This is an exceptionally well-edited book with no errors. Its chapters are thrilling and organized. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
Readers who are interested in learning about ancient history and American Indian culture may enjoy reading this book. I also recommend it to those who like adventure stories, reading about survival in rough terrain and solving ancient mysteries. The content could appeal to individuals who enjoy reading about a restless teenager struggling to understand her world.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
