Review by Teamster6horse -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
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Teamster6horse
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- Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
Review by Teamster6horse -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon Is an amazing story combining fiction with fantasy. The story is laid on the beautiful Olympic peninsula of Washington state. The author does a wonder job of describing the Olympic National Park with it’s various terrains, climates and the perpetual rain! His attention to detail of this territory is commendable.
The story begins with Sarah meeting her Grandfather for the first time at age 13. Grandfather Tom is preparing to hike into the Olympic National Park to check on his Grandfather’s grave along with his friends William and Myra who are Native American. Unbelievably, they decide to include Sarah along for this multi-night hike. Along the way, Sarah and Tom are sizing each up to determine if there is any chance for a relationship to develop.
Once the gravesite is reached, Tom reveals an artifact that he wants to leave at the gravesite. This artifact was first found by Tom under his Grandfather’s jacket on the day he died and it becomes the holy grail for the rest of the story. Sarah and the artifact go missing after an argument with Tom and she is gone for 8 days. Meanwhile, Tom, William and Myra search for her along with other searchers. During a violent thunderstorm, Sarah suddenly reappears and tells a fantastic story of traveling with the First People on a long sea voyage. Sarah reappeared, but the artifact remains missing.
As a result of losing Sarah in the park, Tom loses custody of Sarah and she goes to her Grandmother. There Sarah becomes moody and teaches herself how to build weapons and other skills that the First People used. After a brush with the step-grandfather, Sarah shows up on Myra’s doorstep just as the threesome is going to make another trek into the national park to the gravesite. Sarah tags along and finishes telling her story and hunts for the artifact as they dodge wildfires and people who do not want the artifact to become known.
The characters are well developed, believable and fleshed out to where you feel like you are along on the hike with them and witnessing their interactions. The story moves along at a moderate pace, it draws you in and holds your attention as it tells the story. At times, the story of the First People that Sarah is telling gets a little confusing, but once you sort out the characters she is describing, it becomes easier to follow.
This book probably was professionally edited I only found two typos. This book is about growing up and acceptance. It explores an interesting storyline concerning the First People and North America. The look at cultural influences and having a variety of people in your life is explored and ties in well with the story. Would rate this story a 4 out of 4 stars as a very enjoyable read and am hoping that there will be a sequel as there did appear to be several unanswered concerns in the book.
Loved this book as I could place myself among the characters and see and feel their emotions throughout the story. Being familiar with the Olympic National Park made this book so much more enjoyable as it long been a favorite hiking area of mine! It is an easy read, finished the book in one day as I couldn’t wait to see how the author resolved the story.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon Is an amazing story combining fiction with fantasy. The story is laid on the beautiful Olympic peninsula of Washington state. The author does a wonder job of describing the Olympic National Park with it’s various terrains, climates and the perpetual rain! His attention to detail of this territory is commendable.
The story begins with Sarah meeting her Grandfather for the first time at age 13. Grandfather Tom is preparing to hike into the Olympic National Park to check on his Grandfather’s grave along with his friends William and Myra who are Native American. Unbelievably, they decide to include Sarah along for this multi-night hike. Along the way, Sarah and Tom are sizing each up to determine if there is any chance for a relationship to develop.
Once the gravesite is reached, Tom reveals an artifact that he wants to leave at the gravesite. This artifact was first found by Tom under his Grandfather’s jacket on the day he died and it becomes the holy grail for the rest of the story. Sarah and the artifact go missing after an argument with Tom and she is gone for 8 days. Meanwhile, Tom, William and Myra search for her along with other searchers. During a violent thunderstorm, Sarah suddenly reappears and tells a fantastic story of traveling with the First People on a long sea voyage. Sarah reappeared, but the artifact remains missing.
As a result of losing Sarah in the park, Tom loses custody of Sarah and she goes to her Grandmother. There Sarah becomes moody and teaches herself how to build weapons and other skills that the First People used. After a brush with the step-grandfather, Sarah shows up on Myra’s doorstep just as the threesome is going to make another trek into the national park to the gravesite. Sarah tags along and finishes telling her story and hunts for the artifact as they dodge wildfires and people who do not want the artifact to become known.
The characters are well developed, believable and fleshed out to where you feel like you are along on the hike with them and witnessing their interactions. The story moves along at a moderate pace, it draws you in and holds your attention as it tells the story. At times, the story of the First People that Sarah is telling gets a little confusing, but once you sort out the characters she is describing, it becomes easier to follow.
This book probably was professionally edited I only found two typos. This book is about growing up and acceptance. It explores an interesting storyline concerning the First People and North America. The look at cultural influences and having a variety of people in your life is explored and ties in well with the story. Would rate this story a 4 out of 4 stars as a very enjoyable read and am hoping that there will be a sequel as there did appear to be several unanswered concerns in the book.
Loved this book as I could place myself among the characters and see and feel their emotions throughout the story. Being familiar with the Olympic National Park made this book so much more enjoyable as it long been a favorite hiking area of mine! It is an easy read, finished the book in one day as I couldn’t wait to see how the author resolved the story.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
