Review by lyshagrace -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
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lyshagrace
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- Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
Review by lyshagrace -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon follows the story of preteen Sarah, who meets her biological grandfather for the first time. Tom, her grandfather, doesn’t know how he feels about the situation and is unsure what to do with this feisty girl who has just turned up at his doorstep. He and his Native American friends are about to go hiking into the backcountry of Olympus National Park to visit his grandfather’s grave. Tom is convinced by one of his friends to take Sarah along, something they are both wary about. Thus, they begin an epic journey, where Sarah comes to terms with her family, heritage and herself. She finally gains something she needs desperately: stable, loving people who believe in her.
I’ll start by saying that this book isn’t perfect; however, it was really enjoyable. The author tends to use commas to create jerky, short sentences that made me wonder at first whether I wanted to continue. There were a few times I almost put the book down. Sheldon also writes the characters mostly through dialogue. The reader is left to fill in their thoughts and emotions with their imaginations.
Sheldon has an obvious interest in the history of the indigenous people of America, and theories about when the first people arrived here. He layers his knowledge and passion throughout the story. It serves as a background for both the main plot and subplots. It was also one of the more interesting aspects of the novel. Although, I did not fact check the novel, and the author included no sources because it is fiction. If a reader feels concerned over these elements, they should be ready to do their own fact-checking.
What I liked most about Strong Heart was a subplot, in which a character goes on an unbelievable journey. Although only written in stilted dialogue, the journey and the characters were extremely interesting to me. What I disliked most about the book, was that none of the plots, including the main plot, came to a satisfactory conclusion. While the ending was beautiful, it left me in a lurch with many questions about what was going to happen. I feel like Strong Heart ended too soon.
This book is best for an audience who enjoys historical fiction involving ancient peoples. It is also good for an audience who is interested in books about family reunification and drama. If you are the type of reader who needs to be shown and not told a story, this book may not be for you. Much of the story is dialogue and scenery depiction. Some readers may become frustrated by Sheldon’s style of writing. This reviewer was at first, but the book ended up winning me over, so I’m giving it a rating of 3 out of 4 stars!
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon follows the story of preteen Sarah, who meets her biological grandfather for the first time. Tom, her grandfather, doesn’t know how he feels about the situation and is unsure what to do with this feisty girl who has just turned up at his doorstep. He and his Native American friends are about to go hiking into the backcountry of Olympus National Park to visit his grandfather’s grave. Tom is convinced by one of his friends to take Sarah along, something they are both wary about. Thus, they begin an epic journey, where Sarah comes to terms with her family, heritage and herself. She finally gains something she needs desperately: stable, loving people who believe in her.
I’ll start by saying that this book isn’t perfect; however, it was really enjoyable. The author tends to use commas to create jerky, short sentences that made me wonder at first whether I wanted to continue. There were a few times I almost put the book down. Sheldon also writes the characters mostly through dialogue. The reader is left to fill in their thoughts and emotions with their imaginations.
Sheldon has an obvious interest in the history of the indigenous people of America, and theories about when the first people arrived here. He layers his knowledge and passion throughout the story. It serves as a background for both the main plot and subplots. It was also one of the more interesting aspects of the novel. Although, I did not fact check the novel, and the author included no sources because it is fiction. If a reader feels concerned over these elements, they should be ready to do their own fact-checking.
What I liked most about Strong Heart was a subplot, in which a character goes on an unbelievable journey. Although only written in stilted dialogue, the journey and the characters were extremely interesting to me. What I disliked most about the book, was that none of the plots, including the main plot, came to a satisfactory conclusion. While the ending was beautiful, it left me in a lurch with many questions about what was going to happen. I feel like Strong Heart ended too soon.
This book is best for an audience who enjoys historical fiction involving ancient peoples. It is also good for an audience who is interested in books about family reunification and drama. If you are the type of reader who needs to be shown and not told a story, this book may not be for you. Much of the story is dialogue and scenery depiction. Some readers may become frustrated by Sheldon’s style of writing. This reviewer was at first, but the book ended up winning me over, so I’m giving it a rating of 3 out of 4 stars!
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
