Review of Strong Heart
Posted: 17 Feb 2022, 11:41
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
Strong Heart is a powerful book that explores what it means to come of age and build familial and community bonds through adversity and adventures, across generations and even millennia. In the first installment of the Strong Heart trilogy, author Charlie Sheldon posits a plausible tale that merges ancient human history, proven scientific findings, and sacred Native legends.
On the eve of a rugged camping trip through the Olympic Peninsula with his long-time friend William and William’s daughter Myra, Tom’s ex-wife shows up, dropping off the granddaughter he never knew he had. While Tom suggests delaying the trip, William convinces him to take the young girl, Sarah, along, despite Tom’s misgivings and Sarah’s protests. While Sarah initially pouts and struggles, she slowly develops a friendship with Myra, and a begrudging respect for her grandfather. Over campfires, the pack bonds through storytelling—Tom sharing how he took this same trip with his own grandfather at a time of transition in his young adulthood, Myra sharing Native legends passed down by her own ancestors on the reservation, and Sarah captivating them all with her own stories, which occupy a space between fact and fiction, real but impossible, current yet ancient.
Strong Heart is a compelling tale with notable character and relationship development. While the young girl Sarah starts out as a troubled child, abandoned by the adults in her life, she grows into a mature, brave, and talented young artist and outdoorswoman with the encouragement of her blood and chosen family. She develops a close friendship, bordering on sisterhood, with Myra, who encourages her along their journey, protects her against those who would do her harm, and yet is challenged by and learns from Sarah as well. The relationship Sarah develops with her grandfather, as they embark on a trip he took with his own grandfather, is endearing, giving her the love and support she never fully received from her own father figure and giving him another opportunity to play the parental role he never fully got to play for his daughter. William immediately recognizes the ancient and spiritual power in Sarah’s participation in their journey and in the stories she tells. In addition to the character and relationship development, Charlie Sheldon also keeps readers engaged through a sub-plot about the protection of the environment and Native lands against a greedy corporation and their accomplice, a corrupt local politician and husband of Tom’s ex-wife. Notably, the book was also well edited.
Overall, Strong Heart is an entertaining story, although some of the tales within the broader plot are less engaging, drag on for a bit too long, and could be better integrated into the main plot. Additionally, Myra’s character development could have been stronger, as she is often portrayed as immature and overly sensitive.
I would rate Strong Heart three out of four stars, as it is moving and entertaining, although it slows down significantly during two major storytelling arcs. Additionally, the nature of Myra’s behavior, especially in the latter half of the book, can be somewhat frustrating.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys tales of family relationship development, specifically those that span generations and genders. I would also recommend this book to those with an appreciation of Native legends, who enjoy imagining the day-to-day lives of ancient humans, our ancestors for whom we have limited, proven insights but whose lives were just as rich and full as humans today.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Strong Heart is a powerful book that explores what it means to come of age and build familial and community bonds through adversity and adventures, across generations and even millennia. In the first installment of the Strong Heart trilogy, author Charlie Sheldon posits a plausible tale that merges ancient human history, proven scientific findings, and sacred Native legends.
On the eve of a rugged camping trip through the Olympic Peninsula with his long-time friend William and William’s daughter Myra, Tom’s ex-wife shows up, dropping off the granddaughter he never knew he had. While Tom suggests delaying the trip, William convinces him to take the young girl, Sarah, along, despite Tom’s misgivings and Sarah’s protests. While Sarah initially pouts and struggles, she slowly develops a friendship with Myra, and a begrudging respect for her grandfather. Over campfires, the pack bonds through storytelling—Tom sharing how he took this same trip with his own grandfather at a time of transition in his young adulthood, Myra sharing Native legends passed down by her own ancestors on the reservation, and Sarah captivating them all with her own stories, which occupy a space between fact and fiction, real but impossible, current yet ancient.
Strong Heart is a compelling tale with notable character and relationship development. While the young girl Sarah starts out as a troubled child, abandoned by the adults in her life, she grows into a mature, brave, and talented young artist and outdoorswoman with the encouragement of her blood and chosen family. She develops a close friendship, bordering on sisterhood, with Myra, who encourages her along their journey, protects her against those who would do her harm, and yet is challenged by and learns from Sarah as well. The relationship Sarah develops with her grandfather, as they embark on a trip he took with his own grandfather, is endearing, giving her the love and support she never fully received from her own father figure and giving him another opportunity to play the parental role he never fully got to play for his daughter. William immediately recognizes the ancient and spiritual power in Sarah’s participation in their journey and in the stories she tells. In addition to the character and relationship development, Charlie Sheldon also keeps readers engaged through a sub-plot about the protection of the environment and Native lands against a greedy corporation and their accomplice, a corrupt local politician and husband of Tom’s ex-wife. Notably, the book was also well edited.
Overall, Strong Heart is an entertaining story, although some of the tales within the broader plot are less engaging, drag on for a bit too long, and could be better integrated into the main plot. Additionally, Myra’s character development could have been stronger, as she is often portrayed as immature and overly sensitive.
I would rate Strong Heart three out of four stars, as it is moving and entertaining, although it slows down significantly during two major storytelling arcs. Additionally, the nature of Myra’s behavior, especially in the latter half of the book, can be somewhat frustrating.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys tales of family relationship development, specifically those that span generations and genders. I would also recommend this book to those with an appreciation of Native legends, who enjoy imagining the day-to-day lives of ancient humans, our ancestors for whom we have limited, proven insights but whose lives were just as rich and full as humans today.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon