3 out of 4 stars
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How many times have you found yourself in a stick situation and thought the best idea was to give up? Better yet how many times have you found yourself in a fix and you were too young to control the situation or were otherwise disadvantaged? These are some of the issues Charlie Sheldon focuses on in his book, Strong Heart. Strong heart is a book about a girl who lost her mother, did not know her father, the step father wanted to get rid of her and the grandmother found her a nuisance. Sarah is then left at her grandfather’s doorstep who is just as confused as she is. Tough life being her norm, Sarah has no particular regard for her elders. Why should she? No one had exactly stuck long enough in her life to instill character. What she didn’t know was that her life was about to change.
Tom, Sarah’s grandfather had planned to go camping with his friends Myra and William but now with Sarah here, he did not know what to do. School was still in session and they could not take her with them up the mountains. William however, did not share the same sentiment. He thought it wiser to take her with them so that she learns some survival skills. A little debate here and there and it was decided Sarah would join them. For those who have hiked before, you know it is no easy task. Sarah too felt the same way and she constantly accuses Tom of Kidnapping.
All goes well until Sarah storms out and disappears into the woods not to be found for eight days. She returns with stories of her encounter with the largest bears that ever lived and wolves that swim at the time where ice age still existed. A tale everyone believed to be a mere dream, everyone except her. The story goes on to explain how her disappearance affected her skills and her attitude towards her grandfather. She becomes the young girl who overcomes her obstacles and the girl who was brave enough to save her friends and family.
Being my first time with literature fiction, I have to admit I was impressed. The book was well edited and I found no errors. The grammar was simple thus very easy to understand. Once or twice there were hints of humor and I could not help but laugh out. I found it inspirational especially where Sarah says,
Long braid had been correct-Life is difficult. Now, facing the beautiful mountains, hearing the calls of the gulls above me, seeing rainbows in the sea spray, I knew life was also beautiful.
Now, to the things I did not like. Conversations would switch abruptly that I would be left confused. This constantly gave me the feeling I was missing something. Also, during dialogue I think the author should have better indicated the characters speaking. This is because where conversation was among three people or more I would be left figuring out who said what. There was also a lot, like a lot of narration from Sarah, it felt like a book within a book. This is certainly not the kind of book you want to spend a whole day reading but instead one that you give breaks in between.
All in all I liked the book; if you are a literature fiction person then this is for you. However, there are brutal deaths and attempted rape, so if this would deter you from reading a book, consider yourself warned. Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
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Strong Heart
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