Review by Beata hoff -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
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Beata hoff
- Posts: 15
- Joined: 29 Aug 2020, 12:18
- Favorite Book: Acheron (Dark Hunter series #20)
- Currently Reading: adrift
- Bookshelf Size: 40
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-beata-hoff.html
- Latest Review: Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Having a Bad Life by Lewis Kempfer
Review by Beata hoff -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
The story begins with a scene where Tom and his Haida friend William are packing for a hiking trip. They are going into the wilderness so that Tom can find his grandfather Bob-bob’s grave. Tom and William are both in their seventies so they take William’s daughter Myra along to help them. Before they can leave however, Tom’s ex-wife shoves his granddaughter Sarah, a barely teenaged orphan, into his care. The old boys decide to take the unwilling Sarah with them on the journey. From the get-go though, it is as William says “we think we brought Sarah on this trip, but maybe it is she, who is taking us.”
The trek to find Bob-bob’s grave is arduous and the group face many difficulties, the worst of which is when Sarah goes missing. When she comes back, she has an incredible tale to tell: for the time she was missing Sarah dreamt that she was alive as another girl, in another time. A time long before modern people came to Alaska and the land was ruled by Saber-tooth tigers and Short-faced bears. The storyline then splits between that of Sarah’s journey with her grandfather and the journey of Strong Heart, the girl that Sarah sees in her vision. Strong Heart was stolen from her home and taken on a grueling journey across the sea along with other stolen girls to become wives for another tribe.
What a magnificent read! Charlie Sheldon’s style of writing immediately draws you in and you are soon hanging onto every word to find out what happens next. I finished Strong Heart in one sitting so invested was I in the plights of Sarah and Strong Heart. I will definitely be reading the sequel Adrift. This book is aimed at a more mature audience in that it deals with some quite complex matters but I think it should also be on the reading list for every teenager who has ever felt lost or insecure about their heritage and their place in their family. I wish this book had been around when I was a teen.
I loved how the everyday lives of the main characters where masterfully interwoven with very real issues, such as the way Western society treats Native Americans and the need to preserve culture and heritage. Throughout the book the issues of land – who it belongs to and the rights of the dispossessed – are never far from the surface which added a deeper level to the plot which I really enjoyed. I also loved how Charlie Sheldon describes the mountain scenery of the Olympic peninsula so well that at times it feels as if you could almost smell the cool breeze drifting from the peaks. He paints a vibrant environment both in the present and in the past that makes you want to put your boots on and go for a hike yourself.
Strong Heart deserves a 4 out of 4-star rating for the opulent scenery and the gorgeously narrated storyline. I recommend you pick this one up as soon as possible.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The story begins with a scene where Tom and his Haida friend William are packing for a hiking trip. They are going into the wilderness so that Tom can find his grandfather Bob-bob’s grave. Tom and William are both in their seventies so they take William’s daughter Myra along to help them. Before they can leave however, Tom’s ex-wife shoves his granddaughter Sarah, a barely teenaged orphan, into his care. The old boys decide to take the unwilling Sarah with them on the journey. From the get-go though, it is as William says “we think we brought Sarah on this trip, but maybe it is she, who is taking us.”
The trek to find Bob-bob’s grave is arduous and the group face many difficulties, the worst of which is when Sarah goes missing. When she comes back, she has an incredible tale to tell: for the time she was missing Sarah dreamt that she was alive as another girl, in another time. A time long before modern people came to Alaska and the land was ruled by Saber-tooth tigers and Short-faced bears. The storyline then splits between that of Sarah’s journey with her grandfather and the journey of Strong Heart, the girl that Sarah sees in her vision. Strong Heart was stolen from her home and taken on a grueling journey across the sea along with other stolen girls to become wives for another tribe.
What a magnificent read! Charlie Sheldon’s style of writing immediately draws you in and you are soon hanging onto every word to find out what happens next. I finished Strong Heart in one sitting so invested was I in the plights of Sarah and Strong Heart. I will definitely be reading the sequel Adrift. This book is aimed at a more mature audience in that it deals with some quite complex matters but I think it should also be on the reading list for every teenager who has ever felt lost or insecure about their heritage and their place in their family. I wish this book had been around when I was a teen.
I loved how the everyday lives of the main characters where masterfully interwoven with very real issues, such as the way Western society treats Native Americans and the need to preserve culture and heritage. Throughout the book the issues of land – who it belongs to and the rights of the dispossessed – are never far from the surface which added a deeper level to the plot which I really enjoyed. I also loved how Charlie Sheldon describes the mountain scenery of the Olympic peninsula so well that at times it feels as if you could almost smell the cool breeze drifting from the peaks. He paints a vibrant environment both in the present and in the past that makes you want to put your boots on and go for a hike yourself.
Strong Heart deserves a 4 out of 4-star rating for the opulent scenery and the gorgeously narrated storyline. I recommend you pick this one up as soon as possible.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Having a Bad Life by Lewis Kempfer
