Review by Sikopo -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
-
Sikopo
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 01 Jul 2017, 13:09
- Bookshelf Size: 3
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sikopo.html
- Latest Review: "Tips, Myths and Rips: A Physician's Advice" by Morton E.Tavel
Review by Sikopo -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Strong heart is a fictitious book written by Charlie Sheldon, a holder of a Master’s Degree in Wildlife Biology and Resource Management. Having spent a number of years as a commercial fisherman, as a consultant for fisheries management and as a sailor gave ideas for a strong basis for the book Strong heart. On that basis, he has been able to use in this book the setting of tales about the Olympic Mountains, the Pacific Coast and even fuse in human origins and their roots.
The book Strong heart is a very interesting, adventurous story of a young girl called Sarah, who goes through harsh experiences in life. With the death of her mother years earlier, she lives with her father who, after getting a job in Europe, sends her off to her grandparents in Canada. Divorced and married to someone else, Sarah’s grandmother takes her to her grandfather, Tom. These are relatives she has never met before. Needless to say, settling in is tough.
Strong heart depicts the experiences that Sarah goes through when her grandmother dumps her at her grandfather’s house. With plans set to go hiking in the mountains, Tom and his colleagues, William and his daughter, Myra have no option but to take Sarah along. And here is where the drama lies. Out in the park, Sarah goes through a lot, from seeing a bear, to getting lost and to be found eight days later exhausted and injured, amidst a very heavy downpour.
The intriguing story that Sarah narrates of what happened to her while she was lost is hard to believe even for her hiking companions. It is what she goes through in that narration that wins her the name 'Strong Heart', the title on which this book is based.
Interchanging between that adventurous story and a search for an artifact believed to belong to Tom’s grandfather many years ago, the book also touches on human origins and remote settlements of the peoples of the Pacific. The characters in the book represent the different peoples believed to have occupied the regions mentioned in the book, thousands of years ago.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I found a few issues with it. There are a number of typos and in some instances, the grammar has not been corrected. For example in Chapter 1, when Sarah is dropped off at Tom’s house, Myra’s response, “Could this be true, Tom?” Myra seemed delighted. “You have granddaughter?” That quotation was left unedited even though it has a grammatical error. Also, in some instances, it was difficult to know who was talking in the conversation if their name is not mentioned. I needed to go back and forth to figure out who is talking. The quotation marks were either not used or they were misplaced.
In instances between Sarah’s ‘illusion’ and the reality, the bridging of the story is rather confusing. The story seems broken at the introduction of chapter 15. It becomes confusing at that point, one has to go back in the story to figure out what is being talked about.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I wish the author had sought professional editing for this wonderful book. For this reason, I cannot give it 4 stars. I cannot give it a lower rating because it is a very intriguing book with an exciting story. Clearly, the writer put forth a lot of effort to gather and put together the information therein.
Despite those few negatives, by and large, the book makes very good, enjoyable reading. It keeps the reader engaged. With each chapter, one is very eager to know what happens next. I would recommend this book to those readers who love adventurous, fast-paced drama and those who are curious about human settlements and origins.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Sikopo's review? Post a comment saying so!
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Strong heart is a fictitious book written by Charlie Sheldon, a holder of a Master’s Degree in Wildlife Biology and Resource Management. Having spent a number of years as a commercial fisherman, as a consultant for fisheries management and as a sailor gave ideas for a strong basis for the book Strong heart. On that basis, he has been able to use in this book the setting of tales about the Olympic Mountains, the Pacific Coast and even fuse in human origins and their roots.
The book Strong heart is a very interesting, adventurous story of a young girl called Sarah, who goes through harsh experiences in life. With the death of her mother years earlier, she lives with her father who, after getting a job in Europe, sends her off to her grandparents in Canada. Divorced and married to someone else, Sarah’s grandmother takes her to her grandfather, Tom. These are relatives she has never met before. Needless to say, settling in is tough.
Strong heart depicts the experiences that Sarah goes through when her grandmother dumps her at her grandfather’s house. With plans set to go hiking in the mountains, Tom and his colleagues, William and his daughter, Myra have no option but to take Sarah along. And here is where the drama lies. Out in the park, Sarah goes through a lot, from seeing a bear, to getting lost and to be found eight days later exhausted and injured, amidst a very heavy downpour.
The intriguing story that Sarah narrates of what happened to her while she was lost is hard to believe even for her hiking companions. It is what she goes through in that narration that wins her the name 'Strong Heart', the title on which this book is based.
Interchanging between that adventurous story and a search for an artifact believed to belong to Tom’s grandfather many years ago, the book also touches on human origins and remote settlements of the peoples of the Pacific. The characters in the book represent the different peoples believed to have occupied the regions mentioned in the book, thousands of years ago.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I found a few issues with it. There are a number of typos and in some instances, the grammar has not been corrected. For example in Chapter 1, when Sarah is dropped off at Tom’s house, Myra’s response, “Could this be true, Tom?” Myra seemed delighted. “You have granddaughter?” That quotation was left unedited even though it has a grammatical error. Also, in some instances, it was difficult to know who was talking in the conversation if their name is not mentioned. I needed to go back and forth to figure out who is talking. The quotation marks were either not used or they were misplaced.
In instances between Sarah’s ‘illusion’ and the reality, the bridging of the story is rather confusing. The story seems broken at the introduction of chapter 15. It becomes confusing at that point, one has to go back in the story to figure out what is being talked about.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I wish the author had sought professional editing for this wonderful book. For this reason, I cannot give it 4 stars. I cannot give it a lower rating because it is a very intriguing book with an exciting story. Clearly, the writer put forth a lot of effort to gather and put together the information therein.
Despite those few negatives, by and large, the book makes very good, enjoyable reading. It keeps the reader engaged. With each chapter, one is very eager to know what happens next. I would recommend this book to those readers who love adventurous, fast-paced drama and those who are curious about human settlements and origins.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Sikopo's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "Tips, Myths and Rips: A Physician's Advice" by Morton E.Tavel
