Review by elliphont1 -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon

[elliphont1]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Strong Heart


For those readers who would like to be taken on a journey through a young girls transition from a feisty, outspoken, angry and sullen teenager to a person who manages to achieve a level of strength, understanding, and wisdom beyond her years then this a not to be missed tale.


Sarah reveals her inner self and talents slowly and surprises her grandfather, Tom and his life long friends and companions when they decide to take her trekking through difficult terrain to return to Toms’ grandfathers grave site. He has reservations about taking an angry, difficult 13 year old granddaughter he only just learnt existed with them, but soon queries who is teaching and leading and who is learning and following, as they make the difficult journey through the Olympic Peninsula wildness in Washington State.

I would recommend this book for all readers interested in archaeology, history of Native American peoples and their cultures, complex issues that apply in today’s world or have a love or interest in the wild spaces of Washington State.


Sarah, her grandfather Tom, his Native American friends; William and Myra, people they know, their interactions or relationships and the well developed & interesting characters with diverse backgrounds are those the reader will enjoy and relate to, there are some the reader will learn to dislike intensely.


There is adventure, there is drama, there is conflict and self examination, as the characters undertake their very significant journey. There’s an extremely vivid and factual account of the landscape and Native American history and culture. It has some surprising twists, it has many undercurrents and is full of challenges for Sarah and her companions to overcome or learn to accept. There are literally peaks to climb and valleys to descend in both the wildness and the events experience by the characters in Strong Heart.

Sentence structure and language leading up to the young girl taking off and planning to hide and worry her companions, set a rhythm and a tone to the story, to almost mimic trekking through the wildness. There is a no nonsense let’s get it done attitude of ppl living in that area and also to their forthright honesty in their speech, actions and relationships.


This style disappears when Sarah slowly begins to take them on a different journey, through her intriguing and to Tom, highly questionable, account of her time away from her new companions.
Sarah description of the time she was absent, is written as if this girl is a stranger, as the language changes, it is somewhat otherworldly compared to the girl we have come to know. This may appeal to other readers and did reflect the change in direction and focus of the tale at that point, fitting with the background and cultural aspects running throughout this book.
I found it was an unwelcome change, although I was able to continue with the tale and emerge happily into what was overall an enjoyable, entertaining and informative book.

Unfortunately the book simply came to a stop. Although it is the first of a series, there were too many unresolved or unfinished threads left hanging.
For these reasons I rate Strong Heart 3 out of 4 stars.

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Strong Heart
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