3 out of 4 stars
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Strong Heart
Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon is an interesting story. Tom, William and Myra are preparing to go camping to Olympic National Park. He intends to visit his grandfather’s grave and return a primitive artefact that he took from the place several decades ago. Ruth, his ex-wife appears at his door step unannounced along with his granddaughter “Sarah”. Tom is shocked as he never knew that he has a granddaughter. Sarah is an orphan, both her parents are dead. She is considered a problem child by people around her. After a lot of arguments, they decide to take Sarah along with them. In the beginning Sarah is agitated to be taken to the trek against her will but slowly she begins to open up and bonds with them.
On the way Sarah happens to see a short faced bear that is believed to be extinct. Except William, no one believes her. At Tom’s grandfathers grave Sarah and Tom have an argument and she storms off in anger. They look for her everywhere but are unable to find her. They take the help of few other surveyors and a massive search is conducted without any success. The search is called off after a week but Tom and William continue to look for her. Sarah appears on the eighth day covered in dirt, smelly and badly injured. She tells a mystical story of her adventure while she was missing. They find the story hard to believe. They also lose the secret artefact.
I liked the bonding between the characters - the friendship between Tom and William, the father – daughter relation between Myra and William and the gradually developing affection between Tom and Sarah. Myra efficiently takes care of both the elderly men through the rough trail as well as bonds with Sarah who is new to them all. She is a strong woman who is proud of her native origin. Sarah is a bold and a strong teenager who doesn’t gives in to her fears or failures. She stands up to all odds and dangers bravely. She not only defends herself but also saves the life of her group when threatened by Buckhorns men.
I found the part very dull and slow moving where Sarah narrates her story. The timeline of her missing and her adventure had me confused. The book has a very sudden end; it stops in the middle of an adventure when the book starts getting interesting.
I would rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. The book is professional edited so found no errors. Readers who love reading about family relations, suspense, adventure and prehistoric fiction will enjoy the book.
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Strong Heart
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