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Sam
What happens to a girl’s exuberance and wonder as she becomes a woman? This unforgettable portrait of coming-of-age offers a powerful reflection on class, addiction, parenthood, longing, and ambition.
There is a girl, and her name is Sam. She adores her father, though he isn’t around much. Her mother, Courtney, struggles to make ends meet, and never fails to remind her daughter that her life should be different. Sam doesn’t fit in at school, where the other girls have the right shade of blue jeans and don’t question the rules. Sam doesn’t care about jeans or rules. She just loves to climb--trees, fences, walls, the side of a building. When she’s climbing, she discovers a place she belongs: she can turn off her brain, pain has a purpose, and it’s okay if you want to win.
As Sam grows into her teens, she grapples with self-doubt and insecurity. She yearns for her climbing coach to notice her, but his attention crosses boundaries she doesn't know how to resist. She wishes her father would leave for good, instead of always coming and going, but once he’s gone, she realizes how much she’s lost. She rages against her mother’s constant pressure to plan for a more secure future. Wrestling with who she wants to be in the face of what she’s expected to do, Sam comes to understand that she alone can make her dreams come true.
Allegra Goodman’s beautiful and wise novel Sam is deceptively simple: it is about a girl who becomes a woman. But underneath its straightforward chronology and spare sentences lie layers of extraordinary depth, sensitivity, and tenderness. This unforgettable ode to girlhood asks, What happens to a child's sense of joy and belonging--her belief in herself--as she grows up? The answer will break your heart, but will also leave you full of hope.
There is a girl, and her name is Sam. She adores her father, though he isn’t around much. Her mother, Courtney, struggles to make ends meet, and never fails to remind her daughter that her life should be different. Sam doesn’t fit in at school, where the other girls have the right shade of blue jeans and don’t question the rules. Sam doesn’t care about jeans or rules. She just loves to climb--trees, fences, walls, the side of a building. When she’s climbing, she discovers a place she belongs: she can turn off her brain, pain has a purpose, and it’s okay if you want to win.
As Sam grows into her teens, she grapples with self-doubt and insecurity. She yearns for her climbing coach to notice her, but his attention crosses boundaries she doesn't know how to resist. She wishes her father would leave for good, instead of always coming and going, but once he’s gone, she realizes how much she’s lost. She rages against her mother’s constant pressure to plan for a more secure future. Wrestling with who she wants to be in the face of what she’s expected to do, Sam comes to understand that she alone can make her dreams come true.
Allegra Goodman’s beautiful and wise novel Sam is deceptively simple: it is about a girl who becomes a woman. But underneath its straightforward chronology and spare sentences lie layers of extraordinary depth, sensitivity, and tenderness. This unforgettable ode to girlhood asks, What happens to a child's sense of joy and belonging--her belief in herself--as she grows up? The answer will break your heart, but will also leave you full of hope.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 3, 2023
1084 people are currently reading
38933 people want to read
About the author
Allegra Goodman
20 books1,529 followersHello, Good Readers!
My new book "This Is Not About Us" will be published in February! You can order it here.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...
My novel "Isola" is now in paperback. This is a historical novel based on the true story of a young woman who sails from France to the New World in 1542 and is marooned on an island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
I am also the author of several other books including, "Sam," a novel about a young girl's exuberance, wonder, and ambition as she comes of age.
Jenna Bush Hager picked "Sam" for her Today Show book club and said, "Sam is about as perfect of a coming-of-age story as I have ever read."
About me: I was born in Brooklyn, but I grew up in Honolulu where I did not have to wear shoes in school until fifth grade.
I now live in Cambridge, MA and I own boots. In addition to writing fiction, I read a lot and teach on occasion. In my free time, I swim and walk around the city.
I have four children, now getting pretty grown up. My oldest son (an economist) reads everything. My second son (a law student and grad student in political theory) reads mostly non-fiction. I'm working on this! My third son (an aspiring chemist) loves science fiction, fantasy, and history. My daughter (a user experience designer) enjoys biography and YA novels--but only if they have exceptionally beautiful covers.
I read fiction, biography, history, poetry, and books about art. I also enjoy discovering authors in translation.
When I was a seven-year-old living in Hawaii, I decided to become a novelist--but I began by writing poetry and short stories.
In high school and college I focused on short stories, and in June, 1986, I published my first in "Commentary."
My first book was a collection of short stories, "Total Immersion."
My second book, "The Family Markowitz" is a short story cycle that people tend to read as a novel.
Much of my work is about family in its many forms. I am also interested in religion, science, the threats and opportunities of technology, and the exploration of islands, real, and imaginary.
My novel, "Kaaterskill Falls" travels with a group of observant Jews to the Catskill Mountains.
"Intuition" enters a research a lab, where a young post-doc makes a discovery that excites everybody except for one skeptic--his ex-girlfriend.
A rare collection of cookbooks stars in my novel, "The Cookbook Collector."
A girl named Honor tries to save her mother in my dystopian YA novel, "The Other Side of the Island."
With Michael Prince, I have co-authored a supercool writing textbook. If you teach composition, take a look at "Speaking of Writing: a Brief Rhetoric."
If you'd like to learn more about me and about each of my books, check out my website:
http://allegragoodman.com/
Find me on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AllegraGoodman
Or on Instagram:
@allegragoodmanwriter
And of course, you can check out the reviews I post here on Goodreads. Generally, I use my Goodreads reviews to spotlight books I love and recommend.
My new book "This Is Not About Us" will be published in February! You can order it here.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...
My novel "Isola" is now in paperback. This is a historical novel based on the true story of a young woman who sails from France to the New World in 1542 and is marooned on an island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
I am also the author of several other books including, "Sam," a novel about a young girl's exuberance, wonder, and ambition as she comes of age.
Jenna Bush Hager picked "Sam" for her Today Show book club and said, "Sam is about as perfect of a coming-of-age story as I have ever read."
About me: I was born in Brooklyn, but I grew up in Honolulu where I did not have to wear shoes in school until fifth grade.
I now live in Cambridge, MA and I own boots. In addition to writing fiction, I read a lot and teach on occasion. In my free time, I swim and walk around the city.
I have four children, now getting pretty grown up. My oldest son (an economist) reads everything. My second son (a law student and grad student in political theory) reads mostly non-fiction. I'm working on this! My third son (an aspiring chemist) loves science fiction, fantasy, and history. My daughter (a user experience designer) enjoys biography and YA novels--but only if they have exceptionally beautiful covers.
I read fiction, biography, history, poetry, and books about art. I also enjoy discovering authors in translation.
When I was a seven-year-old living in Hawaii, I decided to become a novelist--but I began by writing poetry and short stories.
In high school and college I focused on short stories, and in June, 1986, I published my first in "Commentary."
My first book was a collection of short stories, "Total Immersion."
My second book, "The Family Markowitz" is a short story cycle that people tend to read as a novel.
Much of my work is about family in its many forms. I am also interested in religion, science, the threats and opportunities of technology, and the exploration of islands, real, and imaginary.
My novel, "Kaaterskill Falls" travels with a group of observant Jews to the Catskill Mountains.
"Intuition" enters a research a lab, where a young post-doc makes a discovery that excites everybody except for one skeptic--his ex-girlfriend.
A rare collection of cookbooks stars in my novel, "The Cookbook Collector."
A girl named Honor tries to save her mother in my dystopian YA novel, "The Other Side of the Island."
With Michael Prince, I have co-authored a supercool writing textbook. If you teach composition, take a look at "Speaking of Writing: a Brief Rhetoric."
If you'd like to learn more about me and about each of my books, check out my website:
http://allegragoodman.com/
Find me on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AllegraGoodman
Or on Instagram:
@allegragoodmanwriter
And of course, you can check out the reviews I post here on Goodreads. Generally, I use my Goodreads reviews to spotlight books I love and recommend.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,720 reviews
January 3, 2023
Sam is a coming of age story about a young girl, starting at age 7 following her until she’s 19. She lives with her mom and her half brother. Her dad is more absent than present and he struggles with addiction. He introduces her to climbing when she’s 7.
Told from Sam’s perspective, the writing starts off very basic, simplistic, to match her age. But as the book goes on, the writing style matures along with her and the themes get deeper.
My heart went out to Sam. She is not a happy soul. Her father’s undependability weighs on her. She doesn’t make friends easily. As she enters her teen years, she has a crush on her climbing teacher. Her mom struggles to pay the bills and there’s never any extra money.
This is a book that grew on me. The longer it went on, the more engaged I was with Sam as she tried to find her way. It’s a struggle between what brings her joy and what she thinks she should do. It’s also about her being willing to risk her heart after it’s been broken by her dad and her instructor. I also fell in love with Ann; someone who had seen enough of life to press Sam to take chances. In fact, the strength of the book is its realism. All the characters were so well formed, each with their own difficulties but trying to plow ahead.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
1/2/23 - this was just picked as Jenna’s book of the month club selection.
Told from Sam’s perspective, the writing starts off very basic, simplistic, to match her age. But as the book goes on, the writing style matures along with her and the themes get deeper.
My heart went out to Sam. She is not a happy soul. Her father’s undependability weighs on her. She doesn’t make friends easily. As she enters her teen years, she has a crush on her climbing teacher. Her mom struggles to pay the bills and there’s never any extra money.
This is a book that grew on me. The longer it went on, the more engaged I was with Sam as she tried to find her way. It’s a struggle between what brings her joy and what she thinks she should do. It’s also about her being willing to risk her heart after it’s been broken by her dad and her instructor. I also fell in love with Ann; someone who had seen enough of life to press Sam to take chances. In fact, the strength of the book is its realism. All the characters were so well formed, each with their own difficulties but trying to plow ahead.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
1/2/23 - this was just picked as Jenna’s book of the month club selection.
January 22, 2023
Because of all the press on “Sam” I decided I didn’t want to miss out! Author Allegra Goodman captures the mind of a young girl very well. I enjoyed Sam’s observations. I found Sam’s need to understand her world realistically portrayed.
Goodman doesn’t tell the reader that Sam would be considered to be an “at risk” child; she shows it through Sam’s observations. Sam is 7 at the beginning of the novel, living with her mother, Courtney, and brother from a different father, Noah who is 2. Courtney is a hairdresser. Sam’s absent father has substance abuse issues, and most likely mental health issues. He’s an artist: magician, juggler and busker. He affectionately calls Sam “Monkey”. Noah’s father, Jack, is scary. He definitely has mental health issues. They live in a place owned by Jack’s parents, so Jack thinks he has some ownership rights, which scares Sam because Jack is cruel to her.
So, this is the heart of the story. Sam’s father, Mitchell, comes and goes through her life. The reader learns of the Mitchell’s disabilities through the eyes of Sam. Through Sam, we get hints of the relationships Courtney has with the fathers of her two children. As all children do, Sam overhears conversations, and through those eves-dropping moments, the reader learns more of the home life of Sam.
Mitchell loved rock climbing and Sam naturally loves to climb. It is this mutually enjoyed sport that Sam and Mitchell seem to flourish. Sam enjoys climbing, and this becomes a mainstay in her life. It becomes the backdrop to her growing up: finding new routes to achieve a goal. Failure is only temporary.
Goodman writes Sam very well. I was invested in her life. My heart broke for her when she saw adults fail her. The story is situated in Beverly MA, and my hometown was 15 minutes away. All the local references made this book come alive for me.
Goodman doesn’t tell the reader that Sam would be considered to be an “at risk” child; she shows it through Sam’s observations. Sam is 7 at the beginning of the novel, living with her mother, Courtney, and brother from a different father, Noah who is 2. Courtney is a hairdresser. Sam’s absent father has substance abuse issues, and most likely mental health issues. He’s an artist: magician, juggler and busker. He affectionately calls Sam “Monkey”. Noah’s father, Jack, is scary. He definitely has mental health issues. They live in a place owned by Jack’s parents, so Jack thinks he has some ownership rights, which scares Sam because Jack is cruel to her.
So, this is the heart of the story. Sam’s father, Mitchell, comes and goes through her life. The reader learns of the Mitchell’s disabilities through the eyes of Sam. Through Sam, we get hints of the relationships Courtney has with the fathers of her two children. As all children do, Sam overhears conversations, and through those eves-dropping moments, the reader learns more of the home life of Sam.
Mitchell loved rock climbing and Sam naturally loves to climb. It is this mutually enjoyed sport that Sam and Mitchell seem to flourish. Sam enjoys climbing, and this becomes a mainstay in her life. It becomes the backdrop to her growing up: finding new routes to achieve a goal. Failure is only temporary.
Goodman writes Sam very well. I was invested in her life. My heart broke for her when she saw adults fail her. The story is situated in Beverly MA, and my hometown was 15 minutes away. All the local references made this book come alive for me.
October 18, 2023
3.5 stars
I’ve hit a point where I don’t always enjoy stories about children coming of age because the narrative will read too young for me. But this isn’t the case with Sam.
Allegra Goodman’s novel is more of a character study than anything else. It has the usual bildungsroman tropes – Sam’s father is absent, her mother’s boyfriend is abusive, Sam struggles with school and relationships and doesn’t know what to do with her life – yet it somehow manages to not feel clichéd. There’s a freshness to the story because Sam is a climber, along with a mature thoughtfulness in Goodman’s writing that surfaces in the character. And though this sometimes causes Sam to seem wiser than her years, she never reads false.
The audiobook, too, is unique. Rebecca Lowman is the narrator, and she reads the book almost as she would free verse poetry. There’s a different cadence to her performance, a melodic rhythm in her recitation of Goodman’s prose that grows on you the more you listen to it.
But even though I enjoyed Sam, I still wanted more from it at the end. Goodman wraps the story up in a way that gives a sense of false closure, like everything is perfect in Sam’s world when it really isn't. She leaves you knowing there’s more messiness to come and wishing you could witness it.
I’ve hit a point where I don’t always enjoy stories about children coming of age because the narrative will read too young for me. But this isn’t the case with Sam.
Allegra Goodman’s novel is more of a character study than anything else. It has the usual bildungsroman tropes – Sam’s father is absent, her mother’s boyfriend is abusive, Sam struggles with school and relationships and doesn’t know what to do with her life – yet it somehow manages to not feel clichéd. There’s a freshness to the story because Sam is a climber, along with a mature thoughtfulness in Goodman’s writing that surfaces in the character. And though this sometimes causes Sam to seem wiser than her years, she never reads false.
The audiobook, too, is unique. Rebecca Lowman is the narrator, and she reads the book almost as she would free verse poetry. There’s a different cadence to her performance, a melodic rhythm in her recitation of Goodman’s prose that grows on you the more you listen to it.
But even though I enjoyed Sam, I still wanted more from it at the end. Goodman wraps the story up in a way that gives a sense of false closure, like everything is perfect in Sam’s world when it really isn't. She leaves you knowing there’s more messiness to come and wishing you could witness it.
February 16, 2023
What a great start to my 2023 reading journey!
SAM is a coming-of-age story which follows a young girl named Sam from ages 7 to 19. She lives in Massachusetts with her divorced mom and younger half-brother Noah and from a very young age she loves to climb. Her father struggles with addiction and is not a constant or reliable presence in her life.
Sometimes this book is classified as Young Adult and other times it's not. Although I think young adults would enjoy the book I'm pretty sure a lot of older people would too. I know I did. I was very hesitant to take advantage of Netgalley's offer to Read Now for the first 200 people or whatever it was but I'm so glad I decided to take the plunge.
I really liked the characters, especially Sam, and the writing is very unpretentious which made it easy to read. I felt it was totally believable and realistic of a young girl's thoughts as she gradually matures. Sam is a tough cookie and doesn't give up easily but is often torn between what she wants and what others expect of her. Towards the end there's a lot of geology facts which I probably won't remember an hour from now but it's interesting. Same for accounting except I'm a little more familiar with that topic. You'll need to read the book to find out what role those subjects play! I'm giving the book 4.5 stars rounded up because I was totally absorbed in the book from beginning to end.
Huge thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this excellent novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: January 3, 2023
SAM is a coming-of-age story which follows a young girl named Sam from ages 7 to 19. She lives in Massachusetts with her divorced mom and younger half-brother Noah and from a very young age she loves to climb. Her father struggles with addiction and is not a constant or reliable presence in her life.
Sometimes this book is classified as Young Adult and other times it's not. Although I think young adults would enjoy the book I'm pretty sure a lot of older people would too. I know I did. I was very hesitant to take advantage of Netgalley's offer to Read Now for the first 200 people or whatever it was but I'm so glad I decided to take the plunge.
I really liked the characters, especially Sam, and the writing is very unpretentious which made it easy to read. I felt it was totally believable and realistic of a young girl's thoughts as she gradually matures. Sam is a tough cookie and doesn't give up easily but is often torn between what she wants and what others expect of her. Towards the end there's a lot of geology facts which I probably won't remember an hour from now but it's interesting. Same for accounting except I'm a little more familiar with that topic. You'll need to read the book to find out what role those subjects play! I'm giving the book 4.5 stars rounded up because I was totally absorbed in the book from beginning to end.
Huge thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this excellent novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: January 3, 2023
June 2, 2022
Allegra Goodman is an author I admire, respect, adore, and look forward to reading her books.
Other novels I’ve read and loved by Allegra Goodman were:
“Intuition”, “The Cookbook Collector”, “Kaaterskill Falls”, “The Family Markowitz”, and “The Chalk Artist”.
It was a great treat to attend a book reading by Allegra years ago at Kepler’s Books store in Menlo Park.
I loved listening to her share about writing, her family, and life.
Such a doll of a person….and a skillful talented writer.
“Sam” is a ‘coming-of-age’ story. Her mother, Courtney, and her father, Mitchel are divorced…..making this a complicated family story as well ….
Mitchell lives about ten minutes away.
At the start of the book Sam is seven years of age, and Mitchel (Sam’s hero at this age) is picking her up for an afternoon together. They are going to “Topsfield”….an amusement park…..a day of rides, cotton candy, kettle corn, and a little car trouble to boot.
We feel the tension between Courtney and Mitchell right away—worried how divorce is affecting Sam—who is an active monkey-moving climbing type of girl. Sitting still for too long is almost torture to Sam.
Sam also has a little two year old brother, named Noah.
Mitchell is not Noah’s father— as I said….”Sam” includes family complexities. Noah’s father is Jack. We learn of many factors in Sam’s life — at home and at school - for the possible reasons why Sam grapples with insecurities- fears - rage and sadness.
The central focus in this complex family story is the coming-of age-Sam…..from little girl, to the young teen years ….to around age nineteen.
What I admire about this novel is the inquiry, curiosity, and purpose Allegra had ‘for’ this story.
Allegra’s inspiration came from her parenting experiences.
Her three sons were content to sit still.
Allegra got a rude awakening - her youngest, a girl, hated to sit still. Makes a mother curious to notice vast differences between her children.
Allegra drew inspiration for this story from her own daughter.
Not all kids are the same. Her daughter needed to move…a lot.
I could relate —
….as a child, sitting still was as torturous for me, as it was for Sam. Interesting…I didn’t have a father around much either.
Actually, not at all. He died when I was four (as I’ve shared much too many times in book reviews)….
Climbing and constantly in motion were my survivor methods too. I wish I had turned to books as a child as so many of my friends in similar situations— but I was a very late bloomer reader. Thankfully I ‘eventually’ found reading - the comfort - a community of readers and people who helped me grow…
and ultimately I found my own voice. As Sam does too.
If I wasn’t outside playing in the creek or climbing trees or jumping off apartment buildings into sand dunes… then I was in the house standing on my head.
The point being….Allegra was interested to understand what happens to eager-active -rambunctious little girls as they age. “What happens to the girl who wants to climb?”
I was hoping to love this story more….
Unfortunately…..as it turned out, the plot felt a little weak for me — and I struggled with the narrative. I began to think the appropriate audience might be more suiting to young adult readers.
I usually love Allegra Goodman‘s novels more.
Perhaps I’m just too out of touch with parenting young daughters, teen daughters, or even college age daughters.
I know they grew up. They haven’t lived home in over twenty years.
However…..overall, the great message, I took away was….
…..little girls who like to climb….
….grow up still wanting to climb…
…….they may struggle in expressing their own voice - their own desires, passions, and goals….but they ‘are’ still climbing.
Our ‘monkey-climbing’ souls are always climbing — committed to learning, growing and being more fully who we are each year….at every age.
Thank you Random House, Netgalley, and Allegra Goodman.
This book will be published in stores in January, 2023
Other novels I’ve read and loved by Allegra Goodman were:
“Intuition”, “The Cookbook Collector”, “Kaaterskill Falls”, “The Family Markowitz”, and “The Chalk Artist”.
It was a great treat to attend a book reading by Allegra years ago at Kepler’s Books store in Menlo Park.
I loved listening to her share about writing, her family, and life.
Such a doll of a person….and a skillful talented writer.
“Sam” is a ‘coming-of-age’ story. Her mother, Courtney, and her father, Mitchel are divorced…..making this a complicated family story as well ….
Mitchell lives about ten minutes away.
At the start of the book Sam is seven years of age, and Mitchel (Sam’s hero at this age) is picking her up for an afternoon together. They are going to “Topsfield”….an amusement park…..a day of rides, cotton candy, kettle corn, and a little car trouble to boot.
We feel the tension between Courtney and Mitchell right away—worried how divorce is affecting Sam—who is an active monkey-moving climbing type of girl. Sitting still for too long is almost torture to Sam.
Sam also has a little two year old brother, named Noah.
Mitchell is not Noah’s father— as I said….”Sam” includes family complexities. Noah’s father is Jack. We learn of many factors in Sam’s life — at home and at school - for the possible reasons why Sam grapples with insecurities- fears - rage and sadness.
The central focus in this complex family story is the coming-of age-Sam…..from little girl, to the young teen years ….to around age nineteen.
What I admire about this novel is the inquiry, curiosity, and purpose Allegra had ‘for’ this story.
Allegra’s inspiration came from her parenting experiences.
Her three sons were content to sit still.
Allegra got a rude awakening - her youngest, a girl, hated to sit still. Makes a mother curious to notice vast differences between her children.
Allegra drew inspiration for this story from her own daughter.
Not all kids are the same. Her daughter needed to move…a lot.
I could relate —
….as a child, sitting still was as torturous for me, as it was for Sam. Interesting…I didn’t have a father around much either.
Actually, not at all. He died when I was four (as I’ve shared much too many times in book reviews)….
Climbing and constantly in motion were my survivor methods too. I wish I had turned to books as a child as so many of my friends in similar situations— but I was a very late bloomer reader. Thankfully I ‘eventually’ found reading - the comfort - a community of readers and people who helped me grow…
and ultimately I found my own voice. As Sam does too.
If I wasn’t outside playing in the creek or climbing trees or jumping off apartment buildings into sand dunes… then I was in the house standing on my head.
The point being….Allegra was interested to understand what happens to eager-active -rambunctious little girls as they age. “What happens to the girl who wants to climb?”
I was hoping to love this story more….
Unfortunately…..as it turned out, the plot felt a little weak for me — and I struggled with the narrative. I began to think the appropriate audience might be more suiting to young adult readers.
I usually love Allegra Goodman‘s novels more.
Perhaps I’m just too out of touch with parenting young daughters, teen daughters, or even college age daughters.
I know they grew up. They haven’t lived home in over twenty years.
However…..overall, the great message, I took away was….
…..little girls who like to climb….
….grow up still wanting to climb…
…….they may struggle in expressing their own voice - their own desires, passions, and goals….but they ‘are’ still climbing.
Our ‘monkey-climbing’ souls are always climbing — committed to learning, growing and being more fully who we are each year….at every age.
Thank you Random House, Netgalley, and Allegra Goodman.
This book will be published in stores in January, 2023
January 5, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a coming-of-age story about a girl named Sam from ages 7-19. The novel explores the topics of relationships, friendship, grief, and identity.
This one just did not work for me. I didn't care for the writing style. I felt like I spent the whole book waiting for something to happen. I think the synopsis fooled me into thinking that I would take away more from it than I did.
Publication Date 03/01/23
Goodreads Review 05/01/23
This is a coming-of-age story about a girl named Sam from ages 7-19. The novel explores the topics of relationships, friendship, grief, and identity.
This one just did not work for me. I didn't care for the writing style. I felt like I spent the whole book waiting for something to happen. I think the synopsis fooled me into thinking that I would take away more from it than I did.
Publication Date 03/01/23
Goodreads Review 05/01/23
March 19, 2023
This is a wonderful coming of age story about a girl named Sam. We learn of Sam’s life from the time she is seven years old, until she is nineteen. I fell in love with Sam, and was so disappointed when this book came to an end (it’s very rare when I want a book to go on longer than what it is).
Sam lives with her mother Courtney, and her younger brother Noah. I resonated with Courtney’s character very much, as she was a struggling single mother working all the time trying to make ends meet, with no help from anyone. Sam and Noah’s fathers were not a constant in their lives, and Courtney tried to protect her children from them-especially her son, Noah.
Sam struggles with her father coming and going out of her life. Her father, Mitchell had his own issues he was dealing with. Because Mitchell was absent so much of Sam’s life, she never thought she would miss him when he left for good. However, she spends time wondering if he would have been proud of her? And what would he think of the choices that she makes?
The one thing Sam takes with her throughout her years is the love of climbing, which she learned from her father. She climbs trees, rocks, boulders… She joins climbing teams and wins competitions. Sam meets who she thinks might be the first love of her life, and then heartbreak and growing up ensue.
After high school, Sam goes to climb at a spot her father showed her when she was a young girl. There she meets a new group of friends. One of the friends is Justin, who becomes more than just her best friend. Justin lives with his great-grandmother Ann, who I just absolutely adored. During this time, Sam is struggling with trying to make her mother happy and do what’s best.
I didn’t think I would love this story as much as I did, but I grew to love Sam and her little family. I’m upset because I wanted more of Sam’s story, I didn’t want it to end. I wish I knew what became of her into her adult years and beyond. Everything about Sam was very real and relatable.
This book was a nice break from all the suspense and thriller books that I normally read. For those that enjoy coming of age stories, with relatable characters- then I highly suggest reading this book as well.
Sam lives with her mother Courtney, and her younger brother Noah. I resonated with Courtney’s character very much, as she was a struggling single mother working all the time trying to make ends meet, with no help from anyone. Sam and Noah’s fathers were not a constant in their lives, and Courtney tried to protect her children from them-especially her son, Noah.
Sam struggles with her father coming and going out of her life. Her father, Mitchell had his own issues he was dealing with. Because Mitchell was absent so much of Sam’s life, she never thought she would miss him when he left for good. However, she spends time wondering if he would have been proud of her? And what would he think of the choices that she makes?
The one thing Sam takes with her throughout her years is the love of climbing, which she learned from her father. She climbs trees, rocks, boulders… She joins climbing teams and wins competitions. Sam meets who she thinks might be the first love of her life, and then heartbreak and growing up ensue.
After high school, Sam goes to climb at a spot her father showed her when she was a young girl. There she meets a new group of friends. One of the friends is Justin, who becomes more than just her best friend. Justin lives with his great-grandmother Ann, who I just absolutely adored. During this time, Sam is struggling with trying to make her mother happy and do what’s best.
I didn’t think I would love this story as much as I did, but I grew to love Sam and her little family. I’m upset because I wanted more of Sam’s story, I didn’t want it to end. I wish I knew what became of her into her adult years and beyond. Everything about Sam was very real and relatable.
This book was a nice break from all the suspense and thriller books that I normally read. For those that enjoy coming of age stories, with relatable characters- then I highly suggest reading this book as well.
April 21, 2023
Excellent and compelling and I barely know why
January 3, 2023
In “The Writer,” one of my favorite Richard Wilbur poems, the speaker pauses on the stairs and listens to his daughter working in her room:
Young as she is, the stuff
Of her life is a great cargo, and some of it heavy:
I wish her a lucky passage.
In her new novel, “Sam,” Allegra Goodman offers a similarly sympathetic reflection on the struggles of a girl’s life. We meet Sam at the start of her voyage when she’s a sweet, energetic 7-year-old living in Massachusetts. Her parents are divorced, but her handsome father, a small-time entertainer, is still “sort of around, sort of not.” Having abandoned his domestic responsibilities, he’s free to drop in unpredictably and dazzle Sam. “He can run faster than anybody,” she thinks. “He plays every instrument and the harmonica. He can read your palm and, also, he knows magic.”
That achingly sincere voice is the heart and soul of “Sam.” And anyone who has ever been the focus of a child’s impossibly inflated regard will feel alternately charmed and gutted by Sam’s devotion. Although Goodman writes in the third person, she never strays from the girl’s table-high view, an angle that shrouds adults’ thoughts but illuminates the child’s realm of rules and wonders.
“You have to learn about blue whales,” Goodman writes with perfect fidelity to what Sam sees and hears. “They are the size of three school buses, but they have no teeth, just baleen, and they suck up tiny krill. Did you know people hunted them until they were almost extinct? They are still endangered. Think about that. Do your work. Put everything away. You’re in second grade, not Pre-K. Line up. Walk quietly to Art. No running no shouting no fighting.”
Still, despite that guileless perspective, readers will sense dangers ahead without knowing exactly what they are. This is, after all, a story of disillusionment, which is to say, this is a story of growing up. And so one ventures across these pages like a winter skater lured by fragile beauty onto thin ice.
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
Young as she is, the stuff
Of her life is a great cargo, and some of it heavy:
I wish her a lucky passage.
In her new novel, “Sam,” Allegra Goodman offers a similarly sympathetic reflection on the struggles of a girl’s life. We meet Sam at the start of her voyage when she’s a sweet, energetic 7-year-old living in Massachusetts. Her parents are divorced, but her handsome father, a small-time entertainer, is still “sort of around, sort of not.” Having abandoned his domestic responsibilities, he’s free to drop in unpredictably and dazzle Sam. “He can run faster than anybody,” she thinks. “He plays every instrument and the harmonica. He can read your palm and, also, he knows magic.”
That achingly sincere voice is the heart and soul of “Sam.” And anyone who has ever been the focus of a child’s impossibly inflated regard will feel alternately charmed and gutted by Sam’s devotion. Although Goodman writes in the third person, she never strays from the girl’s table-high view, an angle that shrouds adults’ thoughts but illuminates the child’s realm of rules and wonders.
“You have to learn about blue whales,” Goodman writes with perfect fidelity to what Sam sees and hears. “They are the size of three school buses, but they have no teeth, just baleen, and they suck up tiny krill. Did you know people hunted them until they were almost extinct? They are still endangered. Think about that. Do your work. Put everything away. You’re in second grade, not Pre-K. Line up. Walk quietly to Art. No running no shouting no fighting.”
Still, despite that guileless perspective, readers will sense dangers ahead without knowing exactly what they are. This is, after all, a story of disillusionment, which is to say, this is a story of growing up. And so one ventures across these pages like a winter skater lured by fragile beauty onto thin ice.
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
April 12, 2023
happy tears, sad tears i loved this so so much. sam, courtney and even the small bits of anne you get to see really resonated with me. there’s so much you get from this simple premise of following a girl growing up. the way she covered female relationships, abandonment, men, family in general was so well done i loved every bit of reading this. definitely see myself returning back at some point to re read. just such a lovely and emotional story lmfao
September 7, 2022
This is a deep character study following a girl from childhood through early adulthood. It has a distinctive prose style, with mostly short, declarative sentences. Once you get used to it you feel that it suits Sam. I found it surprisingly easy to sink into, even though I often don't enjoy books about young children.
I would argue with the marketing copy, it never feels like Sam starts as a joyful child and that something shifts or is lost. Instead, Sam's life always feels tricky, like a balancing act. Sam's parents aren't together and her dad isn't around much, even when he is he isn't in a situation to care for Sam for more than a few hours. Her mom's on-and-off boyfriend, who is the father of Sam's younger brother, is mean and even abusive to Sam. (On the page this is relatively mild, luckily Sam's mom won't have it.) This instability dominates Sam's childhood, she finds solace once she discovers rock climbing and that becomes a through line.
Sam's choices all feel real and well informed, it's a thorough portrait and never one where you find a false note. Sam is loyal to her mom despite teenage disagreements, feeling obligated to help her always-struggling family. She struggles with fitting in and figuring out what to do with her life. Her romantic life comes in fits and starts, sometimes unwanted, sometimes inappropriate.
Ultimately it's thorough and well drawn, I guess I wanted something a little more. The ending feels too neat, an easy place to end, as if right now things are tied up nicely though they didn't feel truly that way to me.
I would argue with the marketing copy, it never feels like Sam starts as a joyful child and that something shifts or is lost. Instead, Sam's life always feels tricky, like a balancing act. Sam's parents aren't together and her dad isn't around much, even when he is he isn't in a situation to care for Sam for more than a few hours. Her mom's on-and-off boyfriend, who is the father of Sam's younger brother, is mean and even abusive to Sam. (On the page this is relatively mild, luckily Sam's mom won't have it.) This instability dominates Sam's childhood, she finds solace once she discovers rock climbing and that becomes a through line.
Sam's choices all feel real and well informed, it's a thorough portrait and never one where you find a false note. Sam is loyal to her mom despite teenage disagreements, feeling obligated to help her always-struggling family. She struggles with fitting in and figuring out what to do with her life. Her romantic life comes in fits and starts, sometimes unwanted, sometimes inappropriate.
Ultimately it's thorough and well drawn, I guess I wanted something a little more. The ending feels too neat, an easy place to end, as if right now things are tied up nicely though they didn't feel truly that way to me.
March 14, 2023
“I don’t know anything, and I don’t believe anything, but I keep going anyway.”
For me, capable enough writing couldn’t save this dull contemporary bildungsroman. In a limited third-person-POV, present-tense telling, it follows a young girl, Sam, from the age of seven through her teen years and into her early twenties. An inordinate amount of time is spent describing rock climbing, her sole enthusiasm for most of the book—an apparent metaphor for her life. We get page after tedious page of Sam’s manoeuvres and holds and grips, early on at the YMCA and a Saturday climbing club, but eventually outdoors.
Sam lives with her younger, behaviourally disturbed half-brother, Noah, and her single hardworking mother, Courtney, in a small apartment. The three fled an earlier living arrangement at a house owned by Noah’s paternal grandparents, where Sam’s family was allowed to stay, rent- (but not stress-) free. Noah’s volatile, dope-smoking father felt entitled to descend upon them whenever the mood struck him, sometimes staying, almost always arguing, and frequently becoming physically abusive.
Sam’s father, the metaphor-making Mitchell, initially depicted as an impractical, dreamy creative who tours as a magician and musician, is in Sam’s life for a time. For all his unreliability, he’s a sympathetic character, but his absences become frequent and mysterious. Sam learns he can’t be counted on, and she detaches from him fully, even before his real problem is revealed. Sam doesn’t do well at school. It’s not clear if she’s just an active kid, lacks intellectual curiosity, is unconsciously stressed by her home life, or is learning disabled. At one point we see her at school, fluently decoding a text, but comprehending nothing she’s read—another metaphor for her life. She’s also essentially friendless until she meets another girl, Halle, at an after-school YMCA program. The two subsequently join a rock climbing club that Halle’s middle-class parents drive the girls to every Saturday. Like everything else in Sam’s life, though, the friendship falls by the wayside when Halle leaves home to attend a prestigious boarding school. Another relationship with an oddball boy from school also fades away . Now a teenager, Sam moves on, becoming sexually involved with her college-aged rock climbing coach, Declan. She keeps the liaison secret from her mother. Declan is, of course, a player and a betrayer. On and on it goes. Sam endures, inarticulate and chronically joyless—or so it seemed to me. Eventually things improve for her when she meets Justin . He and his friends are also rock climbing enthusiasts. Things do change for Sam when, prodded by her mother, she attends college with the goal of becoming an accountant.
While reading, I mostly imagined Sam as a young Kristin Stewart doppelgänger: a mumbler, with a blank, affectless face across which the shadow of a sneer might occasionally flicker. Sam, it seemed to me, was a very strange figure to build a literary novel around. An unimaginative, dull but determined character, she doesn’t waste time reflecting. Her thoughts and emotions run so deep that they’re practically subterranean. I could not summon up any real interest in her. This is not a terrible book, but I did not—could not—like it.
Rating: 2.5
For me, capable enough writing couldn’t save this dull contemporary bildungsroman. In a limited third-person-POV, present-tense telling, it follows a young girl, Sam, from the age of seven through her teen years and into her early twenties. An inordinate amount of time is spent describing rock climbing, her sole enthusiasm for most of the book—an apparent metaphor for her life. We get page after tedious page of Sam’s manoeuvres and holds and grips, early on at the YMCA and a Saturday climbing club, but eventually outdoors.
Sam lives with her younger, behaviourally disturbed half-brother, Noah, and her single hardworking mother, Courtney, in a small apartment. The three fled an earlier living arrangement at a house owned by Noah’s paternal grandparents, where Sam’s family was allowed to stay, rent- (but not stress-) free. Noah’s volatile, dope-smoking father felt entitled to descend upon them whenever the mood struck him, sometimes staying, almost always arguing, and frequently becoming physically abusive.
Sam’s father, the metaphor-making Mitchell, initially depicted as an impractical, dreamy creative who tours as a magician and musician, is in Sam’s life for a time. For all his unreliability, he’s a sympathetic character, but his absences become frequent and mysterious. Sam learns he can’t be counted on, and she detaches from him fully, even before his real problem is revealed. Sam doesn’t do well at school. It’s not clear if she’s just an active kid, lacks intellectual curiosity, is unconsciously stressed by her home life, or is learning disabled. At one point we see her at school, fluently decoding a text, but comprehending nothing she’s read—another metaphor for her life. She’s also essentially friendless until she meets another girl, Halle, at an after-school YMCA program. The two subsequently join a rock climbing club that Halle’s middle-class parents drive the girls to every Saturday. Like everything else in Sam’s life, though, the friendship falls by the wayside when Halle leaves home to attend a prestigious boarding school. Another relationship with an oddball boy from school also fades away . Now a teenager, Sam moves on, becoming sexually involved with her college-aged rock climbing coach, Declan. She keeps the liaison secret from her mother. Declan is, of course, a player and a betrayer. On and on it goes. Sam endures, inarticulate and chronically joyless—or so it seemed to me. Eventually things improve for her when she meets Justin . He and his friends are also rock climbing enthusiasts. Things do change for Sam when, prodded by her mother, she attends college with the goal of becoming an accountant.
While reading, I mostly imagined Sam as a young Kristin Stewart doppelgänger: a mumbler, with a blank, affectless face across which the shadow of a sneer might occasionally flicker. Sam, it seemed to me, was a very strange figure to build a literary novel around. An unimaginative, dull but determined character, she doesn’t waste time reflecting. Her thoughts and emotions run so deep that they’re practically subterranean. I could not summon up any real interest in her. This is not a terrible book, but I did not—could not—like it.
Rating: 2.5
January 24, 2023
The book features Sam, who we first see as a seven year old girl. It is the story of her childhood and teen years as seen through her own eyes. At first, the narration is in simple sentences, exactly as a seven year old would speak. The narration changes as Sam matures. As I read, this reminded me of Richard's Linklater's movie "Boyhood" (a movie that I loved).
Sam lives in Beverly, Massachusetts with her mother (Courtney) and younger brother (Noah). Her parents are divorced. Sam adores her charming father, but he is unreliable and vanishes for long periods of time. Her mother is Sam's rock - strong, firm, and involved. Too often though, Sam experiences her mother as pushing her to do things she'd rather not do (ie. become adept at reading).
Sam's father introduces her to rock climbing at a gym. This becomes her hobby and passion. The book encompasses this and so much more. At its heart, the novel is a coming of age story for a spirited young girl. Sam and her world were so interesting that I did not want the book to end.
4.5 stars
Here is an interview with Allegra Goodman, the author.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDGxW...
Here are photos of Red Rocks Park in Gloucester, Ma. where Sam and her friends climb.
https://steemit.com/adventure/@fellow...
Sam lives in Beverly, Massachusetts with her mother (Courtney) and younger brother (Noah). Her parents are divorced. Sam adores her charming father, but he is unreliable and vanishes for long periods of time. Her mother is Sam's rock - strong, firm, and involved. Too often though, Sam experiences her mother as pushing her to do things she'd rather not do (ie. become adept at reading).
Sam's father introduces her to rock climbing at a gym. This becomes her hobby and passion. The book encompasses this and so much more. At its heart, the novel is a coming of age story for a spirited young girl. Sam and her world were so interesting that I did not want the book to end.
4.5 stars
Here is an interview with Allegra Goodman, the author.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDGxW...
Here are photos of Red Rocks Park in Gloucester, Ma. where Sam and her friends climb.
https://steemit.com/adventure/@fellow...
September 30, 2023
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
August 2, 2022
This book follows a girl named Sam from when she's 7 all the way to 20 and it reminded me why I enjoy bildungsromans.
Watching Sam grow up before my eyes was captivating. I thought the pacing was great and her actions as she got older felt believable based on things that happened to her in the past. The side characters were also so well developed and I found myself rooting for them too. Sam has had a difficult life: her mom is struggling to make ends meet for her and her younger brother, Noah, even with 2 jobs, and her dad is an addict popping in and out of her life with no consistency. Even though Sam grows to resent her father over time and you as a reader gradually grow to understand how that frustration of hers was pent up over the years, I couldn't help but feel for her dad as well. I think that's what makes for good writing - when you can even empathize with characters that the main one can't.
Though there were some heavy topics discussed in the book, there were a lot of lighthearted moments too and some that made me laugh out loud. I particularly liked the little tidbits of advice her mom would give and I looked forward to their interactions. I thought this was going to center a lot more on Sam's passion for rock climbing which she starts right at the beginning, and though that was part of it, it took more of a backseat as the story went on which I liked. The rock climbing served more as a catalyst for everything else that happened to her and as an introduction to the main people in her life, and I thought it was very well done.
Overall I really liked this book and recommended it for people who appreciate good characters and coming of age stories.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Watching Sam grow up before my eyes was captivating. I thought the pacing was great and her actions as she got older felt believable based on things that happened to her in the past. The side characters were also so well developed and I found myself rooting for them too. Sam has had a difficult life: her mom is struggling to make ends meet for her and her younger brother, Noah, even with 2 jobs, and her dad is an addict popping in and out of her life with no consistency. Even though Sam grows to resent her father over time and you as a reader gradually grow to understand how that frustration of hers was pent up over the years, I couldn't help but feel for her dad as well. I think that's what makes for good writing - when you can even empathize with characters that the main one can't.
Though there were some heavy topics discussed in the book, there were a lot of lighthearted moments too and some that made me laugh out loud. I particularly liked the little tidbits of advice her mom would give and I looked forward to their interactions. I thought this was going to center a lot more on Sam's passion for rock climbing which she starts right at the beginning, and though that was part of it, it took more of a backseat as the story went on which I liked. The rock climbing served more as a catalyst for everything else that happened to her and as an introduction to the main people in her life, and I thought it was very well done.
Overall I really liked this book and recommended it for people who appreciate good characters and coming of age stories.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 29, 2025
Sam by Allegra Goodman is a coming-of-age novel that follows a girl named Sam as she grows up in a working-class town, navigating a complicated relationship with her unreliable father and searching for her own identity through climbing and personal challenges. I loved how honest and raw the writing felt—Goodman captures the awkwardness, confusion, and quiet moments of growing up so well. The novel reflected the path of adolescence perfectly. This is a book for anyone who remembers what it’s like to feel caught between childhood and adulthood, unsure of where you belong.
February 10, 2023
This was an interesting character study of a young woman but I kept waiting for something to actually happen and it never really did. It’s goes at a mellow pace and is very easy to read so it’s enjoyable to stick with it, but I’m not sure I really got what the author was trying to capture.
The story tells the coming of age journey of a young girl named Sam. She deals with her erratic father and her abusive step father, she finds her love of climbing and through that meets people who help shape her life.
I know the book is about Sam but the person who actually interested me was her mother, Courtney. Maybe because I’m a mom, I empathized more with her and was curious about her life throughout the book. I would have loved to see how her life shook out in the end. Sam herself was fine, I thought the portrayal was realistic but it just wasn’t all that interesting. I appreciated her journey with climbing because it wasn’t all first places and championships, it’s was more a reflection of who she was and a common thread through her stages of life. I was just left wanting a bit more depth.
The story tells the coming of age journey of a young girl named Sam. She deals with her erratic father and her abusive step father, she finds her love of climbing and through that meets people who help shape her life.
I know the book is about Sam but the person who actually interested me was her mother, Courtney. Maybe because I’m a mom, I empathized more with her and was curious about her life throughout the book. I would have loved to see how her life shook out in the end. Sam herself was fine, I thought the portrayal was realistic but it just wasn’t all that interesting. I appreciated her journey with climbing because it wasn’t all first places and championships, it’s was more a reflection of who she was and a common thread through her stages of life. I was just left wanting a bit more depth.
February 18, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up.
An affecting coming-of-age story in which rock-climbing drives the action and serves as a metaphor for Sam’s surmounting of the obstacles in her way. She’s very young (I think I remember 7) when her father introduces her to climbing, and it’s immediately apparent that Sam has innate gifts and the grit to succeed. But it can be an expensive sport and money is an issue. Sam’s parents have split; her father is an on-again off-again addict and unreliable with his presence and financial support, and her single mother is working several low-paying jobs just to keep her two kids housed and fed. But ways are found to get Sam to the climbing gym relatively nearby, where her talent shines and she starts to win competitions. As the years roll by and Sam becomes a teenager, she gradually loses all patience with her once adored father and refuses to have any more to do with him. I don’t think I’m throwing out a spoiler to say that Sam’s climbing coach is a creepy lech—anyone can see that coming from a mile away. The author does a great job of portraying Sam’s steely determination and unrelenting hard work to rise above the confusing hash of her life, and her gradual achievement of something like triumph feels fully earned and right.
An affecting coming-of-age story in which rock-climbing drives the action and serves as a metaphor for Sam’s surmounting of the obstacles in her way. She’s very young (I think I remember 7) when her father introduces her to climbing, and it’s immediately apparent that Sam has innate gifts and the grit to succeed. But it can be an expensive sport and money is an issue. Sam’s parents have split; her father is an on-again off-again addict and unreliable with his presence and financial support, and her single mother is working several low-paying jobs just to keep her two kids housed and fed. But ways are found to get Sam to the climbing gym relatively nearby, where her talent shines and she starts to win competitions. As the years roll by and Sam becomes a teenager, she gradually loses all patience with her once adored father and refuses to have any more to do with him. I don’t think I’m throwing out a spoiler to say that Sam’s climbing coach is a creepy lech—anyone can see that coming from a mile away. The author does a great job of portraying Sam’s steely determination and unrelenting hard work to rise above the confusing hash of her life, and her gradual achievement of something like triumph feels fully earned and right.
February 12, 2023
Excellent. Heart-breaking. Beautiful.
Goodman's accomplishment here is stunning - writing Sam starting at age 7, then slowly phasing to 19 years old.
A story of a little girl lost who finds her way.
Very highly recommend. Love 💕 it!
Goodman's accomplishment here is stunning - writing Sam starting at age 7, then slowly phasing to 19 years old.
A story of a little girl lost who finds her way.
Very highly recommend. Love 💕 it!
July 6, 2022
Sam, by Allegra Goodman, is a coming of age story of a girl from Beverly, MA, who lives with her mother who, although she works really hard to ensure Sam doesn’t make the same mistakes, has a history of choosing dysfunctional and/or abusive men. In the beginning, Sam is 7 and her father is her hero, picking her up to take her to fairs or beaches or other fun places. He is a magician who, due to substance abuse issues, tends to disappear. He does encourage her interest in climbing, which becomes a central love in her life. Her climbing, first in competitions in gyms and then eventually outdoors on real boulders is a high point for both Sam and the reader, as these scenes depict an active and interesting passion. The rest of the story shows us a girl who comes from a broken home, is economically challenged, and bears responsibility for helping her overworked mom and her brother with special needs. It is her story of coming into her own, navigating friendships and romantic relationships, and discovering her path.
Told in third-person limited point of view with short sentences, the prose seemed a bit choppy and, well, limited. It is a good coming of age story, and shines in its quiet honesty, which is at times heartbreaking. I had some trouble staying engaged in the middle section, but liked Sam enough to stick with her and see how she matured. I recommend this book to readers who like character-driven, internal stories that revolve around the complexity of feelings that accompany growing up and relationships.
Publication date for this novel is January 3, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Group for a DRC in exchange for my honest review.
Told in third-person limited point of view with short sentences, the prose seemed a bit choppy and, well, limited. It is a good coming of age story, and shines in its quiet honesty, which is at times heartbreaking. I had some trouble staying engaged in the middle section, but liked Sam enough to stick with her and see how she matured. I recommend this book to readers who like character-driven, internal stories that revolve around the complexity of feelings that accompany growing up and relationships.
Publication date for this novel is January 3, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Group for a DRC in exchange for my honest review.
January 8, 2023
4.5 What an unexpected gem! This character driven coming of age story had me glued to the page with its sparse prose and short chapters. I loved Sam and I was completely invested in her story as she grew from a young child into a nineteen year old ready to take on the world. This is one that will stick with me.
.
Side note - I don’t think this cover matches the tone of the story. I expected it to be dark & brooding based on the cover, but I didn’t find it to be that at all.
.
Side note - I don’t think this cover matches the tone of the story. I expected it to be dark & brooding based on the cover, but I didn’t find it to be that at all.
December 10, 2022
By far one of my absolute favorites of the year, this story is about a girl named Sam, chronologically told from age seven to nineteen. It’s a quintessential coming of age - simultaneously tender and heartbreaking and bittersweet and funny and utterly lovely.
When you first meet Sam, she is precocious and observant. As she hits puberty she becomes unsure and at times lost, and by the time she nears her twenties, Allegra Goodman perfectly portrays how scary it is to be nineteen and have the whole world out in front of you. It was written so vividly that it unlocked memories of how it felt to be eight and twelve and seventeen.
My favorite part of the writing was how Sam’s voice and perspective subtly change as she comes of age. In a letter to the reader Goodman explains that “the narrative carries you along so that you can’t quite pinpoint when the little girl becomes a woman, when hope shades into sadness, and discouragement becomes determination. Like a sunrise, the change in a person is spectacular, but while it happens, nearly imperceptible.” Further into Goodman’s letter, she admits while writing Sam’s story she discovered that “girlhood, then womanhood — is not small, but big. Sam’s story is not simple, but layered and rich” and I could not agree more.
When you first meet Sam, she is precocious and observant. As she hits puberty she becomes unsure and at times lost, and by the time she nears her twenties, Allegra Goodman perfectly portrays how scary it is to be nineteen and have the whole world out in front of you. It was written so vividly that it unlocked memories of how it felt to be eight and twelve and seventeen.
My favorite part of the writing was how Sam’s voice and perspective subtly change as she comes of age. In a letter to the reader Goodman explains that “the narrative carries you along so that you can’t quite pinpoint when the little girl becomes a woman, when hope shades into sadness, and discouragement becomes determination. Like a sunrise, the change in a person is spectacular, but while it happens, nearly imperceptible.” Further into Goodman’s letter, she admits while writing Sam’s story she discovered that “girlhood, then womanhood — is not small, but big. Sam’s story is not simple, but layered and rich” and I could not agree more.
October 19, 2022
A coming-of-age, young adult story with the overarching theme being love. The main character does not have a great life but her mother’s love for her is relentless and truly makes a positive impact on her future. Her father demonstrates love too but it is difficult for a young child to appreciate his contribution until the end. While I usually don’t appreciate coming-of-age or YA, I did enjoy this one. Her passion for climbing is very interesting and something of which I had very little knowledge prior to reading this. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
February 3, 2023
Sam by Allegra Goodman
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Loved it! it was a fast read and hard to put down. Pick this up if coming of age stories win you over!
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Loved it! it was a fast read and hard to put down. Pick this up if coming of age stories win you over!
June 19, 2022
I enjoyed this novel even though I had not read Goodman's other books. Sam is seven when the book opens and although she lives with her mother, Courtney and younger brother, Noah she sees her father sporadically as she comes to learn he is an addict and can't always control his impulses. As she grows, Sam gets into rock climbing and has both successes and failures as she always tries to "out-think" herself and must grow into self-confidence. It's a lovely and poignant coming-of-age story as she battles her emotions, her parents, and her own will-full nature. But of course with age comes wisdom and as the book ends when she is twenty, we see she has come full-circle and is a woman with goals and even though there are some regrets, we know she will have the strength to handle whatever life throws at her.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
July 13, 2022
Given the description and the introductory piece by Allegra Goodman, I expected more from this obvious coming of age novel that never really left the ground for me despite its theme of climbing, achieving, and determination. Goodman describes her own daughter as being the inspiration, as she never could sit still and was always trying to scale something. What I did find intriguing was the manner in which the narrative, although told in third rather than first person, reflected Sam's point of view as if she were reading her own history and seemed to gain in maturity as the pages advanced. Still, except for insight into the allure of climbing and its world of competition, there was not much else original about either Sam or her situation.
June 19, 2022
I don’t know why I couldn’t connect with this book but I really struggled with it. I put it down and picked it back up several times but it just didn’t hold my interest like I thought it would based off the synopsis. It was written well though. DNF.
February 21, 2023
2.5 stars. It was a fast read but just an ok story. Nothing exciting, glad it’s over!
April 20, 2023
I was so invested in the story and the main character Sam’s life. I loved the simplistic writing style.
January 5, 2023
Kirkus already nailed the two main failures of "Sam":
"Goodman's seventh work of fiction follows her protagonist from ages 7 to 19, using very close third-person narration to limit the story to what is seen and understood by Sam herself. So, for example, what we know about her father's addiction issues or her mother's relationship with a violent but wealthy boyfriend is circumscribed in a way that soon begins to feel frustrating."
This was my main complaint with the book. "Sam", the main character, was presented to the reader as a mature-beyond-her-years girl. That presentation didn't hold up after it became clear that she would have no principled opinions or insightful questions about the many disadvantages adults can experience and the many ways they, too, can be victimized by loved ones, including their own children. "Sam" became a hopelessly unreliable narrator as she watched her parents barely survive lives which DID NOT HAVE TO BE PERPETUALLY ENDANGERED, fixated on every collateral inconvenience to herself. Healthy, responsible, and empathetic teens do not behave that way.
"The sexual aspects and emotional dangers of that relationship are skimmed over with lyrical narration that feels almost coy at this point . . . By glossing over the fact that this is statutory rape and by letting its psychological implications and outcomes go unexplored, Goodman limits the reach of the novel."
By this point in the book, one can't be quite sure if this is a feature or a bug. Can anyone reasonably expect a young woman with no empathy to notice when anyone's boundaries are being crossed? Even her own? I think not, but I agree with the reviewer about the harm caused to the "plot" of this book - and to readers - by Allegra Goodman's romanticizing of the sex crime "Sam" endured.
I guess "Sam" is the first shitty book of 2023.
"Goodman's seventh work of fiction follows her protagonist from ages 7 to 19, using very close third-person narration to limit the story to what is seen and understood by Sam herself. So, for example, what we know about her father's addiction issues or her mother's relationship with a violent but wealthy boyfriend is circumscribed in a way that soon begins to feel frustrating."
This was my main complaint with the book. "Sam", the main character, was presented to the reader as a mature-beyond-her-years girl. That presentation didn't hold up after it became clear that she would have no principled opinions or insightful questions about the many disadvantages adults can experience and the many ways they, too, can be victimized by loved ones, including their own children. "Sam" became a hopelessly unreliable narrator as she watched her parents barely survive lives which DID NOT HAVE TO BE PERPETUALLY ENDANGERED, fixated on every collateral inconvenience to herself. Healthy, responsible, and empathetic teens do not behave that way.
"The sexual aspects and emotional dangers of that relationship are skimmed over with lyrical narration that feels almost coy at this point . . . By glossing over the fact that this is statutory rape and by letting its psychological implications and outcomes go unexplored, Goodman limits the reach of the novel."
By this point in the book, one can't be quite sure if this is a feature or a bug. Can anyone reasonably expect a young woman with no empathy to notice when anyone's boundaries are being crossed? Even her own? I think not, but I agree with the reviewer about the harm caused to the "plot" of this book - and to readers - by Allegra Goodman's romanticizing of the sex crime "Sam" endured.
I guess "Sam" is the first shitty book of 2023.
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