What do you think?
Rate this book
Because of Sam
Sometimes, in a rare moment of leisure, when Mrs. Maitland looked back across the thirty years of her short married life and long widowhood, the nineteen-year-old girl on the other side of that gap seemed a total stranger, incredibly young and untried, incredibly ignorant. Millie Maitland has settled happily into her busy if slightly impoverished existence in the Scottish village of Mennan, watched over now and then by her solicitor, who once proposed marriage, and her daughter Amabel, grown but still a handful. Millie is much loved by her friends and neighbours, including the gossipy Mrs Gray, the kind Mrs Denholm, a shepherd’s wife isolated in the hills, and the appalling Mrs Noble, a flirt whose husband is overseas. But into this contented, quiet life comes a bit of drama. It all starts innocently enough when Martin Heriot, a bachelor farmer, asks Millie to board a black labrador puppy named Sam . . . Molly Clavering was for many years the neighbour and friend of bestselling author D.E. Stevenson (in just such a village as Mennan), and they may well have influenced one another’s writing. First published in 1954, Because of Sam is a charming and compulsively readable comedy of errors. This new edition includes an introduction by Elizabeth Crawford.
220 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1954
About the author
Molly Clavering
12 books66 followersAKA Marion Moffatt.
Molly Clavering was born in Glasgow, but lived in the country from an early age. After six years' service wiith the WRNS, she settled in Moffat, Dumfriesshire, where she served on the Town Council.
Molly Clavering was born in Glasgow, but lived in the country from an early age. After six years' service wiith the WRNS, she settled in Moffat, Dumfriesshire, where she served on the Town Council.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 11, 2021
Very readable story about a middle-aged widow in a small Scottish village who makes a living by boarding dogs when their owners are away. She has a not-very-sympathetic grown daughter who softens and matures remarkably over the course of the novel, and they each have suitors that they don’t quite realize they have. (There’s some awkwardness with the ages and who’s interested in the mother vs who’s interested in the daughter, so if you don’t like May-December stuff it might not sit well with you.)
Really pleasant, lively writing that tugs at the heart.
Really pleasant, lively writing that tugs at the heart.
April 25, 2025
I loved this book! I just adored this story about Millie Maitland and her difficult daughter Amabel. The cozy level of this book was perfect!
From the very first page I was hooked and I could not stop reading about this mother and daughter and their lives in the small Scottish village of Mennan.
There's just so much to love in this compact novel: cozy food and home details, gossipy village ladies, mothers and daughters, romance, lovable dogs, the Scottish countryside and everyday activities.
I cannot wait to read more of Molly Clavering! Highly recommend this book (as well as Near Neighbors!)
From the very first page I was hooked and I could not stop reading about this mother and daughter and their lives in the small Scottish village of Mennan.
There's just so much to love in this compact novel: cozy food and home details, gossipy village ladies, mothers and daughters, romance, lovable dogs, the Scottish countryside and everyday activities.
I cannot wait to read more of Molly Clavering! Highly recommend this book (as well as Near Neighbors!)
April 1, 2025
This is a comfortable little book that won’t strain your emotions too far but makes for a good accompaniment to a cup of tea.
Our heroine is a long-widowed Scotswoman of forty-something, living in the Lowlands in the 1950s. Rationing is still in force, made somewhat easier by the rural setting where neighbors help one another to what the land produces. The recent war is never mentioned, despite having so much impact on the lives and mores of every Briton—much the way most of us never mention the pandemic despite its deep impact on our society and attitudes. I suppose it is human nature to crave some kind of normalcy after a period of trauma.
Millie Maitland is a fluffy and domestic sort of a woman, though more often given to candor than such a stereotype implies. She has a hidden core of determination and a love of independence that also defy facile pigeonholing. Her character held me throughout, even when she was behaving in self-defeating ways to prolong the story. She has a prickly and selfish daughter in her twenties who takes all her mother can give and offers little in return. At least that’s the starting point for both, but each goes through a degree of evolution.
The core of the story is a symmetrical pair of romantic misunderstandings, and they are dragged out rather too long even for reserved British personalities. If the reader had any genuine doubt about the ultimate outcome, the strain on credulity would have been easier. I also wished that Millie at a certain point would question her commitment to putting her daughter’s happiness ahead of her own, but the story was a bit too conventional for that. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the characters and the village life, and even the visit to a world in which making a clean and welcoming home was the summit of most women’s ambition and becoming an efficient secretary was the acme of a woman’s professionalism. I could almost sentimentalize such a world in these turbulent times.
Advisory: Women’s roles are not the only outdated aspects of the story. I was made uncomfortable by the attitudes toward dogs and one even involving a dog.
Our heroine is a long-widowed Scotswoman of forty-something, living in the Lowlands in the 1950s. Rationing is still in force, made somewhat easier by the rural setting where neighbors help one another to what the land produces. The recent war is never mentioned, despite having so much impact on the lives and mores of every Briton—much the way most of us never mention the pandemic despite its deep impact on our society and attitudes. I suppose it is human nature to crave some kind of normalcy after a period of trauma.
Millie Maitland is a fluffy and domestic sort of a woman, though more often given to candor than such a stereotype implies. She has a hidden core of determination and a love of independence that also defy facile pigeonholing. Her character held me throughout, even when she was behaving in self-defeating ways to prolong the story. She has a prickly and selfish daughter in her twenties who takes all her mother can give and offers little in return. At least that’s the starting point for both, but each goes through a degree of evolution.
The core of the story is a symmetrical pair of romantic misunderstandings, and they are dragged out rather too long even for reserved British personalities. If the reader had any genuine doubt about the ultimate outcome, the strain on credulity would have been easier. I also wished that Millie at a certain point would question her commitment to putting her daughter’s happiness ahead of her own, but the story was a bit too conventional for that. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the characters and the village life, and even the visit to a world in which making a clean and welcoming home was the summit of most women’s ambition and becoming an efficient secretary was the acme of a woman’s professionalism. I could almost sentimentalize such a world in these turbulent times.
Advisory: Women’s roles are not the only outdated aspects of the story. I was made uncomfortable by the attitudes toward dogs and one even involving a dog.
January 27, 2024
Couldn't put it down
Set in a small town in Scotland after WW2. Molly Clavering's style is realistic, her characters are too - and funny! This was a cozy and satisfying story, I didn't want it to end. I will say, can't imagine a man enjoying reading this. I do think that she wrote for women, from women's point of view. In this story at least, men's characters are not as well developed as women's.
Set in a small town in Scotland after WW2. Molly Clavering's style is realistic, her characters are too - and funny! This was a cozy and satisfying story, I didn't want it to end. I will say, can't imagine a man enjoying reading this. I do think that she wrote for women, from women's point of view. In this story at least, men's characters are not as well developed as women's.
March 29, 2024
This light novel is the equivalent of tea and scones on a rainy day. Enough drama to keep things interesting, but not enough to be stressful. Lovely!
Storyline: Millie Maitland has been been a widow for decades and has scraped along as best as she can by boarding dogs when their owners are travelling. Her relationship with her only daughter, Amabel, has not always been smooth, but in this story they both learn and grow and come to a better understanding of one another.
Storyline: Millie Maitland has been been a widow for decades and has scraped along as best as she can by boarding dogs when their owners are travelling. Her relationship with her only daughter, Amabel, has not always been smooth, but in this story they both learn and grow and come to a better understanding of one another.
September 12, 2021
What a charming book! Complex and yet lovable characters! A Scottish village. A sweet capable middle-aged widow who makes extra income boarding dogs. A sophisticated professional bachelorette daughter who seems at first very unlike her mother. Two of the most warm-hearted men and unlikely romantic prospects. I'm definitely reading more by this author.
September 5, 2021
A lovely, satisfying book. A light novel about people in a small village in Scotland.
September 10, 2021
Wonderful
Loved the story line, all the village personalities, and of course, Sam the Labrador. Really worth reading if you like dogs and stories about people.
Loved the story line, all the village personalities, and of course, Sam the Labrador. Really worth reading if you like dogs and stories about people.
March 25, 2024
Delightfully cozy village (in Scotland) story. The characters are all realistic (neither too sweet nor unbelievably bad) and their interactions ring true. Also, the various dogs are hilarious. (Only caveat: if you don't like relationships with significant - possibly 20 years? - age gaps, this probably won't be the story for you.) This is one of those stories I'd love to see adapted as a Masterpiece special or something.
May 21, 2021
Set in/near a small town in the area of Scotland known as the "Boarders", this light slice of life novel makes pleasant reading. Sam, the dog, seems to act as a sort of catalyst for many of the major plot elements, thus things happen "because of Sam".
July 3, 2022
3.5 stars
April 29, 2024
3.5 stars. A side character age gap relationship made me raise my eyebrows a little, but I really enjoyed the character of Mrs. Maitland. Her independence was refreshing, and of course I loved her mild nature that had a strong undercurrent of humor and compassion. She is a quintessential main character for these types of books.
March 24, 2022
I'm a fan of DE Stevenson, so I bought Because of Sam by Molly Clavering when it was suggested to me by other DE Stevenson fans.
I really enjoyed the book, I loved the characters, old Quinnings, Molly's sense of humour, her ability to poke fun at the style of writing that's still popular in our times (the hero sweeps the heroine off her feet, carries her home, etc etc).
I love the scenes described, especially of the view, the houses, it helps me see the settings in my head.
I liked that Amabel wasn't the perfect, stereotype daughter, and both Amabel and Millie had to learn more about themselves and each other before the story came to a resolution.
It felt a little draggy near the end (the will she, won't she, can't she see bit) but the ending didn't feel rushed or hurried.
Very enjoyable book. I'm a huge fan of Molly Clavering.
I really enjoyed the book, I loved the characters, old Quinnings, Molly's sense of humour, her ability to poke fun at the style of writing that's still popular in our times (the hero sweeps the heroine off her feet, carries her home, etc etc).
I love the scenes described, especially of the view, the houses, it helps me see the settings in my head.
I liked that Amabel wasn't the perfect, stereotype daughter, and both Amabel and Millie had to learn more about themselves and each other before the story came to a resolution.
It felt a little draggy near the end (the will she, won't she, can't she see bit) but the ending didn't feel rushed or hurried.
Very enjoyable book. I'm a huge fan of Molly Clavering.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2024
This is my first book by Molly Clavering. I had heard it was Christmassy but Christmas section/chapter was only ten pages long. It didn’t matter too much because it’s a wonderfully cosy and romantic story in the winter weather.
The main character is mild mannered Millie Maitland who lives with her daughter Amabel in the rural village of Mennan in Scotland. Millie has been a widow for many years but is still young and was only married a couple of years before her husband died so there is not much love lost. She looks after dogs while their owners are on holiday but otherwise has very little money, while Amabel has some money left to her by her father's sister.
The books starts in April at the wedding of Jack Ross and Susan Gray and takes place over the course of the next twelve months finishing with the impending wedding of Millie and Amabel. Susan is the daughter of Millie's friend Davina and there is a side storyline about Jack being unfaithful with Mrs Noble, a visitor to the village whom nobody likes.
There is an interesting dynamic between mother and daughter. I appreciated Mille's patience and love with Amabel who is spoilt and does not help her mother very much. With the help of Mr Ramsey, the family lawyer, Amabel eventually moves to Edinburgh for work but returns a short while later to look after her mother who catches a chill while rescuing her dog Sam who falls into dangerous flood waters. Amabel then realises how much work her mother does, and also finds that cooking can be enjoyable. Millie is keen to see Amabel married and thinks local farmer Martin Heriot will do very nicely, only Martin has fallen in love with Millie and Amabel with Mr Ramsay. It is a typical but enjoyable romance/crossed wires story line and I loved the descriptions of home cooking and the remote landscape of Scotland underpinned by the characters loveable natures and Millie's love of dogs.
The main character is mild mannered Millie Maitland who lives with her daughter Amabel in the rural village of Mennan in Scotland. Millie has been a widow for many years but is still young and was only married a couple of years before her husband died so there is not much love lost. She looks after dogs while their owners are on holiday but otherwise has very little money, while Amabel has some money left to her by her father's sister.
The books starts in April at the wedding of Jack Ross and Susan Gray and takes place over the course of the next twelve months finishing with the impending wedding of Millie and Amabel. Susan is the daughter of Millie's friend Davina and there is a side storyline about Jack being unfaithful with Mrs Noble, a visitor to the village whom nobody likes.
There is an interesting dynamic between mother and daughter. I appreciated Mille's patience and love with Amabel who is spoilt and does not help her mother very much. With the help of Mr Ramsey, the family lawyer, Amabel eventually moves to Edinburgh for work but returns a short while later to look after her mother who catches a chill while rescuing her dog Sam who falls into dangerous flood waters. Amabel then realises how much work her mother does, and also finds that cooking can be enjoyable. Millie is keen to see Amabel married and thinks local farmer Martin Heriot will do very nicely, only Martin has fallen in love with Millie and Amabel with Mr Ramsay. It is a typical but enjoyable romance/crossed wires story line and I loved the descriptions of home cooking and the remote landscape of Scotland underpinned by the characters loveable natures and Millie's love of dogs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2025
Another charming and quietly witty novel from @dean_street_press, full of warmth, gentle transformations, and sharp observations of both human nature and the natural world.
Millie Maitland, practical and unassuming, has been a widow for 30 years after a brief marriage. Her daughter, Amabel, is the sole product of that short union—at first sharp and self-absorbed but gradually softened by life’s small lessons, learning the quiet joy of thinking of others. Millie, in turn, discovers a little more steel in her spine. Their dynamic—half misunderstanding, half deep-rooted love—is a pleasure to watch unfold.
At the heart of the story is web of comedic confusion. Millie, so convinced of her own invisibility, assumes any gentlemen callers must be after Amabel. This is further complicated by their starchy family lawyer, who once proposed to Millie out of duty, seeing marriage as a practical solution to her financial struggles. His presence lingers, awkward yet pivotal.
The post-war setting is beautifully drawn, where making do is second nature—rationing lingers and every household economy tells a story. Clavering paints it all effortlessly, with the village itself as a character: watchful, amused, quietly self-regulating.
Drama arrives in the form of an outsider, a lethally glamorous married woman with a husband conveniently located abroad. She sets hearts and tongues fluttering, provoking a venomous but restrained village response.
And then there are the dogs!
Millie’s dog-boarding charges are a joy, especially Sam, the long-term ‘parlour boarder,’ a black lab with a mysterious past.
A sweet, lovely read.
PS, I’m a bit in love with Millie myself…
Millie Maitland, practical and unassuming, has been a widow for 30 years after a brief marriage. Her daughter, Amabel, is the sole product of that short union—at first sharp and self-absorbed but gradually softened by life’s small lessons, learning the quiet joy of thinking of others. Millie, in turn, discovers a little more steel in her spine. Their dynamic—half misunderstanding, half deep-rooted love—is a pleasure to watch unfold.
At the heart of the story is web of comedic confusion. Millie, so convinced of her own invisibility, assumes any gentlemen callers must be after Amabel. This is further complicated by their starchy family lawyer, who once proposed to Millie out of duty, seeing marriage as a practical solution to her financial struggles. His presence lingers, awkward yet pivotal.
The post-war setting is beautifully drawn, where making do is second nature—rationing lingers and every household economy tells a story. Clavering paints it all effortlessly, with the village itself as a character: watchful, amused, quietly self-regulating.
Drama arrives in the form of an outsider, a lethally glamorous married woman with a husband conveniently located abroad. She sets hearts and tongues fluttering, provoking a venomous but restrained village response.
And then there are the dogs!
Millie’s dog-boarding charges are a joy, especially Sam, the long-term ‘parlour boarder,’ a black lab with a mysterious past.
A sweet, lovely read.
PS, I’m a bit in love with Millie myself…
March 23, 2025
Sam is a dog, but this book isn't him, it is about relationships with family and neighbors in a village in Scotland in the years after WWII. My favorite kind of book, in other words!
It is also about the beauty and challenge of living really rural as opposed to walking distance from a town, albeit a small one, and the importance of the weather and the seasons.
I liked the characters, who are all richly drawn with the one exception of who is more of a cartoon than a 3D person.
But aside from the spoiler, I enjoyed everything about this book especially the community and the way Millie's daughter matured and blossomed.
For me, the romance is really not the point, it is the friendships between the women that matter the most.
It is also about the beauty and challenge of living really rural as opposed to walking distance from a town, albeit a small one, and the importance of the weather and the seasons.
I liked the characters, who are all richly drawn with the one exception of who is more of a cartoon than a 3D person.
But aside from the spoiler, I enjoyed everything about this book especially the community and the way Millie's daughter matured and blossomed.
For me, the romance is really not the point, it is the friendships between the women that matter the most.
October 9, 2023
Millie has been a widow for many years, and has a grown up daughter, Amabel. Millie wishes Amabel would marry, and so she is pleased when she thinks a neighbouring farmer, Martin heriot, is taking an interest in Amabel. Millie makes ends meet by running a boarding kennel, and she is pleased to be looking after Sam, a black labrador who belongs to a cousin of Martin’s. But less pleased by the presence in the village of Mrs Noble, a beautiful woman whose husband is absent, and who seems to have a fancy for Martin herself. And Amabel may have ideas of her own. Quite a pleasant story with some nice characters, and some humour.
April 29, 2023
This was an enjoyable book, but I have to say that, except for a few odd occasions, I felt like It never really grabbed me. It just didn’t seem possible to fully connect to any of the characters. (I willingly admit,however, that reading this book whilst struggling with COVID probably did not help!)
October 29, 2024
This is the reading equivalent to a grilled cheese sandwich or buttered popcorn: it goes down easy and is a pleasant diversion. Enjoyable but forgettable. I like D.E. Stevenson better, and O. Douglas is the top of my favorite writers of what I've termed "village novel." The plot takes back seat to the atmosphere and a glimpse of quotidian post-war Scotland.
August 22, 2021
I almost always enjoy a story with a dog in it, and this was a pleasant read. I found the age gap between the daughter and the man she married to be excessive, but typical for the time. The did seem suited to one another, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2024
4.5⭐️
This was a delightful rom-com full of mixed signals and misunderstandings.
I only took off half a star from my rating because it did take a little longer than necessary for characters to figure out what the reader has already known for the majority of the book. However the ending is thoroughly satisfying!
This was a delightful rom-com full of mixed signals and misunderstandings.
I only took off half a star from my rating because it did take a little longer than necessary for characters to figure out what the reader has already known for the majority of the book. However the ending is thoroughly satisfying!
February 12, 2025
I noticed the author died on this day in 1995. She was 95 years old.
I love these simple old stories about life in a country village in Scotland. I felt myself right out in the rain and on the bridge over the rushing river with Mrs. Maitland and her friend’s dog Sam.
I love these simple old stories about life in a country village in Scotland. I felt myself right out in the rain and on the bridge over the rushing river with Mrs. Maitland and her friend’s dog Sam.
September 3, 2022
3.5 stars. Not as good as some of Clavering's other books but still a lovely read.
January 1, 2024
I enjoyed this Scottish village cozy originally published in 1954. It has a little humor, a little romance, and a lot of warmth, along with a black Labrador named Sam.
January 12, 2024
Meh. It was OK but...bWas hoping for a D.E. Stevenson-like.story but it was a little too slow moving for me.
January 7, 2025
A charming, comforting, heartwarming story - the quality you expect from Molly Clavering.
My review: https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024...
My review: https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024...
April 24, 2025
A charming light novel, with truly satisfying character development.
December 21, 2023
See my review here: https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2023...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews