This is my first book to read by this author but I cannot wait to read more by them! This is such a uniquely written story that you will find yourself thinking about long after you finish it. Highly recommend!!

You grow up with Sam as you read this. You experience and understand things the way she does, and even when she is suffering, you feel hope, because all Sam can really do is hope for something better. This books is intimate, emotional, and empowering and I’m so glad I got to read it.

Allegra Goodman has the most impressive narrative voice I have encountered in a while. It feels like it is Sam describing her own life, watching from a distance as it happens. The tone changes from frequent exclamation points, shorter sentences, and mostly observing to more serious and reflective as Sam grows up.

5 stars. This is a quick read that will stay on your mind for a long time after you finish reading.

Thank you, Random House, for the eARC and opportunity to review.

Sam is an excellent novel illustrating the powers of determination in the presence of constant failure. Sam was successful in climbing but not to her satisfaction or her Dad's and certainly not her mom who only worried about her future education and financial success since they lived in poverty. Then whatever she does and whoever she encounters in her path to adulthood just create more obstacles. But, she never gives up completely, so the book is a winner in my book.

There is a definite disconnect between the description of this book and what it actually delivers. The story is slow moving, the characters pretty average, and the writing - especially the dialogue - is choppy and uninspired. I read a good chink, hoping it would get better, and when it didn’t I skimmed ahead, and was disappointed again. DNF

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.

The title says it all. This is a book about Sam. As the story begin, Sam is 7 years old and is struggling through life with her divorced mother and hard-to-handle brother (he is likely autistic, from the description). The siblings have different fathers and the two men pose unique challenges to Sam’s household. While Sam’s father is absent from her life most of the time – partly because he’s in a traveling band – Sam’s brother’s father is more hands-on and shows more desire to see his progeny on a regular basis. This disparity is felt keenly by Sam. As time goes by and Sam ages, her problems, and the focus of the book, tend more toward her future, in general and her education, in particular. To say more would be to give more away than I want to.

One thing I really liked about this book was that the writing style matured with Sam as she aged, from 7 years old at the start of the story, to 20 years old at the end. I especially liked the “early Sam” style – choppy and a little stilted. By the time Sam is in her late teens, the style has settled on a mature, adult quality. Another thing I liked about the book is that Sam is a climber. Meaning, she climbs rock faces and climbing apparatuses set up in gyms. Sam is even on a climbing team, something I didn’t know existed. The use of climbing as a subject leant the story that special something and made it stand out.

Sam’s story is a coming-of-age tale. How a young girl matures into early adulthood with myriad pressures on her to go this way or that. As Sam navigates the choppy waters of her life, we root for her to get past her perceived limitations and to climb out of her circumstances (pun intended). Recommended.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for me honest opinion.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A coming of age story in which a girl struggles to find acceptance from others and peace within herself.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy Allegra Goodman’s novels. Although I am giving Sam four stars for the story itself, a Bildungsroman focused on Sam (not Samantha, just Sam) and her coming of age from age 7 through 19, I would give the writing itself five stars, because it is a master class in how to craft this type of novel. Seen through Sam’s perspective, we journey along with her as she speaks and thinks in the voice of a small child full of wonder and optimism, through her years as a confused and sometimes surly pre-teen and teenager, to age 19 and her emerging adulthood and self-actualization. Slowly paced, we get a sense of who Sam is at each of these stages and how she interacts with those around her: her single mom, her troubled brother, her climbing coach, friends and romantic interests and more. I finished the novel rooting for adult Sam. I’d recommend this novel for anyone to read, and highly recommend it as assigned reading for students and novelists seeking to create a fully realized character. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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.

I'm a big fan of this author but didn't find this quite on the par with ones I read and couldn't put down before. She does write very well so I guess you can't hit an all-star read all the time.a

I loved this simple story about a girl growing up. Wonderfully written, I really enjoyed the dynamics of a girl trying to be her own person but also being tied to her family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this coming of age story, which follows the titular character from age 7 to college. In this span of years, Goodman covers sibling and mother/daughter relationships as well as Sam's role in the larger world as she matures.

As the reader, we cringe at Sam's mishaps and celebrate her triumphs.

I have been a fan of Allegra Goodman's previous work and her writing here is top-notch.

Those readers looking for a clever or twisty plot should look elsewhere, but fans of well-crafted literary fiction about what it means to be human will be pleased with SAM.

Okay, I was super excited to get approved for this one, but it kind of fell a bit flat for me. It was too predictable. But I still would recommend.

The amazing short story, “La Vita Nuova” published in The New Yorker in 2011, introduced me to the phenomenal writing of Allegra Goodman. Her newest novel “Sam” enhances her literary achievements.

Sam is the name of the title character whose development from a child to adult is the basis for the plot. Goodman uses the metaphor of climbing to illustrate Sam’s maturation. Sam first starts with wall climbing and then moves to the more complex rock climbing. The climbing is the expression of Sam’s own desire to excel in her life, despite or maybe because of her mother’s continuing pressure for Sam to achieve what her mother has not. With the addition of an often absent father, whose substance abuse keeps him from accomplishing much in life, Goodman adds another level of difficulty into Sam’s life.

Told in the challenging writing mode of third person present tense, the seemingly simple plot turns into a complex tour de force illustration of Goodman’s writing expertise.

We follow the life of Sam during 15 or so years of her young life as she grows up in a dysfunctional family with a special-needs younger brother and her single mother who is trying to make ends meet working two low-end jobs. Sam is a talented rock climber: the story takes place on Boston's North Shore and we see her grow into some prowess as she develops her climbing abilities and strength. Sam is an interesting character: nothing comes without a lot of pain and hard work, which makes her accomplishments all that more satisfying, both to her and to the reader. The family dynamics: the kids have two different but deadbeat dads that come in and out of the narrative. I really enjoyed the plot, characters, and situations as Sam grows up, finds love and adventure. Highly recommended.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Random House Publishing Group- Random House and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

An artfully told story about one’s coming of age.

This is a coming of age novel about a girl growing up with a single mom and sometimes-present dad. She develops an interest in climbing, which is first an activity that connects her to her father but is then something she does on her own, growing her social life and sense of self. I can see why some readers might view this as a YA story because Sam is only 19 by the end, but I didn't find this to have the same sense of hope and joy that is a hallmark of YA novels. I appreciated the author's note that there aren't any huge plot points, and it really is a sort of "slice-of-life" book that reminded me a lot of Richard Linklater's "Boyhood." I just didn't feel great while I was reading it--maybe it was a little too lifelike.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a coming of age story of Sam, a young girl at the beginning, and spans the next 10 years of her life. Sam 's mother became pregnant with her in high school and presently lives with the father of Sam's half brother. Sam's dad is an addict and a part-time dad, that is not consistently in her life. He does introduce Sam to climbing, which becomes an escape for Sam from her dysfunctional family or lack thereof.

The story is told via a third party narrator which leaves the reader feeling a bit cold in my opinion. It was hard to emotionally connect to Sam and the other characters when viewing them through a distant lense.

I did like Sam and seeing how she takes care of herself, mentally and physically, through her climbing. She is definitely a victim of poor circumstances. However, we see her through many ups and downs to find her way to a better life.

Overall a good read!

Sam by Allegra Goodman is my first read by this Author and I was pleasantly surprised how well I enjoyed the story of Sam. A coming of age novel, that was well written with characters I enjoyed getting to know better.
The writing is skillful, the story is special; it is a good read.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Random House/The Dial Press,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I received this Random House Group book though an email from one of their marketing representatives. It came with this introduction:

“I'm so glad you enjoyed Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Because of this, I thought you might be interested in reading SAM by Allegra Goodman.”

Indeed, I did enjoy Malibu Rising so with that in mind and on the Random House recommendation, I jumped into Sam with both feet. After two days of reading I’ve finished the book, but not the wracking of my brain trying to figure out what it has in common with Malibu. Rising The short and long of it is nothing, absolutely nothing.

It wasn’t a bad book in any way, Sam’s story is one of overcoming many obstacles to find her way to a life she longs for. It’s nicely done, but nothing particularly memorable for me.

Thank you Net Galley and Random House.