Amy Harmon is a new author for me but loved this book. Such an interesting book, this book is based on a historical character, a young woman who fought in the revolutionary war while disguised as a boy. This book was such a good read and I totally enjoyed it from page one.
As always my thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the early read of this book for an honest review.

The war has been hardest on the women,” I said. “History won’t remember them at all.

In this historical fiction, Amy Harmon tells the story of Deborah Samson, a young woman who masqueraded as a male to join the revolutionary army.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Amy Harmon is one of my favorite authors be it contemporary romance fiction or historical fiction. I enjoyed learning about a woman from history that had not been remembered but whose story intrigued the author. I liked the Revolutionary War timeline even if I don't consider myself any kind of expert on this time period.

War is terrible, and if I survive to the end, I will bear witness to the sheer, incomprehensible waste of it all. But it is not the horror that has stricken me. It is awe that I am still here.

Although I liked the subject matter, I didn't feel it was my favorite AH story. Once Deborah joined, the military detail was nicely researched but it was a bit difficult to keep my interest. Usually, I read an Amy Harmon story in one sitting but Deborah and her journey were put down again and again.

It is not for the man who has everything and wants more that we fight, but for the man who has nothing.” They were the words that had inspired the revolution in me, and I believed them still.


#AGirlCalledSamson #NetGalley.
Publication Date 01/04/23
Goodreads review published 14/04/23

Yes, you did Deborah justice, Ms. Harmon.
I haven't had the privilege of knowing Deborah Samson, so I cannot really be sure of what she would think. Maybe you couldn't be faithful to all that she went through with the few information you had, but I cannot imagine that any woman could feel less than cherished by your re-telling.

A girl named Samson is a story inspired by the real life of Deborah Samson, a girl bound out as in indentured servant. She grew into a strong, valiant, unsettling woman who did not fit into the boundaries set for her gender in her era. She chose to disguise herself as a soldier and enlist in the Continental Army, to confirm her self worth and put her endurance to the service of the values inspiring the American Revolutionary War.

The premise of the story is already very intriguing, especially knowing it is inpired by real events. I do think many authors would have easily messed it up, which leaves me in awe at how Amy Harmon threaded biography with fiction, events with ideas, feelings with values, to make this version so enjoyable and moving.
I found the themes so timeless, even if taking place centuries ago (freedom and its definition, the boundaries and possibilities of gender and race, human relationships and bonds, the sense of responsibility and of a higher purpose), that Deborah Samson feels engaging and accessible even in the third millenium.
Amy Harmon's gift for telling stories marvels me every time: I am thoroughly impressed by how she can balance description of sceneries (she makes you feel like you are there in the barracks with the soldiers), telling of events, unfolding of emotions, development of characters. She is so delicate, yet so powerful.
Unfortunately for me, Amy Harmon has set the bar so high that I am now really demanding to any other book: I have no more patience for characters who do things out of the blue, or for events that unfold in a disorderly fashion. And when I think that I know what is going to happen, something unexpected happens, to keep me on my toes, without being too detached from the preceding unfolding of events.
Her books, for me, are not like a torrent, or a storm that I cannot put down to find out what happens next: they are more like rivers, flowing, leaving a mark, shaping entire planes or canyons of new discoveries, challenging our preconceptions, planting the seed of new or rediscovered ideas and values. Books to be savored and cherished, just like Deborah.

I don't want to say too much about the book, as I don't want to spoil it. I know little about the American Revolution and I wasn't particularly interested in that historical period, but Amy Harmon made it interesting and intriguing, even if the events take place towards the end of the Revolution, which seemed a bit less exciting that other more widely known battles and confrontations.

I am already enjoyng telling the story of Deborah Samson (to others and also to myself): no need for details, just the concept. The idea of such a remarkable woman and how she interpreted her legitimate and timeless need to be free is enough to raise interest and curiosity. I am curious to see which part of Deborah's story each listener will make his/her own: she has a way of calling out the good, the valiant, the remarkable chords of our personal symphonies.

If I had to find a flaw, maybe it felt a bit too modern at times. Could Deborah and John (even in their fictional form) have really existed in the 1780s, so modern within their society rules, or is Amy Harmon maybe a bit too optimistic in some interactions? I like to think that, even if fictionalized, the spirit of all the characters rings true and realistic.

I close with a quote, I will eventually figure out why it resonates so much: Freedom is not left or right, up or down. It exists in degrees.

FIVE STAR READ. This may be the best book I have read off of NetGalley. What a wonderful story. This book was exceptional. The overarching theme of the story is freedom: freedom for all men and women in America. I was inspired by Deborah's ambition to make freedom a reality for all people.

As an Australian, I actually didn't know much of what went on with the Revolutionary War in America. This was an interesting read for me, based on that.

I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had more of an interest in American history or even the Revolutionary War.

A good book, but probably not one I'd read again.

A Girl Called Samson is a fictionalized account of Deborah Samson's time as a soldier during the Revolutionary War. She dressed as a man and enlisted. The relationship between Deborah and General Patterson takes up the majority of page space but any spicy scenes are essentially fade-to-black. I did enjoy this one but not as much as some of Amy Harmon's other works.

I love reading about female rebels especially those who are not purely fictional. Admittedly, I am not a war story type of gal and so I enjoyed the first part of the story more than the second.
I enjoyed the little whispers of Anne of Green Gables' spunk and independence in indentured servant, Deborah at the beginning as well as her desire to learn and become untethered from the conditions expected of woman during the time of the American Revolution.
It was fascinating to read about the various way she kept her identity secret while fighting in the war but I was expecting the reveal to be a little more dramatic so was a little disappointed with that.
If you like well written characters, lots of quotes worth highlighting and remembering, well researched historical fiction, epistolary portions and lots of themes and ideas to discuss when you are finished you will enjoy this latest by Amy Harmon!
Content warnings for violence, language and intimate scenes but to be honest, the author writes with such discretion that it is not overly objectionable at all.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review it!

A Girl Called Samson was a fun read. I wasn't at all familiar with Deborah Samson/Sampson's story, so I enjoyed the author's note at the end giving some historical context. Harmon naturally takes quite a lot of liberties with the actual historical events for the sake of the story, but I thought all of those changes were worthwhile, and the love story is very sweet.

Amazing original story! Amy Harmon knows how to write a story without making you feel like it’s being told. The reader is immersed into the story as if it’s their own life. Deborah Sampson is a young girl during the birth of our nation. It’s not solely about a courageous girl that becomes a soldier during the American Revolution, and all that she endured during her service, when women were expected to tend to a domestic life. It’s about a young girl believing in the American Declaration, of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. For Deborah it’s also about fighting for her own independence as a woman, and to be able to love and be loved whole heartily. There so much more to this story, her friendship with Elizabeth to whom she writes to regularly for 10years and eventually servicing the military with Elizabeth’s husband John Paterson. This is going on my favorite shelf. It will definitely to be re-read in the years to come.

This book was an eye opening and extraordinary read! I thought I was reading a historical fiction book about a fictitious woman during a real event so I was gobsmacked when I came to the author’s note at the end of the book and discovered Deborah Samson is based off of the very real Deborah Sampson.
Deborah Samson is indentured to the Thomas family; a Deacon, his wife, and their 10 boys when she is just 8 years old. While she is their servant she is also their friend and feels as though all 10 boys are her brothers. The local Reverend is a father like figure to her and starts her on a letter writing relationship with his niece, Elizabeth, when Deborah is 13 so she can work on her penmanship and letter writing skills and also feed her mind. During the 5 years they communicate Deborah often complains about not being able to do what and go where she wants because she is a girl. When she turns 18, she runs away and joins the military under the guise of being a boy. She holds her own as a soldier and is able to hide her true self while impressing everyone she comes across.
While the fictional Deborah Samson has many similarities to the real Deborah Sampson, the majority of the book is fictionalized (the number of sons the Thomas family had, her friendship with Elizabeth, her romance with a General) but the weaving of both reality and fiction works perfectly.
Told from the first person point of view, Amy Harmon so beautifully captures how a woman was stifled from her true potential back in the 1700’s, and really throughout all time. Honestly, even now in the second decade of the 21st century it still feels like women are being stifled, though certainly not how it was in the 18th and 19th centuries.
This is the second book of Ms. Harmon’s that I’ve read and now I can’t wait to devour the other books she has written. My favorite thing in a historical fiction novel is learning something new and both books I’ve read have taught me things I feel I probably should have learned in American History in high school. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of this book. This gem hit the shelves on April 1st.

What a fantastic book!
It’s been a long time since a book kept me reading way too late into the night, but this one did. It has now become my favorite Amy Harmon novel.

Deborah Samson’s voice rang out clearly from the first few pages. I loved her unconventional, whip-smart personality and the incredible will she had. When I found out she was a real woman, this only added to my enjoyment of the book. After I finished reading, I then stayed up too late researching Deborah Samson (or Sampson) and other historical figures in the story.

An honest, unflinching portrayal of the Revolutionary War, A Girl Called Samson follows Deborah from the time she is a forgotten young indentured servant through to middle age. After landing at the home of the Thomas family at eleven years old, Deborah, nicknamed Rob by the ten Thomas boys, quickly matches or outpaces the others in speed, physical prowess, and height. Unusually tall, thin, and a crack shot, she eventually does the unthinkable and enlists as a soldier, disguising herself as a boy, which was no easy task. It required meticulous planning of everyday routines like bathing and using the latrine, navigating her menstrual cycle, and maintaining her ruse no matter what, even caring for her own war wounds so as not to expose her secret.

It’s when Deborah, aka Robert Shurtliff, encounters General John Paterson that her life changes completely and irrevocably. The widower of Deborah’s dearest friend and pen pal Elizabeth, John is fully aware of a girl named Deborah, having even written her letters himself in the past, but has no idea who a young soldier called Robert is. Straddling the fence between her precious freedom as a ‘man’ and her feelings as a woman — a woman falling in love with John Paterson — proves much more difficult than Deborah anticipated. Navigating these conflicting vantage points while clinging to her revolutionary ideals in a harsh war becomes her entire focus, until the choice is taken away from her.

Real historical figures, such as Agrippa Hill, General Knox, and Reverend Sylvanus Conant, among others, are interspersed with fictional characters in a seamless manner. I know Amy Harmon took some artistic license with the historical account, but isn’t that a writer’s prerogative? I know I sure enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It's no secret that I consider Amy Harmon to be one of my absolute favorite authors, and I've read and loved every single book that has been published so far. I've been eagerly waiting for A Girl Called Samson to become available; not only because any new Harmon book is an instant most-anticipated release, but also because of the American Revolutionary War setting. The blurb sounded fantastic, and I have been looking forward to learn more about the war as well as get to know what sounded like an absolutely fascinating character. And what a story it turned out to be!

One of the things I love about Amy Harmon's work is that you never know what you are going to get, and she uses a variety of different genres appealing to different readers. What never changes though is the sheer quality of her stories and the impact of its characters. A Girl Called Samson is what you can call a full-blooded piece of historical fiction, focusing on the American Revolutionary War and the true story of Deborah Samson. There are a LOT of historical details involved, both based on true events and altered details to fit this plot. If you are not a fan of historical details, this particular story definitely isn't for you! But if you enjoy learning more about the day-to-day events during the American Revolutionary War as well as the life of Deborah Samson, A Girl Called Samson is a true goldmine.

The pace is a tad slow in the beginning, but I personally didn't mind too much. It made it easier to fully soak up the information presented, and I enjoyed slowly getting to know Deborah Samson better. I was charmed with her character from the very beginning, and Deborah is without a doubt one of the reasons this story works so well. Both her character development and the interactions with the rest of the cast are spot on, and her character and spirit made for a fantastic foundation for the rest of the story to be build around. You don't often hear about female soldiers in the American Revolutionary War, and this makes A Girl Called Samson truly special.

There is a lot of focus on personal growth as well as the daily struggles of war, loss and family. The story had a tad too much focus on religion for me, but that is just a personal pet peeve... That said, I liked how all of these elements gave the story more dept, and the different characters added humanity to what would have been a more neutral account of the events during the war otherwise. As always, the story also includes some romance, but it is less pronounced than usual in A Girl Called Samson. What you basically have is the queen of all slow burn romances, and it takes a LONG time for the romance to start showing itself. I personally didn't mind, because the final reward was even more satisfying because of it... But I can see why some people might struggle with the historical fiction/romance balance.

All in all A Girl Called Samson turned out to be yet another very satisfying story despite some minor blips. It's not my absolute favorite Amy Harmon book, but it's still a fantastic piece of historical fiction with a wealth of information about the American Revolutionary War and Deborah Samson. Recommended if you like your historical fiction heavy on the historical facts, with a strong cast of fascinating characters and a dash of romance to sweeten the deal!

An interesting and engaging book. It’s based on a historical character , a young woman who fought in the revolutionary war while disguised as a boy. She is strong , intelligent and resilient

Amy Harmon is a literal master of her art. She has this innate ability to suck me in from page one, proceed to rip me apart and then lovingly put me back together and fix my broken heart.

I stayed up WAY TOO late (4 am, not even sorry about it) because I couldn’t put this book down. I already ordered the hard copy so I can have it on my bookshelf. These people, who are real! Deborah Samson was a real woman who dressed as a boy to enter the army.

What I absolutely love about her story, is she was surrounded by men who held her in high esteem, even after being found out. They knew what a good soldier she was and based her works in the war off of that, not her gender. Obviously, that was not the majority at this time. And I know the author took some liberties, but these were people way ahead of their time. It is a story about a woman, who absolutely SHINES!

This book was a disappointment. I could not get through this. I'm just so bored. It's so unnecessary long, and there's barely depth with Debora; there are also so many characters that are randomly thrown in without any explanation. Also, it's kinda icky knowing this from a real-life experience, but the story did not do it justice.

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Susan F
807 reviews
April 6, 2023
There is a lot to like about this story. It is well researched, true to the time period and Deborah Samson is a muti-faceted character. Although fictional, she feels real. I could feel empathy and understanding for her. Independence isn't only a political or country need, it is a need for individual life and, basically during much of the history, learned men or those with wealth, had it. Deborah, forced to be an independent human of sorts, from childhood forward, hungered for education, knowledge and the kind of independence she saw men 'enjoying'.
The book is beautifully written. The story demonstrates an intelligent mind housed in a well worked female body that is healthy and strong. One that allows Deborah to pass for male if hidden properly. There are a few other characters that are so important to the story, Rev. Sylvanus Conant, Elizabeth and John Paterson, the Thomas family and Agrippa Hull.
There is one thing that I have to mention. The book does hold a sweet love story, but I am uncomfortable with the names used. I guess that's the best way I can write this. It is fiction and I do understand that.
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of this book. I give it 4.5 stars. This is my own unsolicited opinion. Although there isn't much information, there are real historical names of people in the book, and I think it honors them to read about them. Deborah Samson (Sampson) seems to have been an amazing human being.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam Level: 🔥🔥 (closed door and fade to black scenes)
Trigger Warning: indentured servitude, loss of a loved one, war depiction; brief mentions of abuse and parental abandonment

Deborah Samson, a descendant of William Bradford himself, grew up determined to know freedom and greatness. Bound out as an indentured servant in her youth, she suffers under the hand of an elderly widow until being taken in by Deacon Thomas and his family. As the Revolutionary War begins, she faces heartache and grief when the Thomas boys go to war, and it sparks a fire within her. Her love of country and desire for freedom result in her dressing as a man and enlisting to fight. As the years pass, she experiences loss, pain, judgment, and even unexpected love. And her story will change the lives of everyone it touches.

This book is so different from what I normally read, but I am so glad I was influenced to give it a try. Based on real events, Deborah's story is heartbreaking, uplifting, patriotic, and breathtaking. There's so much history woven in, and I think reading this close to Independence Day would make it even more impactful. While Deborah was oppressed by her lack of freedom as a woman and an indentured servant, she still had hope and desired to make a difference and see the world. Her dedication to her country and General Paterson were inspiring, and I honestly cannot even imagine doing what she did. Even though the romance in this was very minor, I found myself captivated by it. This story had me tearing up several times, but it also left me in awe. I highly recommend this no matter what genre you normally read, and I can't wait to try more books by Amy Harmon.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Union Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Not my favorite Amy Harmon, but still glad that I read it.
This title contained more biblical references than the other two titles I have read by her. I appreciated that element. I felt that the disguising of a girl to be a man for the sake of freedom kept the title from being a modern treatise on confused gender. So conservative minded individuals do not have to be concerned there. This title was slower moving for me and I felt that the characters remained distant to me. I enjoyed the correspondence between Elizabeth and Deborah, but I felt like an outsider looking in, rather than a part of it.

Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read this book!

"A Girl Called Samson" was a slam-dunk five-star read for me for about 75% of the book, at which point Harmon diverged wildly from Deborah Samson's actual biography and created a fraught, over-the-top romance with another real historical figure. This turn in the book was an enormous bummer for me, even though as a novel the whole book is set up well and carefully plotted to have all the elements come together in a cohesive story. However, since I already knew Deborah Samson's history, I struggled to accept the changes Harmon made to her amazing, inspiring life story. Harmon acknowledges the real history in her afterword, but doesn't provide any real insight into why she went another direction. Deborah Samson was a Massachusetts woman who disguised herself as a man and fought in the Revolutionary War for 17 months before her gender was finally discovered. I am in awe of her and her life, and this really is a book worth reading, preferably before you go and read the facts of Samson's life. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a digital review copy.

I received a temporary digital copy of A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon from NetGalley, Lake Union and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Deborah Samson, an indentured servant, grows up around a family of ten boys and is constantly pushing herself to do well, learn more and compete with the boys on the farm. She yearns for a life of liberation and adventure. After her indenture is complete, Deborah, disguises herself as a man and enlists in the Continental Army. She is finally able to see the colonies and experience life with more freedom than she ever dreamed, but will she be able to keep up her disguise or will someone see through her?

A Girl Called Samson was a great read based on the real-life experiences of Deborah Samson. The female impact of the American Revolution is so rarely discussed; however, vital to the outcome of the Patriot's success. Samson's experience is inspiring and Harmon does an excellent job telling her story.