Sam : a novel / Allegra Goodman.
Material type:
TextPublisher: New York : The Dial Press, [2023]Copyright date: ©2023Edition: First editionDescription: 316 pages ; 22 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9780593447819
- 0593447816
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Dr. James Carlson Library | Fiction | GOODMAN, ALLEGRA | Available | 33111011040348 | ||||
|
Adult Book
|
Northport Library | Fiction | GOODMAN, ALLEGRA | Available | 33111009463718 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY * "I've been an Allegra Goodman fan for years, but Sam is hands down my new favorite. I loved this powerful and endearing portrait of a girl who must summon deep within herself the grit and wisdom to grow up."--Lily King, New York Times bestselling author of Writers & Lovers
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE * What happens to a girl's sense of joy and belonging--to her belief in herself--as she becomes a woman? This unforgettable portrait of coming-of-age offers subtle yet powerful reflections on class, parenthood, addiction, lust, and the irrepressible power of dreams.
A VOGUE AND REAL SIMPLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
"There is a girl, and her name is Sam." So begins Allegra Goodman's moving and wise new novel.
Sam is seven years old and living in Beverly, Massachusetts. She adores her father, though he isn't around much. Her mother struggles to make ends meet, and never fails to remind Sam that if she studies hard and acts responsibly, adulthood will be easier--more secure and comfortable. But comfort and security are of little interest to Sam. She doesn't fit in at school, where the other girls have the right shade of blue jeans and don't question the rules. She doesn't care about jeans or rules. All she wants to climb. Hanging from the highest limbs of the tallest trees, scaling the side of a building, Sam feels free.
As a teenager, Sam begins to doubt herself. She yearns to be noticed, even as she wants to disappear. When her climbing coach takes an interest in her, his attention is more complicated than she anticipated. She resents her father's erratic behavior, but she grieves after he's gone. And she resists her mother's attempts to plan for her future, even as that future draws closer.
The simplicity of this tender, emotionally honest novel is what makes it so powerful. Sam by Allegra Goodman 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 for the first time. 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, but also sees how hard she works and how much she sacrifices. 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"-- Provided by publisher.