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A Girl Called Samson
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
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A Girl Called Samson
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Summary
From New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon comes the saga of a young woman who dares to chart her own destiny in life and love during the American Revolutionary War.
In 1760, Deborah Samson is born to Puritan parents in Plympton, Massachusetts. When her father abandons the family and her mother is unable to support them, Deborah is bound out as an indentured servant. From that moment on, she yearns for a life of liberation and adventure.
Twenty years later, as the American colonies begin to buckle in their battle for independence, Deborah, impassioned by the cause, disguises herself as a soldier and enlists in the Continental Army. Her impressive height and lanky build make her transformation a convincing one, and it isn’t long before she finds herself confronting the horrors of war head-on.
But as Deborah fights for her country’s freedom, she must contend with the secret of who she is—and, ultimately, a surprising love she can’t deny.
Critic reviews
“Based on a real person and filled with factual details and characters, this deeply engrossing novel is performed flawlessly by Tavia Gilbert.… Gilbert is simply splendid recounting Deborah's cleverness. She shines delivering the letters Deborah writes but never sends, letters revealing the horrors of war, her growing attachment to General Patterson, and her affection for the men in her outfit. Wonderfully well written and expertly narrated, this is a must-listen.” —AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner
“Of particular interest to fans of historical romance novels…brought vividly to life in a deftly narrated edition by the vocal storytelling talents of Tavia Gilbert.” —Midwest Book Review
“This is a thought-provoking, deeply moving read in which a patriotic woman, forbidden from serving her country due to her sex, defies all odds to do it anyway. Harmon’s riveting narrative allows Samson’s bravery, both on and off the battlefield, to soar from the pages of long-forgotten history.” —Historical Novels Review
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What listeners say about A Girl Called Samson
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cheery Mum
- 09-09-23
This is exactly how an Audiobook should be!
I couldn't wait for the audio and read instead. I loved it, this even more.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S.E.E.K.
- 20-04-23
Speechless
This is the most beautiful book I have read this year. And one I believe will stay with me forever. Amy Harmon is truly the most amazing writer, and Tavia Gilbert narrated it wonderfully. Truly magical.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Kay
- 20-04-23
Alternate facts
I was really looking forward to enjoying an interesting fictional telling of Deborah Samson's story. Sadly what I ended up reading was kind of a cheesy historical romance. I have always understood historical fiction to mean that the author takes the facts of the event/person & then embellishes the story with conversations, slight adjustments to timelines & additional characters to help the story. But I didn't think it was to present "alternative facts" as what happened during an event or to a real person. The author changed the events in an otherwise fascinating woman's life from colonial history & turned her into a romance novel character. (Spoiler) - Harmon had Elizabeth Patterson dying much too soon, thus making John Patterson a widower that would fall in love with Deborah Samson & then marry her. Deborah did marry after her time in service but not to John Patterson. This change in the facts does a disservice to Samson & her real family. What started off pretty good fizzled into a silly romance.
Also - Harmon included in the story a bit about George Washington wearing a wig & how his servant brushed his hair & hid it under a wig. It is common knowledge that Washington did NOT wear a wig - he powdered his own hair but he never wore a wig. Sad that she didn't take the time (nor her editor) to get that fact correct.
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15 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anna
- 08-04-23
Not quite 4 stars
5-4 stars.
I was really enjoying the book for about the first 70% but then it went downhill for me. I did the audio version and the last 2-3 hours was hard to get thru. The story line became sappy and, IMO, whiny. Also it felt like Deborah was constantly sermonizing. I was getting very tired of listening to her rhetoric.
Also, I realize this is HF but I was disappointed that the author chose to use real historic people but yet, provide an alternative ending to their story.
Still, I found the first 70% of the book fascinating, with the telling of the revolutionary was battles. And, I will also say that this the first time that I ever commented to myself about the way an author’s choice of words to describe something was very well done.
But in my opinion I think the book was about 2 hours too long. And as much as I love Tavia Gilbert as a narrator, I felt this book was over-theatrical
Yes I would recommend it, but not as a “move to the top of your list” kind of read.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MacIsleGirl
- 02-04-23
Magnificent!
Great historical story, much of it based on truth. Touching love story (though mostly fabricated, of course). Thoroughly enjoyable, educational, and compelling. I highly recommend!
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- lani
- 26-06-23
Narrator Ruined the Story
The narrator's voice is like nails on a chalk board; one of the worst readings I've ever heard. She reads with a pretend shaky voice that is cringe worthy and highly irritating. As the story bounced around from old age to youth, I hoped she would stop the shaky voice and just narrate normally, but she merely changed it up from an old shaky voice to a young shaky voice. I understood this story was about a strong woman who dared to do something amazing. The narrator totally missed the mark on the strong main character by making her sound weak and pathetic with the constant shaky insecure voice. I stopped listening three times and would then go back to try again hoping the voice wouldn't bother me as much, but it did. I tried listening to the story on higher speeds in hopes it would make the narrator's voice sound normal, but it was still highly irritating. What a shame; and what missed opportunity to present a strong female character.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- AML
- 26-04-23
Wonderful story. Way over the top narration
I liked this story a lot. The voice actor made listening pretty difficult in her extreme over performance. Maybe it’s a stylistic thing, but the over the top emotional reading, bouts of dramatic sobs and unending shouting was way too much — very distracting from the lovely writing and plot.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Barbara Shelton
- 23-06-23
Romance novel
So sorry this turned into a cheap romance novel only. I would have loved to know about the real relationships and marriages of John and Deborah.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- CTR mima44
- 08-04-23
Excellent, I rate this book a 10 at 5
The performance was outstanding, bravo to all the emotion the narrator was able to portray. Excellent writing by the author another “Best Seller”. PS; to the person that wasn’t able to listen to the story sadly short changed themself plus the author and the narrator.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amanda
- 08-04-23
Love it!
Another great book by Amy! Excellent story and narrator. Amy has a gift for creating interesting characters in all her books.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Nicole
- 05-04-23
Mixed Feelings
I've listened to a handful of Amy Harmon books and I always look forward to the new ones coming out and this one was no different. But, almost every Amy Harmon listen I feel a little mixed about what I've just heard and takes me a day or two to process. I usually end up liking her books the more I process as her stories are so rich in history and detail.
That stated, this was narrated very well. I didn't like the sound of the young woman's voice (Deborah's) and found it a little grating, but I think Tavia Gilbert nailed Deborah's personality in that very grating voice.
I felt like I always knew where the story was going, but it was a joy to get there and I was very pleasantly surprised to find out this is BASED upon a real person. I loved Amy describing the time and essence of the American Revolution and thought she did a wonderful and believable job of portraying that era. It was wonderful to be taken on another journey by Amy Harmon in which I laughed and cried throughout.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Freiden81
- 05-04-23
Not my favorite Amy Harmon
Based on the true story of Debra Samson, an honorably discharged Revolutionary veteran. The heavily Christian content and Biblical quoting honestly became tiresome. overall it felt very slow. I had a hard time with this one.
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1 person found this helpful