Sammy's House (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: lifestyle drugs, White House, Kristin Gore, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The sequel to Gore's debut Sammy's Hill (under film development) finds White House aide Samantha "Sammy" Joyce, now in her late 20s and suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, still handling crisis after crisis. Much trusted by now vice-president Robert Gary in her role as health research staffer, Sammy discovers President Wye is secretly drinking again. Then there's the president's father, who, while in a nursing home, may have been sexually accosted by an art teacher—and who dies leaving behind an out-of-wedlock infant. There's also the famous, short movie star, on drugs and with a very large head, who seems to be stalking Sammy. There are camel incidents on a conference trip to India, a reality TV show of the life of the former (and apparently senile) President Pile and possible leaks by a fellow staffer. There are any number of doings with Sammy's nearest and dearest, including highs and lows with Sammy's boyfriend, Washington Post journalist Charlie Lawton. The sense of overload may be intentional, but it's hard not to wish there were less. Still, the book is funny, and the wonk's-eye view of how legislation and trade deals get done (the author is Al Gore's middle daughter) is illuminating, and even inspiring. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gore's follow-up to her sparkling debut, Sammy's Hill (2004), finds Sammy Joyce established in the White House as a health-care policy advisor to Vice President Robert Gary. Her party is in power, but the opposition is as fierce as ever, with a group called the Exterminators working to undermine President Wye's every move and a White House insider writing a vicious blog that exposes every controversy going on behind the scenes. Sammy is the first to realize the stress is getting to the president when she discovers that he has mixed whiskey into a glass of soda, a sure sign that the former teetotaler has fallen off the wagon. More serious in tone than her first novel, Gore's second delves more deeply into the political realm Sammy inhabits. But her heroine remains compelling and thoroughly lovable, and readers will be thrilled to find Sammy back in the saddle again as she navigates the treacheries of Washington politics and her own love life. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; Reprint edition (July 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401309496
• ISBN-13: 978-1401309497
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,620 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare sequel: maybe even funnier than the fabulous Sammy's Hill!, June 29, 2007

By	kookoo4books (Venice, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sammy's House (Hardcover)

I loved Sammy's Hill, and didn't imagine that Sammy's House could compare. I do love a pleasant surprise, though, and Sammy's House certainly is one. Full of belly laughs like its predecessor, it's also rich with juicy insights from a real Washington - and White House - insider.

Ms. Gore seems to have pulled quite directly from her own experiences (though I have a feeling that the real day-to-day of the White House, especially these days, might not be quite as funny as Sammy's [White] House). Samantha Joyce manages not only to be save-the-day smart, but made me feel empowered. I mean, if she can accomplish so much in the face of such an astonishing list of neuroses, imagine what I could do if I put my mind to it :)

One warning: don't pick this one up when you don't have much time. "Sammy's House" is a page-turner you won't want to put down. Viva la Sammy!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute & Irresistable, November 25, 2007

By	Busy Mom (Ohio) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Sammy's House (Hardcover)

Have you ever have one of those days where everything's just setting your teeth on edge? Do what I do ~~ take a long, hot bubble bath and grab this novel and just escape from the world for a few hours. This is a darling book ~~ not as funny as the first one, "Sammy's Hill" ~~ but just as sweet and endearing. It is a bit more serious than the first one though it did start out strong as a funny novel.

Sammy follows her boss into the White House. RC is the vice president and Sammy is still his top health policy guru. Besieged by the opposing party's antics, Sammy continues the fight for decent health care policy for everyone. The president is discovered to be back on the wagon after being sober for decades. Someone in the administration is leaking out pertient information through a blog site. Charlie, Sammy's true love and Washington Post reporter, transfers to NYC on a big assignment. It makes for a busy fall for Sammy and a great novel to boot.

Need something to cheer you up for a while? This novel is the ticket. No better time like the present than to read something like this ... especially with the holiday blues coming on.

11-25-07

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "The West Wing" meets "Stephanie Plum", October 26, 2007

By	Gioia (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sammy's House (Hardcover)

A friend recommended this to me for my 50 Books challenge. Knowing what a political conservative I am (I absolutely adore Dubya and have enormous faith in him), she warned me that there were definitely political aspects to the book, but that I would probably like it anyway. She was definitely right! I really loved the character and was intrigued by the book. It has a very "West Wing" tone to it, with all the interesting interactions and behind-the-scenes glimpses of what it's like to work in the White House.

What I especially found intriguing, though, is what seemed to be some blatant similarities to the Clinton/Gore White House. The story is written from the perspective of an aide to the VP in a liberal White House at a time when the House & Senate are conservative. The VP is a former senator; a family man, known to be an intellectual of good moral standing. The president is a charming former governor whose wife has a reputation for ruthlessness. The President gets involved in questionable - though not necessarily illegal - behavior which becomes an even bigger problem when he goes on TV and lies to the American people about it. See any parallels? The entire story seemed to be trying to give us an idea of what it would be like for a moral, intelligent leader to be stuck in a situation not of his making, which he found reprehensible, but couldn't speak out against. Therefore, though the author would probably deny it, it really struck me that what I was reading was a defense of her father. (I should probably look up some reviews of the book to see what she's said on the issue, as I'm sure everyone has noticed this parallel.)

Regardless, I really liked the book. The protagonist was an interesting. complex character. The romance did not fall into the predictable scenario I immediately anticipated. The conflicts were difficult scenarios with no easy answers. Her fumbling ways mask a great deal of intelligence. (Imagine Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum" character with an ivy league degree.) I probably wouldn't recommend the book to anyone more conservative than me, as they wouldn't be able to look beyond the political discussions to focus on the story, but for anyone who likes the tv show "The West Wing" this is a fantastic read. The author obviously tried hard to make the book as bi-partisan as possible, even going so far as to always refer to the protagonist's political opponents as "The opposition" rather than labeling them "Republicans."

There's a prequel, "Sammy's Hill," which I will probably read next.