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Sammy's Hill: A Novel [Hardcover]

Kristin Gore (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (111 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In her debut novel Sammy's Hill, Kristin Gore treats readers to an insider's view of life and love on Capitol Hill. In fact, the view couldn't get much more inside the Beltway, especially coming from former Vice President Al Gore's daughter. Still, Sammy's Hill is witty and engaging enough to prove that it's not always who you know, but sometimes how well you tell their stories.

Samantha Joyce, Gore's heroine, is a 26-year-old self-deprecating health-care policy advisor to Robert Gary, a well-respected senator from her home state of Ohio. Between endless work days, a grueling campaign schedule, and frequent trips to the pet store where she seeks advice on caring for her listless Japanese fighting fish, Sammy finds time to obsess over her new boyfriend, sexy speechwriter Aaron Driver. As things heat up with Aaron, Sammy's work schedule takes on a new intensity when Gary becomes the Democratic candidate for vice president. Along the way, scandal clouds both her personal and professional life, and our heroine discovers the often salacious underbelly of life on the hill.

Gore is best-known for her work as a writer on television shows such as Saturday Night Live and Futurama, and her comedic talents certainly shine through in this first effort. While at times the banter is overly constructed, and Sammy's neuroses can become grating at best ("...a sore throat was never just a sore throat--it was much more lively the beginning stages of Ebola, rickets, or wasting disease."), Gore does a good job of creating a protagonist who becomes ever more likeable as the book progresses. Thrown into the mix is a delicious sprinkling of hilarious Blackberry exchanges that round out this clever contemporary political adventure. --Gisele Toueg

From Publishers Weekly

This first novel by Al Gore's daughter is a fun, fast read, anchored by likable heroine Samantha Joyce, who spends her days toiling as domestic policy adviser to the noble Ohio senator Robert Gary, while neurotically carving out a social and romantic life. Just 26 and amazed that she's the senator's go-to girl on health policy, Samantha thinks she's gotten another lucky break when she meets Aaron Driver, speechwriter to Democratic presidential front-runner John Bramen. Aaron is "hot, and not just D.C. hot," and Samantha falls hard for him. Early on in their relationship, a Blackberry mishap—she mistakenly sends a message featuring whipped cream and video cameras to a list of important Washington players—gives Samantha her first taste of D.C. scandal, but it's soon eclipsed by politics and deception on a grand scale. As Gary goes up against backstabbing Bramen, eventually accepting the vice-presidential spot on Bramen's rival's ticket, Samantha learns of Aaron's epic infidelities. Samantha's whimsical asides and long-winded explication of political matters give the novel an awkward bulkiness, but her self-deprecating sense of humor and idealism will keep readers entertained.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Miramax (September 1, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1401352197
  • ISBN-13: 978-1401352196
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (111 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #978,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Kristin Gore
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Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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THE PARTY REALLY started to rock when Willie Nelson and Queen Nefertiti began pouring shots. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Samantha Joyce, Senator Gary, Alfred Jackman, Aaron Driver, Governor Wye, Charlie Lawton, Senator Bramen, Bob Espin, Senator Rollings, Cool Whip, New Hampshire, Robert Gary, Senator Spearam, Steve Martin, John Bramen, Melanie Spearam, New York, Trey Gandon, Agent Davis, Capitol Hill, Clark Kent, Secret Service, Sammys Hill, Washington Post, Agent Ozols
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Sammy's Hill: A Novel
77% buy the item featured on this page:
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Customer Reviews

111 Reviews
5 star:
 (45)
4 star:
 (40)
3 star:
 (7)
2 star:
 (11)
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 (8)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (111 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and witty - an all around enjoyable page turner, August 21, 2004
By C. Wyskiel (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Sammy's Hill: A Novel (Hardcover)
As a devotee of Helen Fielding and Candace Bushnell, my bar is exceptionally high for fiction where the heroine's exploits include men, alcohol, and email drama. However, Ms Gore's DC answer to Bridget Jones rises to the occasion and made me laugh out loud many times throughout the two days where I could not put this book down. This insider's view of politics humanizes an otherwise dry area of subject matter and made me want to learn more about what happens as the behind the scenes staffers work long hard days for their political seniors. One need not even agree with Ms Gore's brand of health care policy to enjoy a delightful, well researched and humorous read. My favorite addition was the use of Blackberry as a verb - well done throughout the book.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Hysterical, Fresh and Brilliant, August 20, 2004
By Tanaka (California, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sammy's Hill: A Novel (Hardcover)
It's been a long time since I've felt so close to such a wonderful character. Thank GOD there is finally a heroine out there who is utterly human. And who doesn't want to read a book that will make you laugh out loud and demand to be read in one seating?

Ignore the (very few) pompous, spiteful and annoying amazon.com reviews below (um, is it just me or have there been a ton of frustrated ex-LIT majors out there who do nothing but write bad reviews lately?) and BUY THIS BOOK! You will laugh at the heroine's fabulous neurosis...empathize with her career foibles and successes...and enjoy a good story.

This is not "chick-lit," in fact, don't try to classify this as anything other then a fantastic, funny and fresh example of fiction.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Wickedly funny and surprising debut, September 14, 2004
By Nicholas Carroll (Portland OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Sammy's Hill: A Novel (Hardcover)
Let me first say that I was one of 15 interns for Vice President Gore in Spring Semester 2000 and got to experience politics from the OVP's office in the U.S. Capitol. During my internship, the Washington Post had an article about Gore in which I learned that as a young man, he was divided between wanting to be novelist and wanting to be a politician. Who knows how a career as a novelist would have panned out had he chosen that path? I was hoping that he would write a novel after the disappointment of 2000 and deciding against running again.

When I heard that Kristin was writing a novel about politics, I was thrilled to see someone in the Gore family pick up on Al's youthful dream. I was anxiously looking forward to reading her novel, trusting in her writing ability since she worked as a writer on "Futurama" and "SNL". Still, there's always a little suspicion that she got a book contract because of who she is rather than natural ability. What a refreshing surprise her first novel turned out to be!

To call it "chick lit" is derogatory and limits her readership audience to a smaller pool. I think her novel would appeal to anyone, male or female, who has worked on Capitol Hill or the White House or who is generally interested in politics and the people who work for the politicians. The little details sprinkled throughout the novel, from reading "The Hotline" and "Roll Call", are familiar to anyone who has worked on Capitol Hill. Kristin definitely knows her topic well and presents them realistically, albeit with much humor thrown in.

This is a rare novel in which I laughed out loud quite frequently. From her dead on digs against Bush in the guise of "President Pile", to the latest neurotic mistakes of her heroine, "Sammy's Hill" is wickedly funny and ultimately satisfying. I especially love the different characters she works with and maintains friendship with, particularly Sammy's unique fondness for telemarketers, an interesting quirk itself. Even her fish, Shackleton, offers humor that brings out Sammy's witty outlook regarding his premature death pose.

The novel covers about a year and a half and how quickly politics can change in that year. Politicians seen as frontrunners can stumble, and those who were discounted could easily fill the void. Sammy's relationships seems to mirror such political changes. One of the brightest ideas about the novel is Kristin's lack of labeling characters as "Democrat" or "Republican", "liberal" or "conservative". She presents her character as real people and readers get to know them without labels predetermining one's bias for or against a character.

If I have any complaints about the novel, there are just a few. One being Sammy's overanalysis of everything, though its possibly part of her charm and offers much insight into the workings of the female mind. Sometimes she carried on a little bit too much, making me feel neurotic as I read Sammy's thoughts. The other complaint is that I would have liked the novel to be a tad bit longer. The character Charlie should have been developed more, though it does leave room for a possible sequel in which we get to know him a bit more. All in all, an impressive debut novel and I certainly hope Kristin will write another one soon, either a continuation of Sammy's experiences, or one with new characters and topic altogether. Her sense of humor is too rare in novels, so she can definitely sell funny in future novels.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars funny foolishness on the Hill
This is the second book I've read recently that reviewers compared to Bridget Jones's Diary. This one is by Al Gore's daughter and takes place in the familiar (to her)... Read more
Published 15 days ago by Patti

4.0 out of 5 stars Would be a Good Substitute for SATC
Samantha Joyce is 26 and the healthcare advisor to a Senator from her home state of Ohio. She is lovingly naive, clumsy and makes embarrassing mistakes. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Yvonne

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor writing
Sammy's Hill caught my attention in the first pages when the slap stick Senator's aid was practicing to use her left arm in case her right arm was eaten off by a tiger escaping... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Roberta J. Brown

5.0 out of 5 stars A Chick-Lit Book for Everybody
Sammy's Hill tells the charming tale of Samantha Joyce, a twenty-something on the rise in the political world. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ruthie Ramirez

1.0 out of 5 stars The print equivalent of political fan-fiction
The Portland Mecury called Sammy's Hill "workshop quality writing," but I'd disagree. It's actually closer in quality to that of really, really bad fan fiction. Read more
Published 7 months ago by S. Konkiel

5.0 out of 5 stars a different kind of chic lit. Very funny too!
I bought this book by chance while waiting at the airport and since the first pages i absolutely loved it. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Alexandra Caldas

3.0 out of 5 stars A Cute Novel
I had a difficult time with the first 1/3 of the book. In the beginning the author made Sammy (the main character) too neurotic and over-the-top. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Summer

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too
SAMMY'S HILL throws young and idealistic Sammy Jones into the fiercely competitive, smooth-talking, back-stabbing world of D.C. politics. Read more
Published 21 months ago by TeensReadToo.com

5.0 out of 5 stars life and love in the goldfish bowl
Samantha Joyce is a health-care advisor to Senator Robert Gary. She's also a bit of a hypochondriac and fish-killer. Read more
Published 21 months ago by D. K. Stokes

5.0 out of 5 stars My very favorite read!
This book is literally laugh out loud funny. I was actually sad to finish it. And, it does not stray to one political side or another in case anyone out there is weary of... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Bathtub reader

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