A Girl Called Samson

A Novel

By: Amy Harmon

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

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.

©2023 Amy Sutorius Harmon. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

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

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.

This is a fabulously entertaining story

This is one of those stories that you hated to see come to an end, even though the author wrapped up every detail throughout the story from beginning to end very well.

A+++++

Huge Amy Harmon fan.
its amazing how she tells a story and brings it to life.

Call me Bonny

A Girl Called Samson takes place during the American Revolution. Deborah Samson is a woman who wears many hats. She feels the curse of womanhood being born a girl instead of a boy who can be free.
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Deborah Samson went to live with the Thomas family after her father disappeared. The Thomas family had ten boys. It was Deborah’s job to help with the chores. She found inspiration and friendship in letters to Elizabeth.
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Then the war came and Deborah watched four of the boys enlist in the war. She thought it unfair that she couldn’t enlist given that she was a girl. So she put on men’s clothes and enlisted. This is her story about a girl doing something no other woman had been able to do. She became a soldier in Washington’s Continental army.
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Tavia Gilbert is the solo female performer and voice of Deborah Samson. I truly enjoyed listening to Tavia perform the exquisite words Amy Harmon penned on paper. There’s nothing more satisfying than listening to a voice actor bring a story to life. I listened at 1.8x speed using the audible app. I prefer to own both the kindle edition and audiobook that way I can follow along with the voice in my headset. Her impression of Grippy was outstanding. She is a spectacular voice actor with abilities to alter tones, sounds, and timber to fit the characters voice. There is no better way to experience this story than by the voice of Tavia Gilbert. She enhanced my listening experience like nobody else could. She deserves an award and standing ovation for her performance.
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An absolute must read. I wasn’t a very good history student in school. My strength was in math. I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed this story. If all history lessons were written by Amy Harmon I would’ve retained the information. I’m in awe of Amy’s fantastic writing voice. This by no means felt like a history lesson. Yet I felt educated in a way that mattered. It’s also by no means a lesson or lecture about religion. Yet I drew power from her scriptures. This is a powerful story full of tragedy and hope. I’m grateful for Tavia Gilbert for voicing every character with a stunning performance. Amy Harmon provided the words and Tavia Gilbert brought them to life. Amy punched hard with her words. When Tavia spoke those well earned words I was hooked.
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I’m not a writer like Amy Harmon. Putting thoughts into words doesn’t come easy. There is a gift in words especially a great writing. If there’s a writer capable of creating a historical romance in which I will read and listen it’s Amy Harmon. I don’t refer to myself as someone that turns to historical romance. Somehow I knew with Amy Harmon being the literary genius I knew I was in good hands. Amy more than writes words she imprints herself. Her imagination blossoms upon these pages filling them with emotion and spirit. I for one am grateful for this opportunity to read such talent.

Wonderful

Yes it’s past time to give women credit in history!! Xx xx xx xx xx