Sam

by Susan Larson

What pony-mad girl would buy a big ugly stubborn blue-eyed orange-colored horse?

Ruthie would. Her window of opportunity for horse ownership may be closing. And she’s desperate. She’s been desperate for twelve years. Which is her whole life.

Sam may be unlovely but he’s good at love. He gives his heart to his new owner, and they join up as a team.

When the bad times come, Sam becomes Ruthie’s teacher. When the bad times get worse, he remains her rock–a substitute parent, a place of refuge.

220 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

In the course of my life I have been an opera star, an actress, a music teacher, a journalist, a novelist and an easel painter. While deciding what I will do next I live and tend the garden with my brilliant and beloved husband, in the leafy suburbs of Boston.

Of all the composers I sang, I have always loved Mozart best. Mozart opera roles I have sung include: Fiordiligi (Cosí Fan Tutte), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Pamina (The Magic Flute) and Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro).

I started singing his opera arias and songs in high school. I felt that I had found a musical mentor. I read his correspondence in college and fell in love with his high ideals, his low humor, his vitality, curiosity and love of humanity. I almost felt he was talking to me personally.

I wrote “The Murder of Figaro” so I could talk with Mozart and his friends, and pretend I was sitting in Viennes cafés with them cracking jokes, talking about all the changes happening in the world, and eating gooey desserts. I used the mystery form because historical murder mysteries had just become popular and I hoped a murder mystery would lure people into reading the book; and because Mozart loved puzzles and riddles, pranks and crazy plot twists.

A bit of advice: if you haven’t heard the opera “The Marriage of Figaro,” you should do so before reading the book. It’s not obligatory, but you will catch on to more of the jokes if you do. If you want to hear me singing in it, search out the video on London Records directed by Peter Sellars. (1990).

Reviews

[Jaylyn Olivo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not the sort of girl who read "a girl and her horse" books as a child, so I came to Sam in my 7th decade with a mind uncluttered by nostalgic memories of Black Beauty and that whole genre. As a friend of the author, I'd read an earlier version as the book progressed, and I got to proof-read the final version. It's an engaging story, smartly written. If it's read by preteens or teens, it will certainly make them feel like grown-ups. It pulls no punches, tells a tough tale without apology, and introduces characters you might want to know more about.

[Ed Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam (a pastoral) by Susan Larson

I just finished reading Sam and I really loved it. This is coming from someone who's into complex spy novels (John Le Carré at the top) and scientific non-fiction, and who has minimal interest in horses or country living. There are so many things to enjoy, starting with the unflinching view of real-life relationships and the colorful, but totally natural, friends and neighbors. But I think what captured me most throughout the book was the absolutely realistic and unforced dialog. I gather that Sam is roughly "Young Adult" but I recommend it, without reservation, as an engrossing story for "Adults" and those who find themselves residing from time to time in both worlds.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was taken back to the days when we played in the woods, or the barn, or by the lake for hours and hours, with only a dinner bell to remind us there was a world beyond the here-and-now. The book's narrator brings you along on an adventure that can only be told by a girl growing up with a horse: discovery of the world and others in their beauty and their crudeness, and of the steadfastness of a big ugly brute of a friend named Sam.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I thought it was a children's book but that's not the case. Ruthie has been wanting a pony for so long and when her wish is granted she still can't find happiness. This book left me crying and feeling like I had lost my best friend. It has a warm ending but this book will take you through every emotion you have every felt. I won't recommend this for young children.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really liked this story. It was a wonderful relationship between a small town and a family, and how things probably really were.

[Philip Morehead]

A charming and moving memoir-like story that makes a number of good points and at the same time tells a good story. It works for adults and kids.