Forgiving Sam

Rating:
Summary: Amazingly emotional book!
Review: I have to agree with the other readers of this book! The author did an amazing job with the subject and characters in this book! It is definitely emotionally taxing, but worth the effort. The book is beautifully written about a horrendous subject. I highly recommend it, but make sure you have tissue near by!

Rating:
Summary: Forgiving Sam Offers Insight and Hope
Review: Sam MacCauley is just nine years old when he is stolen away from his life of baseball, summer, and parental rules that seem too silly. For four agonizing days, a sadistic stranger tortures him in ways Sam never imagined possible. He is ready to give in to death when he is rescued by the most unlikely of allies.

Back in the arms of his loving family, Sam represses the memories as best he can and struggles to adulthood. By age thirty-five, he has a successful career, a talented wife, and two lovely children who adore him. But Sam remains tormented by nightmares and ghost memories of the kidnapping. He erects high, forbidding walls--some emotional, some physical--around himself and his family. Slowly the relationships he holds so dear begin to crumble under the pressures of the past.

If Sam is to save his family and himself, he must face what happened to him during those four lost days. Harder yet, he must find a way to forgive the violated nine year old who still lurks deep in his heart.

Author Powell Clark never falters in this fascinating, horrifying, and ultimately uplifting novel. Her characters are unique, sympathetic, and nearly impossible to second-guess. Her settings feel as real as the ground under your feet. The plot moves quickly as Sam and his family face one challenge after another. Most important, Forgiving Sam offers an emotional toughness and honesty sadly lacking in many works of fiction today.

I highly recommend Forgiving Sam to anyone looking for a novel of substance and intelligence.

Rating:
Summary: VERY MOVING STORY
Review: This is a book that is hard to recommend because of the subject matter - not alot of people want to face such hard truths and facts during pleasure reading. This an absolutley amazing story - powerful, unforgettable and not to be forgotten. I loved the length of the book and the depth of the story. The reader really gets to know the characters. I wonder how Sam is doing now - when I finished FORGIVING SAM I realized I would miss him!

Rating:
Summary: You won't forget this book
Review: This is serious work by a visionary of the human condition not to be ignored. She may go down as one of the important writers of our time. I am not sure how she could advance her craft and vision, but I sense that her next work will be an even more stunning display of her talent.

Rating:
Summary: You won't forget this book
Review: This is the first book that I have actually wanted to write a review on because it was such a good book I just had to tell how much I loved it.
I have to say I bought this book because the cover and title intrigued me, little did I know that it was set in Alabama not far from where I live. I also couldn't believe how much talent the author had, and I had never heard of her before. I got the pleasure of meeting her not too long ago and because of her talent it was like meeting a celebrity to me!
This book has a touchy subject matter, but one that every parent or guardian should read.It is about a boy who is kidnapped and molested over the course of a few days. He finally escapes from his kidnapper, but realizes that he will not soon escape the harsh reality of what happened to him. The author takes us through Sam's life as he struggles day by day with what took place in his childhood and finally comes to terms with the fact that it wasn't his fault.
Don't let the subject matter scare you off, this by no means was a "dark" book. It is so beautifully written that one minute I was crying and the next I was laughing. When it ended I closed the book with a smile and the feeling that I was lucky to have read this story.