The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell: A Novel

This is one of the best books I have read! Well written and heartfelt, easily attached to the characters. Read in two days!

Great read! It truly touched my heart. I loved the character Sam Hill the best. I laughed and cried at the same time. What a wonderful writer Robert Dugoni is.

Enjoyed very much the story of Sam Hill. I was very invested in it and just wanted to jump in the book during those difficult moments. Would have given it a 5 star but at one point I felt that everything was rushed to end the story. Other than that it was a great read.

It’s not often I am willing to write a review of a book. But here I go! I too like the main character in this book have struggled with believing in God. I too was raised a Catholic but left the Catholic Church for numerous reasons while still in high school though I did graduate from Catholic high school. This book has taken me through a roller coaster of my life and the last 68 years. It opened my eyes to so many of the gifts I was given but did not absorb until either they were gone or almost gone. The parallels I was able to draw with this character and my life were at times almost unbelievable. Luckily I did let the scales drop from my eyes 7 1/2 years ago when I admitted , finally, I was an alcoholic. The same disease my own father had died of when he was 53. Luckily I was able to resolve things with my mother before her death. Do I believe in God now? Yes I do? Do I necessarily believe in organized religion not so much but sometimes. I just can’t express how this story made me feel. I have a friend who constantly questions belief in God. How can God let bad things happen to good people? This book gives many reasons why you can believe in Him (or Her). It can explain it better than any argument I could ever give. And that warm feeling he talks about at the end? I too have felt it and a it’s the best feeling I’ve ever felt! Just like when I finished this book. Kudos!

What a captivating story! What a page turner! What a life! I loved how I couldn't wait to get back to it when I had to put it down. So stimulating and thought-provoking. And the writing was nothing short of exquisite. Here's to you, Sam Hell.

Thru a rough childhood to a successful adulthood, Sam Hill will capture your heart and not let go. Though he was bullied and made fun of true lifelong friendship prevailed along with trials, success and a rekindling of faith. A truly beautiful story I would highly recommend to anyone.

A very well crafted page turner. Kind of a blend of book club fiction and literary fiction. At times, novel has a YA vibe and plot details sometimes seem too convenient. And I have read where this book is quite a departure for its author. Nonetheless, this story hit me on a very personal level---and it rings true. My mother was a very devout Catholic---and she raised a good Catholic son. And like Sam, I was bullied, especially in middle school, for being different. You might see characters like the uber-antagonist David Bateman as a little stereotypical---but the David Batemans of the world are very real---and Robert Dugoni renders Bateman realistically and all too painfully. We are made to understand, however, that the Batemans of the world have suffered their own childhood traumas. Why he was the way he was just didn't come out of nowhere. For me, this novel really hit a nerve. My own parents, as good and kind as Sam's, could not protect me from harm---not all the time. I learned, like Sam, to take care of myself or realize that things, in time, will take care of themselves. Call it Fate, call it Karma. On another note, I liked the way Sam adopted Fernando, the South American kid with ocular albinism. One of my former students (I became a teacher) who was "othered," bullied and branded a social and emotional misfit, became a Special Education teacher who now helps kids become successful, socially integrated adults---he was once exactly where they were. The novel says an awful lot about compassion, faith and love. As did so many of us as we grew up, Sam gets The Perseverance Award. Man, this was a good read!

No way, no how would I ever show an even passing interest in a story like this. But I’m so glad I began to read it, figuring I’d get bored quickly, and search for a thriller, or spy novel to read. But this one hooked me from the start, and I couldn’t stop, once I started. I’ve probably started and ‘not’ finished more book than I’ve finished, and I have finished a lot of books. Firstly, this story mirrors mine in one way, that is my early days of school being pretty traumatic. My young life was a train wreck, inside of a dumpster fire. So boy could I relate to Sam Hell. And like Sam, I too found redemption. After years of humiliation and ridicule, bordering on torture, I’ve realized that my story is fairly common. Anyhow I’m glad Mr Dugoni wrote this, and I’m thinking I will probably now read all his other novels, and if they’re even half as moving, I’ll be delighted to do so.

eu adoro o livro !!!!!

A lovely story of a difficult life for a child who was born different at a time when differences were feared a lot more than they are now.

Très bien écrit et intéressant, il manque juste un peu plus d'action pour la 5e étoile.

I fell in love with devil boy, I learned a great deal about what it must feel like to have an 'affliction ' like no other. I enjoyed the time setting and reminisced about growing up. I had friends who were brought up in a Catholic environment, quite foreign to my own upbringing. The characters were most credible in fact the entire story was like reading a diary. A great read that kept me reading to the end in the wee small hours. I wanted the story to go on longerbut everything I needed to know finished just right!

Excellent book.