Sammy's House

This sequel to SAMMY'S HILL (currently in movie development) isn't quite as madcap as the original but still provides laugh-out-loud predicaments for its heroine. Samantha (Sammy) Joyce's boss is now vice president of the nation, and her job as his health care advisor puts new demands on her slightly goofy personality. Kirsten Potter voices Sammy with an ideal blend of cool professionalism and wacky neuroticism. As portrayed by Potter, Sammy's zany inner monologues are sharply funny, especially when she's struggling with a potential White House scandal and the uncertainties of a long-distance relationship. As the daughter of a certain well-known Gore, the author may be providing insight into the workings of the White House. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

March 26, 2007
The sequel to Gore's debut Sammy's Hill
(under film development) finds White House aide Samantha "Sammy" Joyce, now in her late 20s and suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, still handling crisis after crisis. Much trusted by now vice-president Robert Gary in her role as health research staffer, Sammy discovers President Wye is secretly drinking again. Then there's the president's father, who, while in a nursing home, may have been sexually accosted by an art teacher—and who dies leaving behind an out-of-wedlock infant. There's also the famous, short movie star, on drugs and with a very large head, who seems to be stalking Sammy. There are camel incidents on a conference trip to India, a reality TV show of the life of the former (and apparently senile) President Pile and possible leaks by a fellow staffer. There are any number of doings with Sammy's nearest and dearest, including highs and lows with Sammy's boyfriend, Washington Post
journalist Charlie Lawton. The sense of overload may be intentional, but it's hard not to wish there were less. Still, the book is funny, and the wonk's-eye view of how legislation and trade deals get done (the author is Al Gore's middle daughter) is illuminating, and even inspiring.

February 1, 2008
Samantha Joyce, the young White House assistant health advisor featured in Gore's debut, Sammy's Hill, gets caught up in a scandal involving the President. Sammy, who's dating a Washington Post investigative reporter, handles the crisis with equal parts hypochondria, paranoia, humor, and more skill than she gives herself credit for. The story is fiction, but as the presidential primaries loom, the political machinations in Gore's novel can give one pause. Gore, daughter of former VP Al Gore, skillfully shows how politicians blur the lines between secrets and lies, propaganda, and what the public has a need and right to know. Kirsten Potter nicely captures Sammy's naïveté and the tests of her hopeful loyalty as well, both in the political realm and her romance. Recommended.Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo, NY

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