Sample Saturday is when I wade through the eleventy billion samples I have downloaded on my Kindle. I’m slowly chipping away and deciding whether it’s buy or bye.
A Perfect Explanation by Eleanor Anstruther
Why I have it: Because of Lizzy’s recommendation.
Summary: Broken by postpartum depression and overwhelmed by a loveless marriage, an aristocratic woman abandons her family and her money in search of a life she can claim as her own. Things don’t go smoothly – she sells her son to her sister for £500, and a court case follows. Sounds preposterous but it’s based on a true story.
I’m thinking: Yes – truth is stranger than fiction.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Why I have it: Spotted in Margaret’s Six Degrees chain.
Summary: Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. Her cells – taken without her knowledge – became one of the most important tools in medicine. Henrietta’s were the first ‘immortal’ human cells grown in culture and decades after her death, the cells are still being used.
I’m thinking: Yes – fascinating story.
Gossip by Beth Gutcheon
Why I have it: Spotted in Annabel’s Six Degrees chain.
Summary: Loviah ‘Lovie’ French owns a boutique in Manhattan, and is renowned for her sophistication and charm. Her two best friends, Dinah and Avis, love her to bits however it’s not a happy trio – a decades old slight between Dinah and Avis has festered.
I’m thinking: No – it’s a style thing (which is why I read samples!).
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an absolute favourite of mine — one of the first books to turn me on to health-themed reading, before I ever knew about the Wellcome Prize. I hope you enjoy it!
(Style is such a difficult thing to judge from blurbs, or others’ reviews. It’s what leads me into DNFing books that others have loved. I can see why sampling is useful for you!)
I started sampling ebooks because I figure if I am in a bookshop and choosing a book, I always read the first few pages to check the style. When I first got my Kindle, I would impulse buy books and end up DNFing.
I definitely second Rebecca Foster’s recommendation of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
I could be persuaded to go for the Eleanor Anstruther purely because I can’t imagine what brought her to want to sell her child
Yes, clearly a desperate woman.
I loved The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, it is such an incredible book. Definitely worth a buy!
I have The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks in the TBR – totally agree it sounds fascinating!
It’s getting a lot of love on this post!
Another vote for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – a great read.
I don’t know if I would have axed any of these… Thanks!