Clover [Hardcover]

Dori Sanders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 1990

In this stunning novel, Dori Sanders tells a story of black-white relationships like no other ever written, as seen through the eyes of a ten-year-old girl who is bound to become one of the most apppealing and memorable characters in literature.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Clover Hill, a shrewd 10-year-old South Carolina orphan, is raised by her stepmother, a white woman frowned upon by Clover's black kinfolk. "Infusing her first novel with black vernacular as convincing as Alice Walker's, imaginative metaphors that rival Maya Angelou's and humor as delicious as Zora Neale Hurston's, Sanders has created a refreshing new voice," said PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Clover, a black 10-year-old who is wise beyond her years, is devastated when her beloved father is killed in an automobile accident shortly after marrying Sara Kate, a white woman. With clear, simple vision, unencumbered by adult emotions and experiences, Clover learns to deal with death, dying, and racial relationships. Readers will appreciate the keen humor and the picture of Southern life related by a child through the customs, cooking, and culture. They will also get a sense of race relations in the 1980s. Those who enjoyed Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper, 1961) and Will Tweedy in Cold Sassy Tree (Ticknor & Fields, 1984) will love Clover. In addition, the requirement that students read an American novel by a modern writer can be satisfied by this beautifully executed book. --Carol Clark, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1st edition (January 3, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0945575262
• ISBN-13: 978-0945575269
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #695,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Becoming a family, August 7, 2000

By 

Krista - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clover (Paperback)

Hours after his wedding to Sara Kate, Gaten dies in a car accident, leaving behind his widow and his ten year old daughter, Clover.

Clover, gifted but strong-willed, is not quite ready to embrace the new stepmother she hardly knows. They have differences in race -- Sara Kate is white, while Clover is black -- and in background -- Sara Kate is a highly educated, cultured city girl, while Clover has lived all her life in rural Round Hill, South Carolina. Clover's beloved Aunt Everleen is also none too fond of the newcomer she views as an intruder in their close knit family. Over time, though, the characters learn to adapt to each other. The transition from strangers to family is subtly told, and remarkably moving.

Sanfers, who grew up in a rural South Carolina town much like Round Hill, and still manages her family's fruit stand there, tells Clover's story in a series of non-linear vignettes. This technique results in some confusion: a character that was dead two pages ago will suddenly resurface, alive. I can foresee that this jumping around would especially confuse younger readers, the target audience of this book.

I also have my doubts about the voice of Clover. She is perhaps the most mature, self aware ten year old I have ever encountered in literature or in life. Despite these flaws, though, this book is a strong story, beautifully written.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A unique coming of age story., July 5, 1998

By 

Corris Williams ([e-mail]) (Charlotte, North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clover (Paperback)

Drawing from childhood experiences of growing up in Filbert (York County), Sanders wove a unique coming-of-age story. As Sander's story begins, 10 year-old Clover, a strong willed Southern African American girl, is facing a crisis. Her widower father, Gaten, is about to re-marry, this time to his college sweetheart, a white woman named Sara Kate.

Clover isn't the only one upset, her aunt Everleen isn't too thrilled about the union either. But, Clover and her family face and even bigger crisis several hours after the wedding when word comes that Gaten and Sara Kate have been in a car crash. Everleen is convinced that Gaten's new wife will divide both the family and its land.

This book is not wholly about race. It's about the whole family. Not only does Clover have to adjust to the sudden changes in her life, but so do the other members of her family. I liked it because it's a story you can read with your children. It is a heart warming story and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Touching story of tragedy and hope, April 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Clover (Paperback)

This book was unique, telling the story of Clover, a 10-year-old black girl and her new white stepmother. Clover serves as the narrator of this mild tearjerker, and when her father dies just hours after his wedding to Sara Kate, she is left with a stranger to raise her. The story is well-told, convincing in the voice of a 10-year-old, but does tend to wander a great deal. It was difficult to keep up with the pace at times, but altogether an incredibly enjoyable read!