Clover - Hardcover

Sanders, Dori

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0945575262 ISBN 13: 9780945575269

Publisher: Algonquin Books, 1990

Synopsis

Clover Hill is ten years old when her father, the principal of the local elementary school, marries a white woman, Sara Kate. Just hours later, an automobile accident compels Clover to forge a relationship with the new stepmother she hardly knows in this beautiful, enduring novel about a family lost and found. First published by Algonquin in 1990 and winner of the Lillian Smith Award for Southern literature that enhances racial awareness, Clover is a national bestseller and has been recommended reading for classrooms across the country. Now on our thirtieth anniversary we have the pleasure of republishing this Algonquin classic in trade paperback, with an original essay by the author. In the spirit of Cold Sassy Tree and The Secret Life of Bees, Clover is a witty, insightful classic for readers of all ages.

About this title

About the Author

Dori Sanders was born in York County, South Carolina. Her father’s farm, where her family still raises Georgia Belle and Alberta peaches, is one of the oldest black-owned farms in York County. In the growing season she farms the family land, cultivating peaches, watermelons, and vegetables, and helps staff Sanders’ Peach Shed, her family’s farmstand. Clover, her first novel, was followed by the novel Her Own Place and a cookbook, Dori Sanders’ Country Cooking. 

From the Back Cover

“Provocative and thoroughly engaging . . . Bursting with sweetness, flavor, and color.”*

Clover Hill is ten years old when her father, the principal of the local elementary school, marries a white woman, Sara Kate. Just hours later, an automobile accident compels Clover to forge a relationship with the new stepmother she hardly knows in this beautiful, enduring novel about a family lost and found. In the spirit of Cold Sassy Tree and The Secret Life of Bees, Clover is a witty, insightful classic for readers of all ages.

“Striking . . . The author has staked out an impressive new territory here, replete with peach farmers, textile workers, drunks and crazy people, with the newly middle class as well as the terminally poor . . . Clover is very much the genuine item.” ―The New York Times

“Black vernacular as convincing as Alice Walker’s, imaginative metaphors that rival Maya Angelou’s and humor as delicious as Zora Neale Hurston’s.” ―Publishers Weekly

“This is an honest and refreshing novel that makes an important statement about the barriers between blacks and whites.” ―*San Francisco Chronicle

“Sanders sews these family scenes together like a fine quiltmaker, delicately fashioning scenes that include distant relatives and old friends with all their peculiarities and local customs.” ―The Washington Post Book World

“A moving portrait . . . In lean but rich prose, [Sanders’] characters come to life.” ―The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Rich in language and character observation . . . Sanders’ achievement lies in the freshness of Clover’s voice and the old-timey eccentricity of her vision.” ―The Philadelphia Inquirer

“A gentle, wise, emotionally satisfying winner.” ―The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Reviews

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.

Clover is just ten years old when her beloved father dies, leaving her alone in their rural South Carolina town. Alone, that is, with her new white stepmother, who had married Clover's father on the last day of his life. Despite her peculiar ideas on food and other matters, Sara Kate stays on and does her best to be a mother to Clover as both struggle with grief and readjustment. This is a simple tale, simply told, and it clearly portrays Clover's emotional ups and downs. The dialog is often self-conscious and unnatural, and neither of the main characters is as fully developed as one might wish. Nevertheless, this is a very appealing novel that will fit comfortably into the hands of fiction readers, particularly those with a regional interest.
- Ann H. Fisher, Radford P.L., Va.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Algonquin Books
• Publication date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0945575262
• ISBN 13: 9780945575269
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 183