What do you think?
Rate this book
Clover
Clover is a 10-year old black girl from a small town in South Carolina, whose life changes forever when her father dies and she is forced to forge a new relationship with the white stepmother she hardly knows. A beautiful, trenchant story of family lost and found.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
75 people are currently reading
729 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
January 27, 2014
I wanted to like this one more than I did. There are passages that stood out for me--moments where Sanders creates interesting, distinct characters, like the old woman who has no foil in her house because she uses it to wrap endless five-dollar bills to send to television evangelists. And there are some moments of personality and humor, like when ten year-old Clover observes her white stepmother struggling to adapt her palate to a rural southern African-American diet (read: pigs' feet, sweet tea, and everything cooked in grease.)
But Clover herself, her stepmother Sara Kate, and her father Gaten never really came alive for me. Many of Clover's observations felt clichéd and rote, and she never seemed to suffer shock or grief over the sudden loss of her father. Instead the story wanders through disconnected episodes of peach selling, confrontations with friends and relatives, gossiping over the new white woman in the household, and scenes of Sara Kate trying to mother Clover as well as she can. While some of the scenes are interesting, most never seem to lead to anything bigger and by the end of the book I felt like I'd just started getting to know these people.
A side note--there are several slips between past and present tense, sometimes in the same paragraph. I wasn't sure if it was a stylistic decision or just a copy editing problem. If it was intentional, I'm not sure why Sanders did it. Clover says at one point that she's able to tell past from present, but the idea overall never seems to lead anywhere.
Sanders includes a brief afterword about her own life growing up on an African-American owned peach farm, which was more interesting to me than the novel. I might be more inclined to read a memoir if she writes one, but so far her fiction isn't for me.
But Clover herself, her stepmother Sara Kate, and her father Gaten never really came alive for me. Many of Clover's observations felt clichéd and rote, and she never seemed to suffer shock or grief over the sudden loss of her father. Instead the story wanders through disconnected episodes of peach selling, confrontations with friends and relatives, gossiping over the new white woman in the household, and scenes of Sara Kate trying to mother Clover as well as she can. While some of the scenes are interesting, most never seem to lead to anything bigger and by the end of the book I felt like I'd just started getting to know these people.
A side note--there are several slips between past and present tense, sometimes in the same paragraph. I wasn't sure if it was a stylistic decision or just a copy editing problem. If it was intentional, I'm not sure why Sanders did it. Clover says at one point that she's able to tell past from present, but the idea overall never seems to lead anywhere.
Sanders includes a brief afterword about her own life growing up on an African-American owned peach farm, which was more interesting to me than the novel. I might be more inclined to read a memoir if she writes one, but so far her fiction isn't for me.
November 5, 2013
I won this book from LibraryThing's September give away. When this book arrived this Friday, I sat down to see what it was about and where in the pile of my unread books it would go. Well, I read it straight through! Clover is a precocious 10 year old who on her father's wedding day becomes an orphan with a brand new stepmother she barely knows. It's a truly beautiful story about what makes a family. While this book was written in 1990, it's just as fresh as if it was just written.
July 9, 2008
I'm disappointed that I didn't like this book more. I read a wonderful article about Dori Sanders in an old Gourmet magazine, and it made me want to read this book. Reviewers compared the character of Clover (a 10 year old black girl raised by her white step mother after her father dies) to Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird and Will Tweedy in Cold Sassy Tree. I have to disagree. As much as I wanted to like this book, I thought the writing was disjointed (sentences seemed to be out of order or didn't fit in with their paragraphs) and I didn't love the characters. Even Clover didn't seem fleshed-out enough for me to really come to love her. Oh well.
January 27, 2022
What a wonderful little book. Something just told me I wanted to read this.
June 22, 2013
This book is sort of a slow read. Not to mention, the book is hard to follow because of the frequent time frame switches. Also, I do not believe any of the characters in the book were fully developed. & the book really lacked any real drama. The most interesting thing that happened was when Gaten (Clover's father) dies. & that event is not even dramatized. Yet, do not get me wrong, I loved the implied concept of the book. The main concept that I took from the book was do not be so quick to judge.
August 22, 2020
10 year old Clover's father marries a white woman and dies in an accident the same day. Her new stepmother, Sarah Kate stays to keep her promise to her lost husband that she'd care for Clover - his precocious observant black daughter.
I love this slim read so, so much. The writing is lovey, the words sing to me. I love seeing the world of grown ups from a youth's point of view. Sanders gives us a group of eccentric characters to keep things interesting. Don't expect a fast moving plot. Do expect a moving sweet story.
I love this slim read so, so much. The writing is lovey, the words sing to me. I love seeing the world of grown ups from a youth's point of view. Sanders gives us a group of eccentric characters to keep things interesting. Don't expect a fast moving plot. Do expect a moving sweet story.
October 24, 2009
Heard Dori speak at PLA in Charlotte NC on 3/31/00. She told some great stories including one about an elderly lady who's daughter is horrified to learn that a Meals on Wheels volunteer type has stolen all her mother's "heirlooms" which the daughter herself had no interest in, and the mother could care less about the theft but appreciated the personal attention she got from the volunteer as opposed to the daughter's bossy phone calls from afar.
August 1, 2010
A story of strangers overcoming grief and prejudice, and struggling to become a family.
March 9, 2013
I had the pleasure of meeting Dori Sanders in 1995 when she spoke at an event at the Huntsville Public Library. She was a delight to meet. Her book, Clover, is wonderfully written. She has done a wonderful job of getting into the mind of a 10-year-old child who has just lost her father. Here is an excerpt from the inside book cover:
Dori Sanders has written a beautiful book about a young girl who has lost her father and gained a step mother of a different race. Sanders writing captures the girl’s voice and bring you into her thoughts and state of mind as she deals with this lost. Poor Clover has also suffered the loss of her mother and grandfather. Sanders weaves a wonderful take of Clover’s developing relationship with her step-mother, Sarah Kate. In addition, Sanders, through Clover, shares the experiences that make Southern life so great. Despite Clover’s youth, she is a very precocious and observant child. Sanders’ writing style creates an image that you can almost see as you’re reading – you almost feel like you’re there in the scene.
Here’s one of my favorite passages where Clover is describing “old folks” gathering at their house (page 37):
“All the old folks pulled chairs under a shade tree. They made their way around with shaking unsteady steps, like they were picking their way barefoot through broken glass. They settled their bodies, thin from age, down among walkers and walking sticks, their voices as weak as their eyes tucked into wrinkled faces that pulled together like a gathered skirt. In the summer’s heat they gathered together like sparrows warming themselves in the winter sun. Old age sure makes up its own gathering.”
Another passage that resonated with me is when Clover is describing her observations of her relationship with Sarah Kate (pages 99-100):
“There is just the two of us. A step mother and child. Two people in a house. Together, yet apart. Aside from the music, the house is too quiet. We move about in separate ways. We are like peaches. Peaches picked from the same tree, but put in separate baskets.”
“Clover is ten years old when her father, Gaten Hill, the principal of an elementary school, marries a white woman, Sara Kate. Hours later there is an automobile accident, and her father is dead…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 appealing and memorable characters in literature. Witty, keenly perceptive, hones, Clover tells us what she sees and thinks.”
Dori Sanders has written a beautiful book about a young girl who has lost her father and gained a step mother of a different race. Sanders writing captures the girl’s voice and bring you into her thoughts and state of mind as she deals with this lost. Poor Clover has also suffered the loss of her mother and grandfather. Sanders weaves a wonderful take of Clover’s developing relationship with her step-mother, Sarah Kate. In addition, Sanders, through Clover, shares the experiences that make Southern life so great. Despite Clover’s youth, she is a very precocious and observant child. Sanders’ writing style creates an image that you can almost see as you’re reading – you almost feel like you’re there in the scene.
Here’s one of my favorite passages where Clover is describing “old folks” gathering at their house (page 37):
“All the old folks pulled chairs under a shade tree. They made their way around with shaking unsteady steps, like they were picking their way barefoot through broken glass. They settled their bodies, thin from age, down among walkers and walking sticks, their voices as weak as their eyes tucked into wrinkled faces that pulled together like a gathered skirt. In the summer’s heat they gathered together like sparrows warming themselves in the winter sun. Old age sure makes up its own gathering.”
Another passage that resonated with me is when Clover is describing her observations of her relationship with Sarah Kate (pages 99-100):
“There is just the two of us. A step mother and child. Two people in a house. Together, yet apart. Aside from the music, the house is too quiet. We move about in separate ways. We are like peaches. Peaches picked from the same tree, but put in separate baskets.”
November 24, 2019
Thankful for "Clover"
Clover’s story told in the true vernacular of a ten year black girl speaks so easily from her heart that it has the ability to touch even the most angry and unforgiving soul. Clover is a girl who grew up in a poor but hard-working rural community. She suffered the loss of her father when she was only ten. She didn’t have a mother or siblings but she did have a loving extended family. With the sudden death of her father she gained a white step-mother and their relationship develops into a sincere spirit of caring for each other.
I lost my mother when I was fourteen and I had three siblings and a father. I grew up country poor in material things, rich in the love, a shy little white girl. Yet I found much commonality here for the healing of wounds. It caused me to reflect on our present time of division over skin color, lifestyle, politics, and much more. I believe I was meant to read this book at this time. Why? Because I bought it by accident thinking I’d heard our book club leader say “Clover” but later discovered she said “The Plover.” By then I’d read Clover.
On that note with Thanksgiving approaching I am feeling blessed and grateful for such a lovely book. I add this quote from the author, “Childhood can only be interpreted when seen from the distance of years, and usually by that time few tangible reminders are left. So many other things, like our family home, remain intact in memory, yet lie in ruins in reality.” This brought tears as it spoke to my own heart with its similar emotions, feelings we can share as a way to see we are more alike than different in our humanness.
Clover
The Strongest Bond
Clover’s story told in the true vernacular of a ten year black girl speaks so easily from her heart that it has the ability to touch even the most angry and unforgiving soul. Clover is a girl who grew up in a poor but hard-working rural community. She suffered the loss of her father when she was only ten. She didn’t have a mother or siblings but she did have a loving extended family. With the sudden death of her father she gained a white step-mother and their relationship develops into a sincere spirit of caring for each other.
I lost my mother when I was fourteen and I had three siblings and a father. I grew up country poor in material things, rich in the love, a shy little white girl. Yet I found much commonality here for the healing of wounds. It caused me to reflect on our present time of division over skin color, lifestyle, politics, and much more. I believe I was meant to read this book at this time. Why? Because I bought it by accident thinking I’d heard our book club leader say “Clover” but later discovered she said “The Plover.” By then I’d read Clover.
On that note with Thanksgiving approaching I am feeling blessed and grateful for such a lovely book. I add this quote from the author, “Childhood can only be interpreted when seen from the distance of years, and usually by that time few tangible reminders are left. So many other things, like our family home, remain intact in memory, yet lie in ruins in reality.” This brought tears as it spoke to my own heart with its similar emotions, feelings we can share as a way to see we are more alike than different in our humanness.
Clover
The Strongest Bond
April 2, 2016
When I requested this book I thought it was right up my alley it sounded like something I should love I have been trying to read this little book for weeks, it just didn't grab me and was very easy to put down and try something else. The writing is sparse and I wanted more, I wish there had been more background on Gaten and Sara Kate instead of jumping right in with his death , it was hard to tell just how long Gaten and Sara Kate had been dating before they married. There were also times it was hard to tell if it was past or present.
I liked the last 50 or so pages the best it gave me the most insight into the main characters before that I just didn't feel much of a connection with the characters.
From the afterward we see this is somewhat autobiographical, but without the white step mother and maybe this would have been more interesting if she had just told her family's story.
I wanted to know more about the characters and by the time I started to the book was over. This one just didn't do it for me.
2 1/2 stars
I received this book from Librarything and the publisher for a fair and honest review.
I liked the last 50 or so pages the best it gave me the most insight into the main characters before that I just didn't feel much of a connection with the characters.
From the afterward we see this is somewhat autobiographical, but without the white step mother and maybe this would have been more interesting if she had just told her family's story.
I wanted to know more about the characters and by the time I started to the book was over. This one just didn't do it for me.
2 1/2 stars
I received this book from Librarything and the publisher for a fair and honest review.
Read
July 27, 2011I found this to be a sweet, simple book telling of the forced-upon relationship between child and step-mother. Though I'm still unsure as to the audience, I feel this sensitive book would be enjoyed by anyone from 'tweenaged to adult. Since it was short in length, it lacked the depth that might have made it even more compelling (as its jacket promised), yet the story of an African American child and a white woman was a tender one, and worth the read nonetheless. And, as it was published in Chapel Hill, NC and set in northern South Carolina, it earned bonus points from this North Carolina reader!
April 14, 2014
This was a relatively short novel, but it took me a long time to finish it. It is the story of 10 year old Clover whose father, Gaten, dies in a car accident shortly after his marriage to a white woman Sara Kate. Sara Kate was also injured in the car accident but she stays to raise Clover even though she has only been her stepmother for a matter of weeks. I liked that the story is narrated by Clover; it felt like reading journal entries. The reason I'm rating it 2 stars is that the story didn't have much excitement or drama.
May 10, 2012
Though I wasn't blown away, I liked Dori Sanders' writing better than that of many other local authors. Her prose is charmingly simple, which is appropriate since the narrator is a 10-year-old girl. Some of the dialog is a bit awkward, and the novel's structure is rambling at times. However, I liked the honest portrayal of prejudice within the African-American community--definitely not PC.
February 11, 2009
I couldn't get through it.
July 27, 2025
There's a lot to admire about Sanders' writing, but I can't help being a bit underwhelmed by the book itself here. As slice-of-life fiction goes, the scenes are wonderfully written, and the characters brought to life on every page without fail. At the same time, while the ten-year-old Clover makes for an entertaining protagonist and narrator at many points, she's also one of the problems with the work as a whole, as there are so often moments when her thoughts/words so clearly feel like the author's own thoughts/words stepping in to shape the story vs those that would come from a child. Similarly, there's such focus on the girl's summer and memories, and on making her the strong young protagonist she's meant to be, there's a certain lack of emotion which makes the book somewhat one-note even when it's tackling its most serious territory.
So, I suppose in the end I have mixed feelings. I admire the author's writing, but the story as a whole feels like it's somewhat lackluster, more built of short stories pulled together into a novel than a fully developed story that's got all it needs to be. I feel like I'd love to read a short story collection from the author, but I'm not sure I'd pick up another novel from her.
So, I suppose in the end I have mixed feelings. I admire the author's writing, but the story as a whole feels like it's somewhat lackluster, more built of short stories pulled together into a novel than a fully developed story that's got all it needs to be. I feel like I'd love to read a short story collection from the author, but I'm not sure I'd pick up another novel from her.
Read
August 14, 2019Despite its flaws, Sanders’ first novel, written in 1990, has become a minor Southern classic. It was adapted into a Hallmark film in 1997. Its voice is that of 10-year-old Clover Hill, whose father, Gaten, marries a white woman and then dies in a car crash within hours after the wedding. Sara Kate, a textile designer from Charlotte, NC who had met Gaten while students at Clemson University, decides to remain in Round Hill to raise Clover amid his many family members and his father’s peach orchards.
Sanders followed the dictum for new authors, “Write about what you know,” having grown up in a small South Carolina town amid a large family surrounded by its peach orchards. She lives there still. Her more mature voice largely takes over how a 10-year-old girl would express herself. Reading the novel almost 30 years after its debut, one is now struck by the ugly meaness expressed by Clover’s family toward Sara Kate. Still, the story is rich in character and place, though I wouldn’t have blamed Sara Kate if she had decided to take Clover back to Charlotte. This is Clover’s story but it’s Sara Kate whose spirit shines through.
Sanders followed the dictum for new authors, “Write about what you know,” having grown up in a small South Carolina town amid a large family surrounded by its peach orchards. She lives there still. Her more mature voice largely takes over how a 10-year-old girl would express herself. Reading the novel almost 30 years after its debut, one is now struck by the ugly meaness expressed by Clover’s family toward Sara Kate. Still, the story is rich in character and place, though I wouldn’t have blamed Sara Kate if she had decided to take Clover back to Charlotte. This is Clover’s story but it’s Sara Kate whose spirit shines through.
February 17, 2025
Clover was such a refreshing read. I’ve read so many thrillers and romances and stories with so much underlying emotions and perspectives the characters are afraid to let out.
Within Clover’s world are a handful of community and family members who say exactly what is weighing on them and directly to the person, young Clover included.
She’s a young African American girl whose father has passed and left her to a brand new stepmom who is white. I believe this takes place in the 80s or early 90s but it is such a simple splice of life story of Clover’s experience with her new mother and how her family copes, how Clover herself adjusts and all the observations in between. As with many child/stepparent relationships, with time comes growth and understanding for all.
I appreciate that this was written as an unassuming day to day experience and Clover has a mind of her own, I love to imagine how she’ll grow up!
Within Clover’s world are a handful of community and family members who say exactly what is weighing on them and directly to the person, young Clover included.
She’s a young African American girl whose father has passed and left her to a brand new stepmom who is white. I believe this takes place in the 80s or early 90s but it is such a simple splice of life story of Clover’s experience with her new mother and how her family copes, how Clover herself adjusts and all the observations in between. As with many child/stepparent relationships, with time comes growth and understanding for all.
I appreciate that this was written as an unassuming day to day experience and Clover has a mind of her own, I love to imagine how she’ll grow up!
March 26, 2019
3.5 stars. Clover's voice was reminiscent of Scout's from To Kill a Mockingbird: the naive and humorous voice of a young child telling a family story that's laden with cultural mores and prejudices that she cannot comprehend (but the reader surely can). I would have liked for the story to be longer, as I felt I was only just getting to know the characters well when it ended. But Sanders' writing is beautiful.
This endorsement on the back cover I think describes the book so well:
"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." (Publishers Weekly)
This endorsement on the back cover I think describes the book so well:
"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." (Publishers Weekly)
February 1, 2019
Between the time I ordered it from the library and got it, I had completely forgotten what it was supposed to be about. So I was pleasantly surprised by the plot. The whole culture surrounding Clover was funny and insightful. Dori wrote sympathetically but not tragically when she easily could have. Kudos for making the stepmother a real human being. All the layers here really make the book work for me. The ending fell a bit flat, but it would have had to be quite a bit longer if she had added another element to the plot. And that would have ruined it.
September 20, 2019
Short and easy read. After we read this, our book club went to South Carolina to meet the author at her road side peach stand. We got lucky as it was late June but we had a less humid day and a breeze as we sat under the tin roof and she regaled us all with interesting stories of her life, how she creates the book, etc So many people drove up (friends and soon-to-be -friends) to meet Dori. Just make sure you call her to see what days she will be at the stand. We have her phone number if you want to arrange a visit. While I was there I bought some peaches and tomatoes and her southern cookbook(recipes involving peaches). Can’t wait to try some of the recipes.
September 21, 2019
This was a selection for our Let’s Talk About It series. This was an enjoyable easy read but not real inspiring. This is about a ten year old girl living in a small town in South Carolina who loses her father and has to adjust to living with her step mother who is white. Previously Clover was living with her grandfather who took care of her. Clover refers to her father by his given name Gaten and there are two aunts who play an important role in her upbringing. Interesting story with insights into an African American family in the South.
October 19, 2024
Short read. Kinda slow.
Written from a 10 year old's perspective.
Interracial relationships post Jim Crow (70s and 80s).
Nonlinear timeline. * This one jumps around A LOT.
Country life/Peach farming fam.
Based in SC.
Widowed white stepmother caring for black stepdaughter.
Written in short, almost diary like bursts.
More of a glance into their lives than a true story with start-middle-conclusion.
Clover is dealing with a lot. The recent grief of losing her father. A new stepmother who's also white. Family issues with other relatives. Lots of adjustment.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Written from a 10 year old's perspective.
Interracial relationships post Jim Crow (70s and 80s).
Nonlinear timeline. * This one jumps around A LOT.
Country life/Peach farming fam.
Based in SC.
Widowed white stepmother caring for black stepdaughter.
Written in short, almost diary like bursts.
More of a glance into their lives than a true story with start-middle-conclusion.
Clover is dealing with a lot. The recent grief of losing her father. A new stepmother who's also white. Family issues with other relatives. Lots of adjustment.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
May 13, 2017
I actually enjoyed this book, it was short and an easy read. I enjoyed the descriptions of life on a peach farm and getting to know the black family that ran it. Written from a ten year old's perspective, there were some really amusing stories as the main character tries to adjust to living with her white step mother, after her father's death. I don't know that this was great literature, but for entertainment, it was a fun read.
November 21, 2017
I really wanted to enjoy this book, but did not. The entire book is written in the language of the young girl who is the main character. It seemed so very scattered and her introduction of new characters constantly had you flipping back in the book to see "who is this and have I met them and forgotten?"
Some in my book club liked it better than I, but had the same comments regarding the writing style and character introductions.
Some in my book club liked it better than I, but had the same comments regarding the writing style and character introductions.
Read
September 26, 2019This is an interesting coming-of-age novel about an African-American girl in rural South Carolina. Her father, a school principal, marries a white woman, and he is immediately killed in a car accident. Instead of leaving, her new stepmother stays with Clover. This is a story of how two very different worlds collide and the meaning of family. It was very realistic, with nothing being wrapped up and tied with a bow at the end. But there was hope.
August 4, 2017
I felt in love with Clover, a young black girl whose dad marries a white woman, then dies in an accident a few hours later. Clover's stepmother takes over her upbringing even though they barely know each other, and Clover learns about barriers, shared loss, and real love as they forge a new life without her daddy. Truly sweet, poignant, and funny.
September 19, 2018
Uneven.
There are excellent parts (4*), but some of Clover internal monologues do not pass "smell test" (are out of realm of probability for her age - 2*).
This would be fine, if narrated from the point of older Clover, but putting it in present time, when she is 10, requires suspension of disbelief on my part, which should not be needed.
There are excellent parts (4*), but some of Clover internal monologues do not pass "smell test" (are out of realm of probability for her age - 2*).
This would be fine, if narrated from the point of older Clover, but putting it in present time, when she is 10, requires suspension of disbelief on my part, which should not be needed.
December 23, 2019
This wasn’t an easy read for me. The premise is interesting, but I guess it might’ve been the wrong timing for me, given I wanna read more of YA and especially fantasy/science-fiction at this time. I don’t know why this is categorized as children’s or even YA. Personally, I think the writing style mimics more of the adult books I’ve read.
December 30, 2019
I wasn't really sure I was gonna like this book when I started it. And as I got into it, I really thought to myself, 'why am I reading the writing of a 10-year old?!' But, it all came together for me and I really kinda liked it. I especially liked reading the author's 'note' at the end. Thanks, Ms. Sanders :-)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews