Author: Dori Sanders
Originally Published 1991
Algonquin Trade Paperback Reprint
September, 2013
Overview
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 one of the most appealing and memorable characters in literature.
Winner of the
Lillian Smith Award for Southern literature that enhances racial
awareness, the national bestseller Clover, first published by Algonquin
in 1990, became a paperback bestseller for Fawcett and went on to be a
made-for-TV movie, starring Elizabeth McGovern and Ernie Hudson, in
1997. In twenty-three years, it has never been out of print 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. Hailed for it’s refreshing voice, Clover has earned critics’
praise.
Idgie Says:
You know what I liked about this novel the most? While there definitely was a race relationship issue in the novel, I didn't necessarily feel it was the centerpiece of the story. In fact, we were fully dealing with Gaten's death and the anguish over just being left with a stepmother for a chapter or two before there was even a hint that the woman was white.
The facts were there - they had to be dealt with, but the stronger story was this woman and child who barely knew each other at all, suddenly dependent on each other. Sara Kate didn't have to take a child she only met once, there were plenty of relatives to do that. No one expected she would take Clover. But she had made a promise to her husband of only several hours and she was determined to keep it.
Written from a child's viewpoint, it's suitable for readers young and not, though losing both parents does make it a scarier book for the younger reader.
You know what I liked about this novel the most? While there definitely was a race relationship issue in the novel, I didn't necessarily feel it was the centerpiece of the story. In fact, we were fully dealing with Gaten's death and the anguish over just being left with a stepmother for a chapter or two before there was even a hint that the woman was white.
The facts were there - they had to be dealt with, but the stronger story was this woman and child who barely knew each other at all, suddenly dependent on each other. Sara Kate didn't have to take a child she only met once, there were plenty of relatives to do that. No one expected she would take Clover. But she had made a promise to her husband of only several hours and she was determined to keep it.
Written from a child's viewpoint, it's suitable for readers young and not, though losing both parents does make it a scarier book for the younger reader.