literateworld's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
stuff4bd's review against another edition
2.0
I was not a fan of the 70s commune plot. The end felt contrived and forced and didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the book.
cynthiaswanson's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this groovy, 1970s-era coming of age story set in a California commune. Sympathetic main characters and an interesting cast of secondary characters made for a compelling read.
shelleyann01's review against another edition
5.0
Eldonna Edwards is a brilliant, master story teller. I was really impressed with this book and her message. Clover Blue is a wonderful piece of writing. The characters are authentic, vulnerable, and flawed. The dysfunctional family dynamics are painful and real. Ms. Edwards addresses relevant issues: family, loyalty, love, relationships, judgment and forgiveness. She asks the reader to look at the complexities of situations. To examine multiple points of view and invites you to witness life lessons and personal growth. This is a powerful book. I devoured it, not wanting to put it down. At the same time, I wanted to savour it. I enjoyed spending time with these people and was reluctant to finish as that meant saying goodbye to my new friends.
I recommend Clover Blue to anyone who enjoys meaningful literature. It is a great read for everyone who has ever made a quick and unfair judgment about something or someone and I think it will speak to everyone who has a family. This book is so well written you feel all the heartache all the sadness and longing. You will shed many many tears while unable to put this book down. The characters are all so different and you will feel everything right along with them. Pity, sadness and heartbreak. This one that will stay with you for a long long time. This book is impressive, to say the least.
nicolepeck's review against another edition
3.0
At first, I thought I would absolutely love this book. But by the end, there were just too many things I struggled with and disagreed with. I did love the writing and her descriptions and the pictures she paints so that I was able to visualize things, but I just couldn't get past the setting in the 70s with the openness of the drugs and sexuality and it all being told from the perspective of a 13-year-old boy. I understand that it was how things were in the time period she chose to set this book, but it's still too much for me to accept for young kids to have been a part of. There were great things about the commune (Saffron Freedom Community) they lived in and what they taught, but there were other things that just were not OK, in my opinion. Overall, great writing, but the story itself was just too much, for me.
Content: F bombs, sexuality (not descriptive but mentioned regularly in a book told from a young teen boy's perspective), heavy drug use by adult and teen characters
***Spoilers for Once Upon a Book Club Box***
I received this book as part of my subscription to Once Upon a Book Club, which includes gifts to be opened as you come upon certain spots throughout the book. Please don't read further if you received this subscription box and would like to be surprised about the gifts. For this book, the gifts were as follows:
p. 81 - tassel hoop earrings and a knotted silk headband, representing the jewelry and head scarf that Stardust is wearing when she comes to the Saffron Freedom Community (SFC)
p. 139 - a macrame wall hanging, representing the macrame that Rain makes to take to the SFC fruit stand to sell
p. 328 - a poster painting of a hippie girl's face, wearing flower glasses, representing the painting Annie/Harmony is painting for Heidi's graduation gift of her mother (Rain/Bethany) -- (I still am not a fan of these gifts in this subscription box and I'm about on my last straw to cancelling altogether because of them)
p. 332 - a miniature photo of a girl, representing the picture of Heidi Rainbow that Noah/Blue gives to Tashi to give to his father, Goji (Heidi is Goji's daughter) -- (two gifts like this in one book, within just a few pages is really just too much for me; I'm extremely disappointed in this particular box and in the way this subscription service has gone with their gifts in the year that I've been a subscriber)
Printed Quote: "The soul cannot be stopped from searching for what it desires." - Eldonna Edwards, "Clover Blue"
Content: F bombs, sexuality (not descriptive but mentioned regularly in a book told from a young teen boy's perspective), heavy drug use by adult and teen characters
***Spoilers for Once Upon a Book Club Box***
I received this book as part of my subscription to Once Upon a Book Club, which includes gifts to be opened as you come upon certain spots throughout the book. Please don't read further if you received this subscription box and would like to be surprised about the gifts. For this book, the gifts were as follows:
p. 81 - tassel hoop earrings and a knotted silk headband, representing the jewelry and head scarf that Stardust is wearing when she comes to the Saffron Freedom Community (SFC)
p. 139 - a macrame wall hanging, representing the macrame that Rain makes to take to the SFC fruit stand to sell
p. 328 - a poster painting of a hippie girl's face, wearing flower glasses, representing the painting Annie/Harmony is painting for Heidi's graduation gift of her mother (Rain/Bethany) -- (I still am not a fan of these gifts in this subscription box and I'm about on my last straw to cancelling altogether because of them)
p. 332 - a miniature photo of a girl, representing the picture of Heidi Rainbow that Noah/Blue gives to Tashi to give to his father, Goji (Heidi is Goji's daughter) -- (two gifts like this in one book, within just a few pages is really just too much for me; I'm extremely disappointed in this particular box and in the way this subscription service has gone with their gifts in the year that I've been a subscriber)
Printed Quote: "The soul cannot be stopped from searching for what it desires." - Eldonna Edwards, "Clover Blue"
amengelking's review against another edition
3.0
This book made me uncomfortable. All I could imagine were Blue’s parents, never knowing what happened, their hearts broken in grief. I never bought in to the kindness and openness of their community. The pace of the story was slow and plodding, and just when I actually became interested in the last few chapters, it seemed to jump ahead and then end.
booksnbrains's review
5.0
You know how sometimes it seems like your reading has a theme? Or similar plots tend to pop up over the course of a few months? Just me? This is the second "commune" book I've read recently (although the other was much more cultish than this one), and this is by far the better book (in my not-so-humble opinion). The story appears simple on the surface, but there is so much more here - family, forgiveness, freedom, and several non-f-word themes. It is predictable at times, but throws several curveballs at others. The antagonists are not true antagonists, not the typical mystery-bad-guy sense. There is so much more to their motivations, and it's truly difficult to determine who (if anyone) is the bad guy. It's a beautiful story, albeit with some rather cheesy and all-to-predictable moments, but the more I think about it, the more I love it.
yetanothersusan's review against another edition
3.0
The first half of this book is what everyone thinks a commune should be: peace, love, and harmony. There is little strife. Ms. Edwards firmly establishes the Saffron Freedom Community is not one of those places with an over-zealous, sex-addicted, drug-addicted leader, none of the sensationalized cult behaviour that people have come to assume takes place. Even when Clover Blue asks about his birth family and is pushed off by Goji, the leader emotions remain even keel. Clover isn't too put out not knowing, it just nags him a bit in the back of his mind. The story is slow and sets the foundation that life just might be perfect in the little commune. Then finally, a new person shows up and upsets the balance and the story starts moving. I would have preferred less time spent on the slow meandering set up and more time spent on detailing the action in the second half of the book. It all felt very rushed and condensed, if only because the first half was so slow.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.