Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Sometimes when you read a book, you are aware that it's a story that you are watching from the outside. Very, very rarely is a book written that consumes you totally and makes you feel like you are part of the story. Clover Blue is one of those books.

Amazon affiliate links are used this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2019; A John Scognamiglio Book;  978-1496712899
audio, ebook. print (352 pages); historical fiction

I felt like it was the 70s and I was living in a commune with all of the people who lived there. I laughed with them and cried with them and understood their feelings about the outside world. I read the last 50 pages very slowly because I wanted to stay with these characters as long as possible. When I finished the book, I set it down and then the next day re-read the last 50 pages. I had a major 'book hangover' when I finished and haven't been able to start another book. Believe me when you I tell you that this is a MUST read.

As the book begins, Clover Blue is 10 years old. He has lived in the Saffron Free Community since he was 3 and doesn't remember anything about his earlier life. He feels part of this commune and loves the members as his own family. Goji, the leader of the commune looks after everyone's well-being. It's a small commune but there is a surfer, a Vietnam deserter, a Grateful Dead groupie, a midwife and most important of all, Blue's best friend Harmony. They are the same age and spend time doing chores and roaming through the woods. He talks to her about his unsettled feelings about his life in the commune and speculates about what his life could have been like. No one will really answer his questions about his real parents and how he got to the commune and he begins to question his past more as he grows older. As secrets slowly get shared with Clover Blue, he realizes that he has to make a choice between the family that he lives with and loves and the family he was born into.

This book is so full of wonderful characters. Clover Blue is a maturing young man who has to make some huge decisions at an early age; Harmony has been abandoned by her mother and covers it up with her bravery and outspokenness; Rain is new to the commune but holds the key to many secrets. As you get to know all of the characters, you feel a connection to them. You understand their feelings and you laugh and cry with them -- I must admit that I cried a lot during the last 50 pages - both times that I read them.

This is an unforgettable book about family and love and how we all yearn to have connections with other people no matter what the circumstances are. It's beautifully written and the characters - especially Clover Blue -- will stay with you for a long time. This book is going to be THE book that everyone talks about so make sure that it's on your TBR lists - you don't want to miss it.

Buy Clover Blue at Amazon

Eldonna Edwards first fiction book THIS I KNOW is also a fantastic book that you don't want to miss.  My review from 2018 is HERE.

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter. 

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