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Eldonna Edwards

Författare till This I Know

3 verk 185 medlemmar 12 recensioner

Verk av Eldonna Edwards

This I Know (2018) 108 exemplar
Clover Blue (2019) 59 exemplar

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female

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Grace Carter is the middle daughter of five and she feels guilty that she survived her birth, while her twin brother, Isaac, did not. But Grace also has a special gift, which she calls the “Knowing.” The problem is that her father, a Christian preacher, does not believe this is a gift from God, but rather the Devil’s temptations. The novel follows Grace from age eleven to her early teens, as she tries to gain her father’s approval and love, while remaining true to herself.

I picked this up while trolling my public library’s shelves. I was a bit skeptical, but saw an author blurb from Lesley Kagen, whose books I enjoy, so though I give this a go. I’m glad I did.

I was quickly immersed in the story and eager to see how things would work out for Grace. The setting is a small town in Michigan in the late 1960s. Grace is a typical pre-teen in many respects; she wonders about boys and about getting her period; she fights with her sisters, and has dinner or sleepovers with her friend, Lola; she enjoys time spent with her family and at social activities sponsored by her father’s church. But there is that special gift that sets her apart and which she feels must keep secret from everyone. She just wants to fit in, but she can’t explain how she knows the things she knows, and she realizes that many people are leery of her because of it.

To add to her struggles growing up, Grace’s mother suffers from depression, particularly post-partum depression, so when her baby sister Marilyn is born just as Grace is entering her teens, things take a decided turn for the worse in Grace’s household.

Edwards includes a mystery regarding a pedophile in the area, and I thought this was unnecessary. That plot line comes and goes and is never really focused on, though it does give Grace an excuse to speak with the Sheriff and his wife. Also, some of the scenes got a bit mystical, especially when Grace is visiting patients at the hospital who are otherwise unresponsive.

All in all, though, it was a totally satisfying coming-of-age story.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
BookConcierge | 4 andra recensioner | Aug 22, 2021 |
Eldonna Edwards has crafted a unique coming-of-age story in CLOVER BLUE.

For Clover Blue, how he came to be among the members of the Saffron Freedom Community was never a question in his mind until he witnessed one of his "sister-mothers" giving birth at age 12. Edwards chose this profound, natural act to capture a young boy's curiosity about his own beginnings. After the baby is born, he innocently asks who gave birth to him, and the answer he receives from Goji, the quasi-guru/leader of the community is less than satisfactory. What begins as a mild curiosity becomes a burgeoning quest for a truth kept carefully guarded.

Eldonna Edwards did a fantastic job of world-building with the Saffron Freedom Community. It is a fully functioning, self-contained habitat for the humans who live there. Filled with day to day responsibilities taken on by the "Olders" and the "Youngers," the reader is drawn into their quiet, peaceful existence.

The creativity with regard to each member, and their backstory showcases Edwards' ability in building solid, believable foundations for each. I loved the unique names given to each one upon their arrival, and this process was revealed when a young girl is brought in by one of the former members, Gaia, the biological mother to Harmony. The name Rain is chosen for her, by Goji, as names were for all of them. Clover Blue, Harmony, Doobie, Coyote, Gaia, and all the rest, are characters readers will grow to care about, which is always crucial to any good story.

The 70s culture is vibrant, as is the lifestyle of the community, from milking goats to rigging up an outdoor shower, to the Sacred Space, where "Older" members express free love, to shopping at thrift stores, all of it transports the reader to this iconic time.

The question of family and how one fits into that dynamic, how one loves them, whether biological or adopted, is perfectly juxtaposed into the story as Clover Blue begins a personal mission to understand exactly what happened to him all those years ago. His decision to pursue the answers will carry him toward several unexpected revelations, and the realization that what once was, can never be again.

Clover Blue is a heartfelt, engaging story about beginnings and endings, blood ties, loyalties, and betrayals, innocence lost, and wisdom gained.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
DonnaEverhart | 4 andra recensioner | Sep 25, 2020 |
Blue is not quite 11 when one of his mothers in the communal family gives birth. Made to watch the process, it makes him ask which one of the women he came out of. The Olders get uncomfortable; the leader of the commune, Goji, tells Blue that he’ll find out when he turns 12. On Blue’s 12th birthday, the commune is disrupted by the arrival of two people. After, Goji tells Blue that he didn’t mean exactly on Blue’s birthday; he’ll tell him when it’s time. Blue finds this odd, because Goji normally treats Blue as an equal and tells the truth about things.

Set in the 1970s in northern California, Blue tells the story of his upbringing and coming into awareness of his past. Blue loves the members of the small commune. He finds out he was adopted when he was 3 but he remembers nothing of his prior life. He doesn’t even know what his birthname was. He only knows his life in the Saffron Freedom Community, which contains a guru, a surfer, a midwife and healer, a Grateful Dead groupie, a Vietnam deserter, and his best friend, a same age girl, Harmony. They live on a few leased acres, growing their food and living simply. All but Goji live in a large treehouse in an oak tree. They believe in peace, love, kindness, and reverence for all living things and the natural world. They all partake in the work needed to keep things running. There is no electricity or running water; they carry water from the springs. They stay off the radar because the State of California does not recognize the way the commune is set up; they’d have pesky questions like who one’s mother is, and why are they living under a tarp with no toilets other than an outhouse. It seems like heaven. Then things get upset when they get a new member and Goji falls for her.

The story is well paced. I loved the characters. The author really got the widening awareness that Blue has as he grows up. The setting is so well depicted I could feel and see the dry grasses and the rains. She shows that all was not sweetness and light; the commune runs into racism, violence, disdain for the hippie’s lifestyle, and the tragedies that can occur when herbal healing just isn’t enough. She also shows how well adjusted a child can be coming from a non-average up bringing; Blue and Harmony are educated well beyond their age level compared to those in regular school.

Basically the story is a coming of age and a search for identity- a search that’s a little harder for Blue than for most kids. He learns that the Olders are not as perfect as he thought, especially Goji. But they have taught him self-reliance, and that’s what he really needs, in the end.

I loved this book. I sat up until 1 a.m. for two nights reading it because I couldn’t put it down. Then, when I went to start this review, I flipped through it to refresh my memory because I read it two months ago. I ended up sitting up until 1 a.m. for two nights again, rereading, because it immediately sucked me in. And I haven’t reread anything for decades! The writing is such that I lived inside Blue, feeling his feelings. A wonderful piece of nostalgia for those of us who grew up in that era, even if not in the way Blue did. I’d give it 6 stars if I could.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
lauriebrown54 | 4 andra recensioner | Sep 13, 2019 |
3.5 Mid 1970s, located near Santa Rosa, the Saffron Freedom Community is a commune, like many that appeared during this time period. All members refer to each other as sister or brother, everything is shared, sex, drugs, chores, but despite this, thx ere are many who hold secrets. Clover Blue is a young boy, best friends with Harmony, and one day they witness a birth, which causes Clover to wonder who his birth mother was. Goji is the leader, and this birth and s new arrival will cause this small commune, great harm.

The time period is wonderfully, and I believe accurately portrayed. Readers enjoyment will depend on their connection to Clover and Harmony. Fortunately I liked them both, and the unraveling of the mystery at the heart of this novel, kept me interested. There is much going on here behind the scenes.

Loyalty to the family we make, grow to love against the pull of blood. I loved the totally unexpected ending and the full circle nature of this story. Plus, I'll admit to being a armchair gawker into the life of a commune, how they work, and how they manage day by day. Edwards writing is clear, concise and we'll done. The pace of the story flows nicely. Although can't see myself in commune living, it was interesting to get a small peak.

ARC from Netgalley.
… (mer)
½
1 rösta
Flaggad
Beamis12 | 4 andra recensioner | Jun 18, 2019 |

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Statistik

Verk
3
Medlemmar
185
Popularitet
#117,260
Betyg
4.2
Recensioner
12
ISBN
12

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