Title: The Clover Girls by Viola Shipman
Publisher: Graydon House
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Elizabeth, Veronica, Rachel and Emily met at Camp Birchwood as girls in 1985, where over four summers they were the Clover Girls—inseparable for those magical few weeks of freedom—until the last summer that pulled them apart. Now approaching middle age, the women are facing challenges they never imagined as teens, struggles with their marriages, their children, their careers, and wondering who it is they see when they look in the mirror.
Then Liz, V and Rachel each receive a letter from Emily with devastating news. She implores the girls who were once her best friends to reunite at Camp Birchwood one last time, to spend a week together revisiting the dreams they’d put aside and repair the relationships they’d allowed to sour. But the women are not the same idealistic, confident girls who once ruled Camp Birchwood, and perhaps some friendships aren’t meant to last forever…
Bestselling author Viola Shipman is at her absolute best with The Clover Girls. Readers of all ages and backgrounds will love its powerful, redemptive nature and the empowering message at its heart.
Review:
The Clover Girls by Viola Shipman is a heartwarming novel of friendship, forgiveness and self-discovery.
In the mid to late 1980s, Elizabeth “Liz”, Veronica “V”, Rachael and Emily become best of friends while they are at summer camp. Their last summer together, betrayals drive a wedge between the young women but Emily tries the hardest to keep in touch with everyone. Fast forward to the present day and Em has recently passed away and her last request of Liz, V and Rachael is to reunite at Camp Birchwood so they can repair their fractured friendships. Will spending time together at a place full of happy memories bring the three women together?
Liz is a former model who is married to a successful architect. She is a stay-at-home mom to their two teenagers who are close to graduating from high school. The family has moved so frequently for her husband’s career that Liz has no close friends. Although she is not certain returning to Camp Birchwood is the right choice, she decides the timing is perfect for her to at least give a reunion with her former friends a chance.
Liz is a divorced mom and grandmother and owner of a thriving real estate business. She has always been close to her mother whose health is in a steady decline. Although she has doubts about returning to Camp Birchwood, Liz takes the time to honor Em’s request.
Rachael is a former actress whose work in politics seems to be an anathema to her long ago core values. She has alienated a lot of people in her life but she cannot envision changing course. Rachael plans to pay a cursory visit to Camp Birchwood but will the magic of days gone by alter her decision?
With plenty of cultural references to the 1980s, The Clover Girls is an endearing novel with a nostalgic atmosphere. Liz, V and Rachael are vibrantly developed characters with relatable foibles and strengths. The storyline is topical with realistic elements that touch on the current climate in America. The flashbacks to the Camp Birchwood years are filled with carefree fun and typical mean girl antics. The time away from their regular lives provides each of the women with clarity for their respective issues. Viola Shipman brings this emotional novel to a heartfelt, uplifting conclusion.
