The Clover House (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780345530684)

This "stunning" (USA Today) debut novel brings to life World War II-era and modern-day Greece--and tells the story of a vibrant family and the tragic secret kept hidden for generations.

Boston, 2000: Calliope Notaris Brown receives a shocking phone call. Her beloved uncle Nestor has passed away, and now Callie must fly to Patras, Greece, to claim her inheritance. Callie's mother, Clio--with whom Callie has always had a difficult relationship--tries to convince her not to make the trip. Unsettled by her mother's strange behavior, and uneasy about her own recent engagement, Callie decides to escape Boston for the city of her childhood summers. After arriving at the heady peak of Carnival, Callie begins to piece together what her mother has been trying to hide. Among Nestor's belongings, she uncovers clues to a long-kept secret that will alter everything she knows about her mother's past and about her own future.

Greece, 1940: Growing up in Patras in a prosperous family, Clio Notaris and her siblings feel immune to the oncoming effects of World War II, yet the Italian occupation throws their privileged lives into turmoil. Summers in the country once spent idling in the clover fields are marked by air-raid drills; the celebration of Carnival, with its elaborate masquerade parties, is observed at home with costumes made from soldiers' leftover silk parachutes. And as the war escalates, the events of one fateful evening will upend Clio's future forever.

A moving novel of the search for identity, the challenges of love, and the shared history that defines a family, The Clover House is a powerful debut from a distinctive and talented new writer.

Author: Henriette Lazaridis
ISBN-10: 0345530683
ISBN-13: 9780345530684
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Language: English
Published: 04/02/2013
Pages: 432
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.01h x 5.12w x 0.94d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2013
Library Journal 02/15/2013 pg. 95
Romantic Times 04/01/2013 pg. 42 - Very Good
Publishers Weekly 03/25/2013
Booklist 04/01/2013 pg. 20