Henriette Lazaridis Power, author of The Clover House, on tour April 2013

About The Clover House

Paperback: 432 pages

Publisher: Ballantine Books (April 2, 2013)

Perfect for fans of Tatiana de Rosnay’s Sarah’s Key, this stunning 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.

Look for additional material at the end of the book, and join Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.

“A rare treat: an elegantly written debut about a family mystery set during wartime, the slipperiness of memory, and the challenges of forgiveness . . . Read it, read it!” —Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us

“Layered and complex, The Clover House is a provocative examination of family secrets and the things we inherit, a powerful search for self that feels both unique and universal. Henriette Lazaridis Power immerses the reader in a world of tradition and resilience, creating characters who linger long beyond their final pages. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.” —Brunonia Barry, New York Times and international bestselling author of The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places

“The Clover House is a tremendously readable story of how family secrets reverberate, how war forces impossible choices, and how a very modern woman faces old longings for her mother’s love and a true home. This is a smart and lovely novel.” —Holly Lecraw, author of The Swimming Pool

“Readers will feel the eloquently written quandary of Henriette Lazaridis Power’s vivid and troubled protagonist, a woman with one foot in Greece and the other in America; a woman who, like so many immigrants and first-generation Americans, struggles to be at home in two countries.”—Randy Susan Meyers, author of The Murderer’s Daughters

About Henriette Lazaridis Power

Henriette Lazaridis Power is a first-generation Greek-American who has degrees in English literature from Middlebury College; Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar; and the University of Pennsylvania. She taught at Harvard for ten years, serving as an academic dean for four of those. She is the founding editor of The Drum, a literary magazine publishing exclusively in audio form. A competitive rower, Power trains regularly on the Charles River in Boston.

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Henriette Lazaridis Power’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Friday, March 29th:  Books on the Brain – Friday First Lines guest post

Monday, April 1st:  Speaking of Books

Tuesday, April 2nd:  Historical Tapestry – guest post “Why I Love…”

Wednesday, April 3rd:  Patricia’s Wisdom

Thursday, April 4th:  No More Grumpy Bookseller

Monday, April 8th:  West Metro Mommy

Tuesday, April 9th:  Knowing the Difference

Thursday, April 11th:  Kritter’s Ramblings

Monday, April 15th:  Diary of an Eccentric

Tuesday, April 16th:  Adventures of an Intrepid Reader

Tuesday, April 16th:  Historical Tapestry

Thursday, April 18th:  The Relentless Reader

Monday, April 22nd:  It’s a Crazy, Beautiful Life

Thursday, April 25th:  Tiffany’s Bookshelf

Monday, April 29th:  Peppermint Ph.D.

Tuesday, April 30th:  Bookfoolery

Wednesday, May 1st:  Booktalk & More