2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
This is it. My 500th book review.
To think that I started doing this about six years ago now, after I had graduated from uni, and had little idea of what I was doing and where I was going in my life. My crisis still holds up somewhat, but writing things, including book reviews, and reading books for those reviews, has been a constant, an oasis, a comfort, a certainty. Because I love reading, and will never stop, no matter where life and the scary state of the world take me. I will encourage others, most importantly children and the next generation, to read as much as they can. To enrich minds; to expand knowledge, learning, and the horizons of every aspect of our earth, and the imagination. To be aware of our past, present, and future.
The promise for a better world, always.
'Clover Moon' is my 500th review, as it turns out. It is for all ages, but does not downplay or brush aside any serious themes; it is by Jacqueline Wilson, an author from my past, and it is historical fiction; it reflects my present tastes - a young strong, caring female protagonist with an unusual and lovely name struggling through an unfair life and environment, and winning out fairly happy in the end; and it contains... a few themes which are important to think about in the future.
So... full circle? No, but it's close.
Before I sing its praises, I will disclose that 'Clover Moon' does contain problematic elements. The author's hatred of fat women and girls is very prominent here, from Clover's physically abusive stepmother Mildred, haughty cook figures, to little "round" and "lumpy" girls who are subjected to mockery, bullying and humiliation, with nothing more to it. Without exception they are either vilified, or ridiculed and shamed in some way. They are always "plain", unattractive, and varying degrees of lazy and stupid. Of course Clover's late birth mother was thin and angelic.
Disabled children (plus a male neighbour with a peg leg) are represented, in Clover's poverty-stricken street, and while Jimmy Wheels (yes, that's his nickname, made affectionate) is a real character who has a loving family and is Clover's good friend, another boy, Daft Mo (urgh), is barely in the book and is nearly always made fun of whenever he is mentioned. Even serving as a cautionary tale for what happens when babies and children are hit on the head. When keeping in mind the time period and attitudes towards the mentally ill in the Victorian era, the author nevertheless could have put more effort into giving these kids effective roles in the story. Why couldn't Clover, the main character, be disabled herself, now that I think about it?
At least the doll maker, a hunchback, whom Clover calls Mr. Dolly, is represented very positively. He is one of Clover's best friends and mentors; a lovely, lonely old man who doesn't need to be religious to be a good soul in this society. However, while Mr. Dolly's intentions towards Clover are thankfully depicted as wholly innocent and good-natured, how the bad people, like Mildred, see him as creepy is kind of glossed over. It comes down to their prejudices because he is deformed, but it is also hinted that it is due to him liking to spend time with Clover, and helping her with everything, too much. Mr. Dolly even says at one point that he likes little girls because they are nicer than little boys, who bullied him when he was little, too. I suppose this children's book couldn't delve into this serious issue any deeper than that. Hopefully Mr. Dolly, already ostracized, really is a good person, like a grandfather, and Clover isn't too ignorant.
There is also the problematic "rags to riches" story, which seems to teach you that the only way to be happy is to be rich, or live among the rich, in your backwards society.
But despite all that, I love 'Clover Moon'. The heroine is great: she loves children and looks after them well - herself still a child - she has flaws, she feels guilty about certain moments, she thinks of others through no effort, she's generous, she has a steely self-preservation, and is a tough but vulnerable victim of domestic abuse. As the eldest of nearly eight siblings, and a leader of the poverty street kids at playtime, she has a lot of responsibilities. Clover is described as plain, skinny, malnourished, with wounds on her head, and messy hair, but she has green eyes (ooh, special). She has ambitions of either being a doll maker like Mr. Dolly, a dancer like Miss Thelma (who is viewed as no better than a prostitute by everyone except Clover, and credit to Wilson, she is a positive role model), or an artist. Or a teacher. No marriage and kids in her future, as tradition and convention would have it.
Clover Moon's story is like a mix of 'Cinderella' - with a horrible, irredeemable stepmother, plus Clover secretly plans for clothes to be fashioned for her, but it's for a funeral instead of a ball - and Charles Dickens' works, but with a female perspective. I think that Jacqueline Wilson might have written her historical fiction books for children to be like Dickens but starring girl protagonists, and this is greatly appreciated. I mean, life was extremely hard for the lower classes in Victorian times, but dear god, it must have been nearly impossible for women. And 'Clover Moon' and the 'Hetty Feather' books don't sugarcoat this.
'Clover Moon' even one-ups the 'Hetty Feather' series by mentioning periods! Well, a stomach ache that's "a girls' thing", which results in the need to clean sheets, but they exist here!
Anyway, Clover is almost as fantastic, determined, and proactive a character as Hetty (who makes a cameo in one chapter, thus showing how the two high-spirited girls become friends). There is a major death in the book and it is truly devastating: tragic, senseless, and never overlooked; Clover never forgets it. She is clearly grieving throughout her ordeals. Her wooden doll of her own making, Anne Boleyn (signifying other motifs in the book), is a sweet, heartfelt touch, too.
Side note 1: A stereotypical pretty mean girl character (another of Wilson's reoccurring tropes) is slightly redeemed towards the end, and she has seizures and was treated appallingly by her family because of it. She is safe and soundly looked after now. Further positive if very small rep.
Side note 2: Is there an intentional 'Annie' reference here, with the poor girl in the streets befriending a lovable dog? She even goes on to live in a house full of other orphan and/or destitute girls. Except the dog bonding in 'Clover Moon' only lasts a few pages, due to the dog's nasty sellers. Clover can't afford that much luck.
'Clover Moon' - an enjoyable and dark read for children and adults, containing various unforgettable characters. There is light at the end of the murky, dank tunnel. Clover might not be as lucky as a four-leafed green plant she was named after, but there is a twinkle of hope. Hope for everyone in the darkest of years, in the inevitable age of human progress, not to be pushed back.
An industrial revolution is a human revolution.
Diversity is humanity.
Human perfection is subjective; it is nonexistent.
Kindness is a virtue.
Cruelty and abuse to children, by anyone, anywhere, must stop. Giving children freedom, happiness and love is moving forward.
Happy 500th review.
And now I'm off to read Jacqueline Wilson's next historical novel, 'Rose Rivers', as this Rose character, a rich girl among poor girls (uhhh), appears to be a shining spark in these books. Let's see how she fares in her own story.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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