The Collected Regrets of Clover: A Novel

What a beautiful story, well written, and straight to the heart. Ms Brammer’s book resonated with me in so many ways; losing family and friends along the way in my journey here on earth - I now wonder what would be in my book of regrets?This is the kind of book I can see reading again, and again!

I loved Clover - I loved how she looked at the world - at her own narrative, point of view. I loved that her job was so much more than a job. I wonder what directions Clover’s life will go in now after the end of the book. A worthwhile use of your time.

This is a wonderfully honest, kind, human account of life at least as much as it is about death. The phrase at the end says it all, but getting there is the journey we are taken on, most of which will be familiar to each of us in our lives and in our hopes.

I loved reading this book. It was well written, the characters were interesting and as Clover grows and gains insights from those around her, the reader gains new insights as well.

I enjoyed this book, though it took a minute to get into it. A great story that will make you question the things of importance in your life. Definitely worth a read. Because of how slow it was for me to get into, it’s a 3.5 rounded up to 4. The ending was good enough to round up to 4.

Usually I either review a book or I don’t. I always rate but don’t always write a review.This one was particularly difficult to review. I was enjoying the book but it felt stagnant for the second half. I liked the resolution and clovers growth but it was stagnant and then all at once. It felt unnatural.Maybe it was supposed to feel unnatural as the themes of death and regret are not natural to deal with.Ultimately I’m glad I read this story and I learned a lot from Claudia.

Clover is a death doula. With warmth, understanding, and compassion, she assists people on their journey from the living world to their final resting place. While she navigates easily through times when most people feel uncomfortable and unsure, it’s with those who are in the prime of life that she struggles to connect with. But Clover is content in her days of relative solitude… or is she?I started reading this on a whim after browsing through TikTok for Kindle Unlimited recommendations, and went into it with limited expectations. From the first page, I was completely and totally hooked. Clover was so incredibly endearing, and I found myself throughout the whole book wanting to wrap her up and embrace her in a hug (although she would not have enjoyed that). As a child who suffered tremendous loss, she was resilient and made the best of everything that was thrown at her. But while she gave herself so effortlessly to others in need, she built walls around her heart to protect herself from getting hurt again.The supporting characters within this book stole my heart and refused to give it back. Each of them had their own unique journey, and they solidified the idea that family can be found in the most unexpected of places.The Collected Regrets of Clover was equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. While it pushed me down and made me cry, it also lifted my soul and left me filled with hope and inspiration. This book is an especially thoughtful and poignant introspective on grief and on living life to its fullest.

A beautiful and touching read. The emotions that this book triggered in me were unbelievable. Mimi Brammer delivers a heartfelt read to the audience. Highly recommend!

I loved reading this book, it was an experience. I had never heard of a death doula before, and I think it's a beautiful, albeit emotional, calling. It's a beautiful story filled with interesting characters. Definitely recommend!!

I’m quite an avid reader of literature and have never come across anything like this before. This novel was chosen for a book club at work, and I must say I can’t stop talking about it. The way it touches on death with true tenderness and on our shared humanity is mind-blowing. I kept taking notes whilst reading and must admit that the messages this novel conveys have already crept into my subconscious. It has for sure affected my decision making during these past weeks and the way I’ve been chatting with the people around me. How can I put it, somehow, I feel more daring, more experimental, more self-caring, more encouraged, and it feels bloody good. Excuse my French, but if this book is not going to be a big hit, I’d be surprised. On top of the ongoing stimulating narrative, it slowly reveals an extremely unusual (or maybe not if people were more daring and outspoken) life of the main character, although her personal story is heart breaking, it lifts you up in the way she learns and evolves through everything she has experienced being a death doula. I’m totally smitten, please read, you will not regret it. Thanks to Mikki Brammer for adding with so much truth and vulnerable beauty to this world, this is exactly what we need in this detached and oh so lonely world. To summarise it, this is where all the good stuff happens in life: outside your comfort zone. Terribly bewitching. I'm still buzzing. Enough said

Clover, a 36-year-old death doula in New York, knows what it is like to lose someone close. Orphaned at the age of six and raised by a taciturn grandfather, Clover has learned early on to rely on herself. Ostracized by her peers, she withdrew into the world of books and her own mind, becoming a socially awkward loner with a fascination for death. She lives in the small apartment her grandfather left her, her only friend an 87-year-old neighbour, and donates her time to people who are dying. She has a collection of three notebooks labelled “Regrets”, “Advice” and “Confessions”, in which she keeps a record of the last things people said before they died.Things start to change when Clover meets Sebastian in one of the death cafés she frequents. Sebastian’s grandmother Claudia is dying from cancer, and so he is looking for someone who can assist her and her family before, during and after death. At the same time Sylvie moves into Clover’s apartment block and tries to coax Clover out of her loneliness. Suddenly, love and friendship are no longer abstract concepts that happen to other people. Slowly Clover realizes that if she keeps hiding from life with all the risks it entails, she too will regret not having lived at all at the end of HER life ….This book may easily be one of the most beautiful books I have read in 2023. The main topic is death and what it means to live life fully so that at the end of your journey you can look back without too many regrets. It also highlights the importance of talking about death and being there for your loved ones in their final hours since life and death are inextricably linked. I loved all the characters, who were multi-dimensional and felt so real. If you are someone who shies away from the topic of death, you might find this novel a bit depressing, but for me it offered a lot of insight into how life is so immensely precious precisely because we are all going to die someday. So: Carpe diem!!!

This book will stay in my library as a classic, to be read and enjoyed many times.Mikki Brammer has crafted a story that satisfies all of the things I like to see in the books I read.The story unfolds in an interesting way, the character development is really good, and there are many themes and layers that engaged me from start to end.I am happy to recommend the book and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.