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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Sucked me in with the bike story, kept me with the kid.
Enjoyed it. Intense, sometimes overwrought emotions.
Thoroughly loved this novel. It's a great look into the world of competitive cycling, but also into the lives of three competitors and one child. Definitely worth checking out!
I loved this book, which is about two cyclists competing against each other. It was great reading as the Olympics were going on. Chris Cleave wrote Little Bee, which I really liked. But Gold is so much better.
I loved pretty much everything about this book. This was my first Chris Cleave novel and it sucked me in right from the start. The cover grabbed my attention and the synopsis is what persuaded me to pick it up at the airport. I love stories about families and how they overcome the obstacles they face on the road to happiness. Everything in this book was well developed. You really got a sense for who each character was and what their flaws were and how they were working to overcome them. The plot kept you wanting to read more to find out what would happen next and how the characters' relationships would fare when they encountered challenges. I read it in less than 48 hours because I just didn't want to put it down. Gold is a well written, engaging read that I would highly recommend to others.
Great story, just in time for the Olympics! The story follows three cyclists from their teens until their thirties and their quests for Olympic medals. I didn't want to put it down until I finished it.
My intention was to read the first 25% for an online book club, but I could not put the book down. However, I am waffling between 3 and 4 stars because I felt emotionally manipulated by the book.
I'd love to discuss it. I'm letting my thoughts percolate before posting a review.
I'd love to discuss it. I'm letting my thoughts percolate before posting a review.
I read this book because of the London Olympics. It was a glimpse into the life of elite athletes......and a glimpse into what happens when serious illness creeps into the family.
Chris Cleave is definitely one of my favourite living authors; a real wordsmith who knows how to make his characters truly complex and real, and the story lines engaging with the odd twist thrown in, and I've been anticipating the release of his latest novel since last autumn.
However, I wasn't that taken with "Gold" when I was about a quarter into it. Firstly, the cynic in me didn't appreciate the timing of the book's release ("coinciding" with the dawn of the London Olympics) thinking "oh no, here comes someone else trying to cash in on London2012", secondly, the first few chapters read like a medium-brow chick lit novel, and finally, there was such an inordinate amount of product placement in the book, but particularly in the beginning, that I wondered if Chris Cleave, like his protagonists, was wrapped up in some sponsorship deals with Perrier, Twix and Adidas, or if it was meant to make the book more real. I don't know, but I didn't care for it.
Once I had gotten over these three negative impressions, the story began to unfold, the characters, often looking 4, 8, 10, 13 years back into the past, took on additional dimensions, and I couldn't tear myself away anymore. Just like Cleave's other two novels, this is a story that has multiple layers, themes and ample food for thought, and its characters will stay on my mind for years to come.
The research Cleave must have carried out is impressive; details on bikes, the racing sport, training and coaching incl. the athletes' diets and mindsets, furthermore on leukaemia and its treatments / side effects etc. The book is an eye-opener with regard to the lives of any high-performance athletes, so now, with only a week to go before the opening ceremony of the Olympics, my initial resentment of the opportunistic publishing date of the book has actually given me a timely appreciation for the work and involvement behind the scenes of every athlete who will have gained a place in the games.
I did have a few doubts regarding the authenticity of some of the events; for instance, whether the number 1 and number 2 in the world, albeit racing for the same country, would actually ever have the same coach. Surely, the coach would have (as Tom does repeatedly in the book) a major conflict of interest. There were a few other things niggling me but not enough to spoilt the enjoyment of the book.
As "Gold" was only published a month ago, the print and even e-book copies are still rather pricey, so I decided to use one of my credits on Audible instead, and what a flukey decision that was!! "Gold" is being read by Emilia Fox, one of the most stellar readers of all time, and one of my favourite TV actresses ("Silent Witness", anyone?!), and her performance of "Gold" was outstanding. She nailed Kate's Northern, Jack's Scottish and Tom's Australian accent in a flawless manner and even succeeded in using different voices for the various characters all without sounding ridiculous. Absolutely brilliant 5* recording!
However, I wasn't that taken with "Gold" when I was about a quarter into it. Firstly, the cynic in me didn't appreciate the timing of the book's release ("coinciding" with the dawn of the London Olympics) thinking "oh no, here comes someone else trying to cash in on London2012", secondly, the first few chapters read like a medium-brow chick lit novel, and finally, there was such an inordinate amount of product placement in the book, but particularly in the beginning, that I wondered if Chris Cleave, like his protagonists, was wrapped up in some sponsorship deals with Perrier, Twix and Adidas, or if it was meant to make the book more real. I don't know, but I didn't care for it.
Once I had gotten over these three negative impressions, the story began to unfold, the characters, often looking 4, 8, 10, 13 years back into the past, took on additional dimensions, and I couldn't tear myself away anymore. Just like Cleave's other two novels, this is a story that has multiple layers, themes and ample food for thought, and its characters will stay on my mind for years to come.
The research Cleave must have carried out is impressive; details on bikes, the racing sport, training and coaching incl. the athletes' diets and mindsets, furthermore on leukaemia and its treatments / side effects etc. The book is an eye-opener with regard to the lives of any high-performance athletes, so now, with only a week to go before the opening ceremony of the Olympics, my initial resentment of the opportunistic publishing date of the book has actually given me a timely appreciation for the work and involvement behind the scenes of every athlete who will have gained a place in the games.
I did have a few doubts regarding the authenticity of some of the events; for instance, whether the number 1 and number 2 in the world, albeit racing for the same country, would actually ever have the same coach. Surely, the coach would have (as Tom does repeatedly in the book) a major conflict of interest. There were a few other things niggling me but not enough to spoilt the enjoyment of the book.
As "Gold" was only published a month ago, the print and even e-book copies are still rather pricey, so I decided to use one of my credits on Audible instead, and what a flukey decision that was!! "Gold" is being read by Emilia Fox, one of the most stellar readers of all time, and one of my favourite TV actresses ("Silent Witness", anyone?!), and her performance of "Gold" was outstanding. She nailed Kate's Northern, Jack's Scottish and Tom's Australian accent in a flawless manner and even succeeded in using different voices for the various characters all without sounding ridiculous. Absolutely brilliant 5* recording!