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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At a fast, racing pace, Chris Cleave takes the reader on a journey that will leave you out of breath and with your heart pounding.
Kate and Zoe have been training with each other for years. As track cyclists at the top of their sport, their eyes are turned toward winning gold at the 2012 Olympics in London. Enemies at one moment and friends the next, their lives are entwined as they push themselves and each other to the finish line and victory.
Without hard chapter breaks, Cleave keeps the pace moving in Gold his latest novel, timed perfectly to be released just in time for the Olympics. How important is winning? What personal traits are needed to push oneself to the physical level necessary to compete in the Olympics? What would someone be willing to give up for gold? And what is more valuable that gold?
A psychological study of each character, the story only expands as Kate and Zoe, their coach Tom, Kate's husband Jack and daughter Sophie are brought to their very breaking points. Eight year old Sophie is fighting leukemia and her own personal strengths and victories are momentous and emotional. She may be my favorite literary character this year.
Whether you are rooting for Zoe or Kate in the final race, Gold is guaranteed to grab your heart and you will be sure to look at each athlete differently this summer as they compete for gold.
Just so you know, if I were Middleborough, Massachusetts and could fine $20 for each swear word, I would have a nice little bank account.
Kate and Zoe have been training with each other for years. As track cyclists at the top of their sport, their eyes are turned toward winning gold at the 2012 Olympics in London. Enemies at one moment and friends the next, their lives are entwined as they push themselves and each other to the finish line and victory.
Without hard chapter breaks, Cleave keeps the pace moving in Gold his latest novel, timed perfectly to be released just in time for the Olympics. How important is winning? What personal traits are needed to push oneself to the physical level necessary to compete in the Olympics? What would someone be willing to give up for gold? And what is more valuable that gold?
A psychological study of each character, the story only expands as Kate and Zoe, their coach Tom, Kate's husband Jack and daughter Sophie are brought to their very breaking points. Eight year old Sophie is fighting leukemia and her own personal strengths and victories are momentous and emotional. She may be my favorite literary character this year.
Whether you are rooting for Zoe or Kate in the final race, Gold is guaranteed to grab your heart and you will be sure to look at each athlete differently this summer as they compete for gold.
Just so you know, if I were Middleborough, Massachusetts and could fine $20 for each swear word, I would have a nice little bank account.
I really enjoyed the book, though, for me, the story didn't get really interesting and complicated until I was half way through.
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was just okay. It was recommended on a podcast I enjoy, and yet I wouldn't pass along that recommendation. Unrealistic storyline and frustratingly bizarre relationship dynamics. At the same time it kept my curiosity because I wanted to know what was going to happen.
I really enjoyed this story. Rivals and friends at Olympian level competition. The more intimate personal story as well as the excitement in the descriptions of the races were different enough to hold me interested when everything seems to distract me these days.
Oooft! This was a good read. Had to force myself to slow down to enjoy it and resist the temptation to peek ahead at what happened. Couldn’t have called the outcome and cried at the end. Loved the specificity and drama of the races. Credible, frustratingly and endearingly flawed characters. Charmed by Tom the coach. Struck by how well the author has observed and then captured experiences. Also thought the shifting from present to past flashbacks was handled well.
“As the starter counted the seconds down from ten and the start line tension came into the bodies of his two athletes, his arms slowly dropped to his sides. He was the best coach he knew. He had nothing else in his life, and his focus was perfect and absolute. He knew everything there was to know about making human beings go quicker, but nothing at all about how to make them stop”
“The cold gripped him now, and he didn’t have the strength in his arms to lift himself out of the tub. He thought for a long time about what to do, but a plan wouldn’t come. The problem now wasn’t that he was one-tenth of a second short of the podium. It was that he couldn’t get couldn’t get out of the bath. He fought back tears of frustration. He hadn’t wept since 1968, and he wasn’t about to give the twenty-first century the satisfaction.”
“As the starter counted the seconds down from ten and the start line tension came into the bodies of his two athletes, his arms slowly dropped to his sides. He was the best coach he knew. He had nothing else in his life, and his focus was perfect and absolute. He knew everything there was to know about making human beings go quicker, but nothing at all about how to make them stop”
“The cold gripped him now, and he didn’t have the strength in his arms to lift himself out of the tub. He thought for a long time about what to do, but a plan wouldn’t come. The problem now wasn’t that he was one-tenth of a second short of the podium. It was that he couldn’t get couldn’t get out of the bath. He fought back tears of frustration. He hadn’t wept since 1968, and he wasn’t about to give the twenty-first century the satisfaction.”
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes