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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
relaxing
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
This book is gut wrenching. It would be a great read in the weeks leading up to the summer Olympics this year...but be prepared to be gutted. The book lends itself to a discussion of personal pursuits vs. family obligations and when to put yourself first. Highly recommended!
This is the story of Zoe and Kate, two competitive cyclists at the top of their game who have been racing against one another since they were teenagers. They are also best friends. They have a complicated back history which emerges gradually over the course of the book. The story is about the build up to the London 2012 Olympics and the tension hinges on who is going to take the gold medal. At the same time, Kate's daughter is suffering from leukaemia and that will be a significant sub-plot in the book.
I didn't greatly like this book - though by the end I realised I had something more invested in the story than I expected. Zoe and Kate's friendship has zero credibility. Zero! Zoe is a screwed up individual who tramples all over anyone and everyone who gets near her and will do anything to win. Kate is a freakishly perfect, kind and forgiving individual who has sacrificed her chances for her daughter again and again. I didn't feel that either of them were real people. The book took me a week to read because I kept losing interest in it - plus it's so repetitive that I'd pick it up and think "haven't I read this part before?"
Having said that, there IS genuine tension at the end and there are some good twists that you don't see coming. So while my initial thinking was to give the book two stars, I did enjoy it more than that.
I didn't greatly like this book - though by the end I realised I had something more invested in the story than I expected. Zoe and Kate's friendship has zero credibility. Zero! Zoe is a screwed up individual who tramples all over anyone and everyone who gets near her and will do anything to win. Kate is a freakishly perfect, kind and forgiving individual who has sacrificed her chances for her daughter again and again. I didn't feel that either of them were real people. The book took me a week to read because I kept losing interest in it - plus it's so repetitive that I'd pick it up and think "haven't I read this part before?"
Having said that, there IS genuine tension at the end and there are some good twists that you don't see coming. So while my initial thinking was to give the book two stars, I did enjoy it more than that.
I would read this book again a hundred times for the following sentence alone.....“Her mind was sunset and sunrise all at once-a brilliant, half lit mess”
The story of three elite athletes, Olympic level cyclists and their relationships. Sounding kind of dull so far I know, but Chris has woven a deeply moving tale of sacrifice and friendship. The continuing sacrifices that a parent makes for a sick child and the struggles a family goes through while fighting a battle so devastating are told in such a compassionate way. The story is also shown from the perspective of a child fighting a battle she doesn’t understand while trying to not worry her parents. I was charmed by the references to Star Wars and the force, it just felt so genuine. So much trauma, but so gently presented. So much love, in all its forms. Sacrifice, devastating when made with or without regret, but still made. And somewhere in there is also told what it takes to reach Olympic level. This will touch your heart, it certainly got to mine.
The story of three elite athletes, Olympic level cyclists and their relationships. Sounding kind of dull so far I know, but Chris has woven a deeply moving tale of sacrifice and friendship. The continuing sacrifices that a parent makes for a sick child and the struggles a family goes through while fighting a battle so devastating are told in such a compassionate way. The story is also shown from the perspective of a child fighting a battle she doesn’t understand while trying to not worry her parents. I was charmed by the references to Star Wars and the force, it just felt so genuine. So much trauma, but so gently presented. So much love, in all its forms. Sacrifice, devastating when made with or without regret, but still made. And somewhere in there is also told what it takes to reach Olympic level. This will touch your heart, it certainly got to mine.
This is actually a difficult book to review as there were parts that were just so good - namely the race scenes and the training descriptions - that you could truly feel what it takes to be an athlete at the most elite levels, what is required to become an Olympian. But then in counterpoint to this is a storyline that is almost unnecessarily melodramatic. That characters are either unbearably good (Kate) or over-the-top bad (Zoe). It definitely detracted from what could have been an excellent novel. Combine that with a too-tidy ending and you have a novel that is a bit of a disappointment. That said, it was compulsively readable especially as I finish it one day before the end of the 2012 Olympics. But it's a lighter novel that Cleave's normally are - best saved for the beach when perhaps expectations are a bit lower?
I liked this book even better than Little Bee. There are a couple of plots moving at once and then some flashback filler. The main story is two women competing in life and sport. The head games and strategies that some athletes use are fun to examine if you are not the target. The second plot is the sick child. She uses Star Wars to help distract herself and visualize her battle with Leukemia. The characters and writing are terrific. The kind of writing that you pay attention to as you read and are compelled to share with anyone in the room.
I wish I had read this book prior to the Olympics, because I would have made the effort to watch the bike racing events. Knowing something about a topic makes it that much more interesting. I can also honestly say that this book has inspired me to get to the gym and get fit. Well worth the few hours it took to read and one of my favorite books of the summer.
I wish I had read this book prior to the Olympics, because I would have made the effort to watch the bike racing events. Knowing something about a topic makes it that much more interesting. I can also honestly say that this book has inspired me to get to the gym and get fit. Well worth the few hours it took to read and one of my favorite books of the summer.
I think it is fitting that a book about cycling be such a ride! I couldn't help thinking that the book was set up a bit like the training for the Olympics, and bit slow to start, but things really started ramping up as the end approached, there was a great burst of excitement, and then the dust settled at the end.
This is a story about two Olympic level cyclists and their journey to a final Olympic games. The book twists and turns with time, flashing back throughout their lives and races, jumping back to the present, and then popping back and forth between two different places at the same times. And while this seems complicated, Cleave has a deft hand and maintaining clarity and setting a scene with beautiful simplicity.
Although Kate is clearly the more likable of the two girls, I found myself rooting for different girls at different points during the book. And although it was a bit of a slow start, suddenly revelations are made that left me humming with nerves and anticipation. And I can honestly say I didn't see a few twists coming. It was overall a really solid read.
This is a story about two Olympic level cyclists and their journey to a final Olympic games. The book twists and turns with time, flashing back throughout their lives and races, jumping back to the present, and then popping back and forth between two different places at the same times. And while this seems complicated, Cleave has a deft hand and maintaining clarity and setting a scene with beautiful simplicity.
Although Kate is clearly the more likable of the two girls, I found myself rooting for different girls at different points during the book. And although it was a bit of a slow start, suddenly revelations are made that left me humming with nerves and anticipation. And I can honestly say I didn't see a few twists coming. It was overall a really solid read.
This was a great look at female friendship, competitive Olympic cyclists and how the lives of two women and teammates were intertwined and complicated by their dreams for gold. Told in alternating timelines and multiple POVs, we get to know Zoe, Kate and Kate's Star Wars loving daughter who is battling Leukemia. I also enjoyed Zoe and Kate's wizened old coach, he was a fun, crusty kind of old man with a big heart. Great on audio, this was a complicated story of sports, family, friendship and motherhood and just what one woman will sacrifice to win Gold. It's been on my #tbr for a while since I heard it from the Modern Mrs Darcy podcast and was definitely worth the wait!
This book was so different from Little Bee that it took me quite a while to get into it. As a runner, I found the insight into the mental and physical prep that Olympians go through to be fascinating. As a parent, I really enjoyed the way the author described the balancing act of being there 100% for your child, your partner and yourself all at the same time
The characters are real and flawed but so interesting!!
4.5 stars. I really loved this book, but I suspect most of the reason I loved it is that (a) I love watching cycling (track and road) and (b) I'm British and got totally and utterly caught up in the 2012 London Olympics. If it had been a book about, say, football (soccer) and a football world cup I probably would have found it just ok. Just some thoughts in case anyone is thinking of reading it based on my love :)