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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
This was an enjoyable book, but one of the main characters was dreadfully unlikable and difficult to relate to. Aaaaand, at times this book is a little soap opera-y, like way too crazy. But it was interesting and poignant at times.
Slightly unbelievable but the most enjoyable one of his I've read so far.
The main characters of Zoe and Kate are essentially archetypes of elite athletes, two sides of the same coin, as it were. Kate has the stronger natural talent, but falls victim to being a nice girl, allowing her rival Zoe to psychologically beat her. Zoe comes across as pathological, addicted to winning and doing anything to win, even if it means hurting the people closest to her.
The question raised by these two characters is whether (and how) elite athletes can balance "real life" outside of their competitive sport and the compulsion to win. Can you be moral, nice, down-to-earth and still win at a highest levels? Or do these athletes sacrifice some of their humanity to win?
An interesting and well-timed read during this Olympic season.
The question raised by these two characters is whether (and how) elite athletes can balance "real life" outside of their competitive sport and the compulsion to win. Can you be moral, nice, down-to-earth and still win at a highest levels? Or do these athletes sacrifice some of their humanity to win?
An interesting and well-timed read during this Olympic season.
It is interesting to compare this book with The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Both are literary novels of athletic obsession and the sacrifices elite athletes make in the pursuit of perfection. Both have outstanding coaches at the emotional heart of the story. And both rely heavily on allusions to well-known Epic sagas: in this case, the Star Wars trilogy, while Harbach focuses on Moby Dick. And both were engaging, good reads. Nevertheless, I found this book much harder to connect with. The athletes are so elite, they are nearly superhuman, and Cleave keeps reminding us what freaks they are, going on about resting heart rates and training diets and such. This separates the characters from the reader, almost as if we were reading a tale about aliens or another species. To make matters worse, neither character is particularly likable: Zoe is manipulative and cold, Kate is a saintly doormat. Then there's Jack, who is delightfully cocky and brash when the girls meet him, but who somehow gets transformed into the perfect house husband/Olympic athlete in all the other scenes.
As with Little Bee, Cleave likes to tell the story in a non-linear form, mixing up timelines and withholding key information from the reader. That gave the plot a certain manufactured, but fun, momentum. But when I tried to tell the story chronologically to my husband, it came out as an absurd, contrived mess. I guess that's a good indication that this novel doesn't quite make the cut for "world class."
As with Little Bee, Cleave likes to tell the story in a non-linear form, mixing up timelines and withholding key information from the reader. That gave the plot a certain manufactured, but fun, momentum. But when I tried to tell the story chronologically to my husband, it came out as an absurd, contrived mess. I guess that's a good indication that this novel doesn't quite make the cut for "world class."
I didn't get very far into this one. I had high hopes for it because I picked it up right around the time of the Olympics. I have spent a decent amount of time around elite athletes. I've never heard anyone swear as much as he had his characters doing in the first few pages. Also he clearly didn't go very much research because his female character has like 3% body fat which is physically impossible.
Cycling. Olympics. Cancer. Duh. Of course I loved this book.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It takes a certain something to have the dedication to devote your life to training at the level required to perform at an elite level. In Gold Chris Cleave focuses on three athletes, all of whom are hoping to prove they have what it takes to win gold on the cycling track.
The story shifts in time, exploring their early forays into the sport of track cycling, and follows them as they go through the process of preparing for the 2012 Olympics. We see the intense rivalry between Zoe, Kate and Jack and we get to see the cost of the sport on things many of us take for granted.
The description of the cycling training - miles across the Peak District - was brutal, and the depiction of the racing was explosive. At its heart the story was about family and the things that keep you striving for more.
The story shifts in time, exploring their early forays into the sport of track cycling, and follows them as they go through the process of preparing for the 2012 Olympics. We see the intense rivalry between Zoe, Kate and Jack and we get to see the cost of the sport on things many of us take for granted.
The description of the cycling training - miles across the Peak District - was brutal, and the depiction of the racing was explosive. At its heart the story was about family and the things that keep you striving for more.
Really enjoyed this book--good timing reading this right after the Olympics! What would you give up for your dreams? And what dreams would you give up for those you love?
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes