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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
The story of two women whose lives become entwined as teenagers when they begin training with the same coach to become world-class professional cyclists. Kate is a natural talent, whose life out of the sport has shifted her focus- she's married to another cyclist, and her young daughter is battling leukemia. Zoe has less natural talent, but makes up for it in drive and determination- cycling is the only thing in her life, and she is willing to sacrifice everything else in order to win any way she can.
So many parts of this story were well researched and interesting- first, the life of a professional athlete, which is incredibly grueling and focused on making your body a highly tuned instrument, with diet and training. Plus, the drama that comes when a small group of Type A personalities are together all the time. Second, the races themselves. While reading these parts I could feel my heart rate increasing, and I was completely wrapped up in the race, reading faster and faster until the race was done. Finally, one of the narrators of the story was Sophie, Kate's daughter, who is trying to keep a brave face as the cancer ravages her body. Chris Cleave included an afterward discussing his research in this area, and I would recommend that it not be skipped- the people that he interviewed obviously had a strong impact on his life, and it comes through in his portrayal of Sophie.
I really loved this, and it was a quick read. My one complaint-ish thing is the character of Kate- she was almost too perfect, and it made her feel less real. On the other hand Zoe can almost be too evil at times, and it made me feel less sympathetic towards her (by the end of the book she was much more sympathetic).
People might question the timing of this book- the end game is the London 2012 Olympics, and it was released during the Olympic trials. However, instead of seeing this as a money-grab, I feel like it is the work of an inquisitive author who took advantage of the Olympics taking place on his doorstep (Cleave lives in London, I believe) to get some good, strong research done. I know I will be paying much more attention to the track cycling this time around.
So many parts of this story were well researched and interesting- first, the life of a professional athlete, which is incredibly grueling and focused on making your body a highly tuned instrument, with diet and training. Plus, the drama that comes when a small group of Type A personalities are together all the time. Second, the races themselves. While reading these parts I could feel my heart rate increasing, and I was completely wrapped up in the race, reading faster and faster until the race was done. Finally, one of the narrators of the story was Sophie, Kate's daughter, who is trying to keep a brave face as the cancer ravages her body. Chris Cleave included an afterward discussing his research in this area, and I would recommend that it not be skipped- the people that he interviewed obviously had a strong impact on his life, and it comes through in his portrayal of Sophie.
I really loved this, and it was a quick read. My one complaint-ish thing is the character of Kate- she was almost too perfect, and it made her feel less real. On the other hand Zoe can almost be too evil at times, and it made me feel less sympathetic towards her (by the end of the book she was much more sympathetic).
People might question the timing of this book- the end game is the London 2012 Olympics, and it was released during the Olympic trials. However, instead of seeing this as a money-grab, I feel like it is the work of an inquisitive author who took advantage of the Olympics taking place on his doorstep (Cleave lives in London, I believe) to get some good, strong research done. I know I will be paying much more attention to the track cycling this time around.
This was a great book! I found myself intrigued by the depth of the characterization and the obsession of each of the main characters as they pursued their dreams. The author did a great job of drawing me in, rooting for them, crying with them in their pain and understanding the drive of each of them. I am particularly impressed by the detail and description of what it takes not only to be an Olympian but also a champion in the realm of relationships. I LOVED and was surprised by a twist about halfway through regarding motherhood. This is a fine book. The author stopped me, often, for his phrasing, his metaphors and his intense research! OH! I am awe of some of the descriptions on a cellular level -- what happens to an athlete while they push limits of their own body and what happens to a cancer patient who is fighting for their lives. I would definitely read any book by this author!
Chris Cleave again creates complex characters that you want to both push off a building, and root for at the same time. I think I enjoyed Little Bee more, but this was great too.
I bought into the characters and their stories, but was disappointed by the end. Came too suddenly and 'easily. '
I wanted to like this book, I really did. I LOVE the Olympics so I thought reading this would be the perfect way to fulfill my Olympic needs as I wait for the summer 2012 games to start. Well, that didn't really end up being the case. Overall I thought the personal stories of the characters were pretty unbelievable. I also didn't identify or sympathize with any of them. I never saw Zoe as anything more than a heartless bitch, Jack was just a cad, I never learned enough about Kate's internal motivations to sympathize with her, and I even found the girl the girl with cancer annoying (I don't know what's wrong with me...). The only character I even kind of liked was the coach, but really I could take or leave him.
I will say I was excited to find out the conclusion of the book, I even covered the text I hadn't read with my hand so that I couldn't skip ahead. So there's that.
It's just disappointing that there wasn't more to this. I am an extremely fast reader, when I like something I can easily finish it in a day or two (that's how I've read 46 books so far in 2012), even with work and life. But I started reading Gold the first day of my vacation (a Saturday) and I didn't finish reading it until I was home from vacation (the following Saturday). That's a whole week's worth of mornings, evenings, random time during the day, and a cross-country plane ride that I found other things I preferred than reading this book.
I will say I was excited to find out the conclusion of the book, I even covered the text I hadn't read with my hand so that I couldn't skip ahead. So there's that.
It's just disappointing that there wasn't more to this. I am an extremely fast reader, when I like something I can easily finish it in a day or two (that's how I've read 46 books so far in 2012), even with work and life. But I started reading Gold the first day of my vacation (a Saturday) and I didn't finish reading it until I was home from vacation (the following Saturday). That's a whole week's worth of mornings, evenings, random time during the day, and a cross-country plane ride that I found other things I preferred than reading this book.
This is the first book I've read by Chris Cleave. Though his critically acclaimed Little Bee garnered much attention, this seemed to not have such critical support, but I decided to try it anyway. The story follows three cyclists in the span of a few days with several flashbacks tracing their cycling careers. All are in training for the London 2012 Olympics, a few months away. One, Zoe, is a two-time Olympic champion with a haunted past that she deals with the only way she knows how - on the seat of her bike at breakneck speed. Another, Kate, has just missed her chances at gold twice and is hoping to finally clinch it. And last there is Jack, Kate's husband and fellow champion cyclist. The story follows the three cyclists' complex relationships with each other as well as their struggles with Kate and Jack's daughter, Sophie, an adorable eight year old with an obsession with Star Wars that helps her deal with the fact she has leukemia. Switching from these four character's point of views as well as Kate and Zoe's coach Tom, the story traces the happenings of the few days while slowly over the course of the book Cleave allows the reader to know more and more about their pasts to see how it plays into the present. It was fascinating to read the mindset of a champion cyclist and Cleave clearly did the research. It was heartbreaking but also very interesting to read about Sophie and her leukemia, in such contrast to the cycling. Well timed with the London 2012 Olympics while I read it, I enjoyed the book a lot, though didn't love it. Something about the storyline bothered me, especially SPOILER ALERT with the revelation that Kate is not Sophie's mother but in fact Zoe is. Though the three were a unit, I don't know if anyone would or should put up with all that Kate did. Jack also seemed a bit too passive as a character. Though the book was mainly about Zoe and Kate's relationships, Jack's story seemed to quiet considering how important he was for both Kate and Zoe's storyline. Overall though, I loved reading about the cycling and getting inside the mind of a driven athlete and I loved all the Star Wars references with Sophie.
A compelling read with only five characters -- three cyclists, the coach, and the kid. Sort of a ghost, too, the dead kid brother who metaphorically haunts the one cyclist. Good tension and suspense and heart-wrenching without being ridiculous. Certainly could be made into a movie. A good example of a story that moves forward while the flashbacks help build a clearer picture of the real story as their timeline moves forward, too.
Recommended reading.
Recommended reading.
Chris Cleave could not have written a more timely book. Set during the run-up to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, his book revolves around three world class sprint cyclists who live and train in Manchester. Kate is the good girl, "normal," pretty, a naturally gifted rider who, during her first race at the age, gave up an easy victory to assist a fallen rider. Zoe, whose beauty provides her with numerous sponsorship deals and fashion magazine covers, is, by her own admission, "ugly on the inside," damaged and ruthless, and looking to make connections by being reckless in love. The two women are best friends and rivals, even for the hunky Scottish cyclist, Jack, whom Kate eventually marries.
Cleave does a nice job of bringing the world of competitive, world class athletes to life, and he seamlessly weaves in flashbacks that provide the reader with background on what occurred in the past, both professionally and personally, to the three characters, and the girls' coach, Tom. Where the book falters is with the introduction of Sophie, Kate and Jack's 6 year old daughter, who is a character straight from central casting. Sophie is precocious, perceptive and wildly imagainative and, of course, is facing a recurrence of leukemia. With a change in the IOC rules which allow only one athlete to compete, and Sophie's worsening condition, I couldn't feel more manipulated while reading Gold.
Cleave does a nice job of bringing the world of competitive, world class athletes to life, and he seamlessly weaves in flashbacks that provide the reader with background on what occurred in the past, both professionally and personally, to the three characters, and the girls' coach, Tom. Where the book falters is with the introduction of Sophie, Kate and Jack's 6 year old daughter, who is a character straight from central casting. Sophie is precocious, perceptive and wildly imagainative and, of course, is facing a recurrence of leukemia. With a change in the IOC rules which allow only one athlete to compete, and Sophie's worsening condition, I couldn't feel more manipulated while reading Gold.
I read a lot of bad reviews of this book, especially when compared to Little Bee. But I didn't care for Little Bee and enjoyed this book a lot. Most of the plot points are a stretch, and the pacing of the book is a bit manipulative toward the end, but if you can put these aside (I know, a big "if" for many people), the story of the life of elite athletes is pretty interesting. It made for an enjoyable and quick read.