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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
meh. way too heavy handed with the metaphors and felt like he spent 5 minutes developing the caricatures.. excuse me, I meant characters. surprised considering how loved Little Bee is.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is very compelling, and hard to put down. The characters don't always feel evenly developed, and it's not for the profanity sensitive. Everything wraps up very neatly, which isn't my favorite, but it's a very enjoyable read.
Close to 4 stars. Learned a lot, but I would have preferred if the flashbacks were less just descriptions of what happened and more us experiencing it with them.
I thought I was going to have to throw this book across the room near the end, but they pulled it out! Definitely raised my blood pressure there at the end.
I was pretty captivated by the story the whole way through, despite it being a little predictable. It's a quick read and Cleave captures the intensity of Olympic cycling well and has written dynamically tragic characters to go with it. I would definitely recommend; it put me in the mood for the London Games and eight-year-old Sophie will just break your heart.
This novel really fell flat for me. There was waaaaay too much introspection/nostalgic remembrances for me. Just get on with the story.
I'm in the midst of reading an advanced reader's copy of this, and so far it's an excellent read! Gripping, suspenseful, with emotional twists and turns. I'm having a hard time putting it down.
This book was absolutely fantastic! Chris Cleave has created a masterpiece. Zoe and Kate have competed their entire lives in cycling while attempting to balance that competition with their friendship. They have been around each other since their teens and have grown into a rocky friendship. Kate's husband Jack is also a professional cyclist. This story revolves around the three preparing for the London Olympics while Kate and Jack's daughter, Sophie, deals with Leukemia. Knowing how much her illness affects her parents, Sophie attempts to hide when she is in pain.
Sophie, though only eight, is able to give the most accurate depiction of her surroundings and the feelings of the people around her. Through her eyes, we see Kate & Jack arguing and making up and how they orient themselves around Sophie.
Zoe is very hard to figure out. She is only happy when she is racing and competing for the win. In that, Zoe and Kate differ. Zoe needs to win to survive and Kate does not. Preparing for the London Olympics brings out surprises and long-kept secrets from all of the characters. Dealing with a child who is terminally ill is a hard experience for anyone. How Kate and Jack stand up to the challenge while preparing for the biggest stage of their careers is astonishing.
This book will be published in the US in July and I definitely recommend it to all Chris Cleave fans and anyone looking for a new view of human nature in the face of difficulty. My copy of the book was an advance reader copy provided to a Barnes & Noble store.
Sophie, though only eight, is able to give the most accurate depiction of her surroundings and the feelings of the people around her. Through her eyes, we see Kate & Jack arguing and making up and how they orient themselves around Sophie.
Zoe is very hard to figure out. She is only happy when she is racing and competing for the win. In that, Zoe and Kate differ. Zoe needs to win to survive and Kate does not. Preparing for the London Olympics brings out surprises and long-kept secrets from all of the characters. Dealing with a child who is terminally ill is a hard experience for anyone. How Kate and Jack stand up to the challenge while preparing for the biggest stage of their careers is astonishing.
This book will be published in the US in July and I definitely recommend it to all Chris Cleave fans and anyone looking for a new view of human nature in the face of difficulty. My copy of the book was an advance reader copy provided to a Barnes & Noble store.
Loved the complexity of the characters, the thrill of the competition, and the depth of woundedness (and yes, beginning healing) of the characters. As in Little Bee, the author skips around in time as the main characters remember pivotal events taking place years before, and helping us to better understand their actions throughout the book. This was great!