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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Rounding up to 4.5. I found this story so engrossing. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Nice job Mr. Cleave.
Set against the backdrop of the Olympic Games of 2004 (Athens), 2008 (Beijing) and the not-yet-happened-when-book-written 2012 games in London, the author has, once again, taken extraordinary circumstances and created a novel where the characters are facing huge ethical and moral dilemmas. His two previous novels, 'Incendiary' and 'Little Bee' tackle the subjects of terrorism and illegal refugees respectively. The subject matter in 'Gold' is nowhere near as political - top level cycling and cancer in children - but does provoke the same extreme levels of emotion reaction.
Kate and Zoe are the Olympic cyclists, both British, both world champions, both fiercely competitive. Kate is the all-English girl - everyone's best friend, generous to a fault, the media darling, married to Jack, the British male cycling champ. Zoe is the polar opposite - a loner, permanently verging on self-combustion, unable to be happy, Kate being her only friend in the world. Kate missed out on the 2004 and 2008 Olympics due to her having a new baby, Sophie, to care for in 2004, and in 2008 having to withdraw from the team due to Sophie suffering from leukemia. Finally in 2012, her chance to be the Olympic champion, to make it hers, has arrived. But a relapse in Sophie's health threatens this golden opportunity. As one reviewer put it, and I can't remember who(!), the phrase Sophie's Choice takes on its own meaning in this story.
Does all this sound a bit too chick flick-ky for you? Despite the plot line probably being implausible, the story as a whole is actually very good. I knew absolutely nothing at all about top level track cycling. It certainly is amazing to watch on TV, but the work, dedication, psychology, mind games, intense focus that goes on to get those competitors on the track is quite astounding. And what goes on in those incredibly short races, physically and mentally, inside the cyclists - nothing short of awesome! These would be the sections of the book I most enjoyed reading, mainly because I learnt so much! And I will now watch track cycling with a new degree of awe and admiration for the limits these people push their minds and bodies to.
Young Sophie's illness could have been milked and milked and drip fed to the reader in the most heart wrenching agony, and I probably learnt more about pediatric cancer than I really wanted to know, but as much of it was told from Sophie's point of view, in her parallel Star Wars universe, it didn't feel as much like a soap opera as it could have done. Sophie is one plucky wee girl, but with parents who are Olympic cyclists it is hardly surprising she has inherited their toughness and their strength.
It's a good read, but I still think 'Little Bee' is the best of the three books he has written.
Kate and Zoe are the Olympic cyclists, both British, both world champions, both fiercely competitive. Kate is the all-English girl - everyone's best friend, generous to a fault, the media darling, married to Jack, the British male cycling champ. Zoe is the polar opposite - a loner, permanently verging on self-combustion, unable to be happy, Kate being her only friend in the world. Kate missed out on the 2004 and 2008 Olympics due to her having a new baby, Sophie, to care for in 2004, and in 2008 having to withdraw from the team due to Sophie suffering from leukemia. Finally in 2012, her chance to be the Olympic champion, to make it hers, has arrived. But a relapse in Sophie's health threatens this golden opportunity. As one reviewer put it, and I can't remember who(!), the phrase Sophie's Choice takes on its own meaning in this story.
Does all this sound a bit too chick flick-ky for you? Despite the plot line probably being implausible, the story as a whole is actually very good. I knew absolutely nothing at all about top level track cycling. It certainly is amazing to watch on TV, but the work, dedication, psychology, mind games, intense focus that goes on to get those competitors on the track is quite astounding. And what goes on in those incredibly short races, physically and mentally, inside the cyclists - nothing short of awesome! These would be the sections of the book I most enjoyed reading, mainly because I learnt so much! And I will now watch track cycling with a new degree of awe and admiration for the limits these people push their minds and bodies to.
Young Sophie's illness could have been milked and milked and drip fed to the reader in the most heart wrenching agony, and I probably learnt more about pediatric cancer than I really wanted to know, but as much of it was told from Sophie's point of view, in her parallel Star Wars universe, it didn't feel as much like a soap opera as it could have done. Sophie is one plucky wee girl, but with parents who are Olympic cyclists it is hardly surprising she has inherited their toughness and their strength.
It's a good read, but I still think 'Little Bee' is the best of the three books he has written.
Chris Cleave crafts descriptive passages and his storylines immediately engross the reader. I recently read Little Bee and found it quite compelling and eagerly anticipated Gold. As in Little Bee, Cleave choose to focus on women and their relationship as well as a family secret. While Cleave tackles Olympic sprint cycling with vivid riveting descriptions, the story itself revolving around two women and their final attempt at an Olympic medal leans toward the melodramatic. Zoe is single and ruthless, scheming and uber-competitive. The trained athlete. The one who desires a win above all else. Kate is confident, gracious in defeat. The gifted athlete. Both love the sport. Both take completely different approaches toward it.
It’s interesting that Zoe, seemingly more winning than Kate [she’s won multiple gold medals and has numerous endorsements] has sacrificed much per a society which believes a woman must have marriage and family to be complete. Kate gave up many of her athletic goals to care for her daughter Sophie who has leukemia. She missed several Olympic games due to Sophie’s illness. I found Zoe more fascinating than Kate. Zoe’s flawed and a risk taker on and off the track. Kate seems to be the girl-next-door and I’ve never been very fond of that prototype. When Zoe and Kate meet at age 19, they were trying out for the British Cycling team. Zoe viewed Kate as her only real threat. She noticed that Kate and a male cyclist, Jack, developed a bond. Zoe used this to impair Kate’s ability to race. Thus, begins this bizarre friendship between Zoe and Kate based on jealousy, competition and secrecy more than anything else. The bond isn’t developed in the course of the novel. How are they friends? Cleave never manages to make their friendship believable.
Despite an adrenalin-fueled start, Gold runs out of energy and creativity in its last turn. Although with cancer, jealousy, Olympic rivalry and bike racing? It’s a literary soap opera out just in time to psych you up for the 2012 Olympic games in London.
It’s interesting that Zoe, seemingly more winning than Kate [she’s won multiple gold medals and has numerous endorsements] has sacrificed much per a society which believes a woman must have marriage and family to be complete. Kate gave up many of her athletic goals to care for her daughter Sophie who has leukemia. She missed several Olympic games due to Sophie’s illness. I found Zoe more fascinating than Kate. Zoe’s flawed and a risk taker on and off the track. Kate seems to be the girl-next-door and I’ve never been very fond of that prototype. When Zoe and Kate meet at age 19, they were trying out for the British Cycling team. Zoe viewed Kate as her only real threat. She noticed that Kate and a male cyclist, Jack, developed a bond. Zoe used this to impair Kate’s ability to race. Thus, begins this bizarre friendship between Zoe and Kate based on jealousy, competition and secrecy more than anything else. The bond isn’t developed in the course of the novel. How are they friends? Cleave never manages to make their friendship believable.
Despite an adrenalin-fueled start, Gold runs out of energy and creativity in its last turn. Although with cancer, jealousy, Olympic rivalry and bike racing? It’s a literary soap opera out just in time to psych you up for the 2012 Olympic games in London.
Not as good as Little Bee, but 1 million times better than Incendiary.
I just lost interest in these characters, even though they included Olympic athletes (including, in part, a storyline about the 2012 summer Olympics, coincidentally enough), a cute little girl with leukemia, etc. I rarely stop reading a book without finishing it, but this was one of them...
This story of three world-class athletes (cyclists) and their quest for the Olympics was fascinating. Seeing what it really takes to achieve that kind of elite status in a sport is interesting and rather mind-blowing, but it also leaves you wondering if it is worth the sacrifice. I liked Tom, the coach, and Sophie, the little girl with leukemia. Her coping mechanisms of placing herself in the midst of Star Wars are quite endearing.
The language never lets you forget this is written by a Brit.
Good book club discussion.
The language never lets you forget this is written by a Brit.
Good book club discussion.
"Gold," like Chris Cleave's other novels, is intense and full of emotion. It is about two women who share the quest for gold in track cycling and spans three Olympics. It depicts the commitment required to win and the associated costs. It is about love, loyalty, sacrifice and deceit. Cleave does an excellent job at showing how the choices we make affect our future.
Once again, Cleave delivers.
Once again, Cleave delivers.
Enjoyed this one! Read for book club. Fun to get inside the mind of Olympic athletes and the dedication they put in to have a chance at winning every 4 years. At times a little predictable/overly maudlin
3.5 stars. I almost didn't read this, thinking it would be too much like Little Bee or too fluffy, but I was wrong on both accounts. It's a well-written and compelling novel about how hard it is to live an ordinary life as an extraordinary athlete; humans are messy and complicated and the relationships in this story are very much reflective of that. Though I will never understand why people torment their bodies like professional athletes do, it was a pretty fascinating inside-look at the day-to-day struggles they meet and overcome once their choice is made, but that is really a backdrop for the intense relationships that spring from an intense way of life.