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paige_pell's review against another edition
3.0
There were parts of this book that I really loved and the author has a real knack for the descriptive phrase; I book marked a number of them.
nicolettamama's review against another edition
2.0
This story was very hard to really be interested in. It was quite a letdown after Cleaves' other two books!
lynniep's review against another edition
3.0
Good writing, compelling and well developed characters, a complicated and almost implausible story line. I didn’t mind it.
wondermrs's review against another edition
4.0
His books keep getting better! I loved all the characters in this which is unusual. Not without its sad moments, but this is not as heavy and dark as parts of Little Bee where. Do yourself a favor and read it.
jeannepathfinder's review against another edition
2.0
I was disappointed in this book. The emotional friction seemed contrived. I didn't really care for the main characters. The story was not compelling.
iamhorriblylimited's review against another edition
5.0
I severely disliked Zoe but overall it was a good book, inspiring and definitely gave me a different perspective about Olympic Athletes, it's not something I would've picked out on my own but I'm glad I read it.
ekyoder's review against another edition
1.0
I read this because it was Newsweek's book club's summer pick. "Gold" follows three track cycling athletes as they prepare for the 2012 Olympics, flashing back to past competitions and personal conflicts. I could tell that the book was well-researched; it was interesting to get a glimpse of the dedication and single-mindedness it takes to train for a sport at this elite level. (Side recommendation: a far superior book about professional dedication and training is Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff )
The part that lagged was the exposition of the main characters' personal lives. Cleave took a page out of the Nicholas Sparks playbook with an overwrought, schmaltzy kid-with-cancer subplot. The sickness trumped any character development, and, of course, conveniently got worse at critical plot points. The central love triangle relied on tired character tropes, as well. The characters even spoke in cliches when arguing, joking, and communicating their feelings. I'd get it if Cleave was just trying to relay that these are single-minded athletes, not especially clever, eloquent people, but overall, it just felt like lazy writing.
The part that lagged was the exposition of the main characters' personal lives. Cleave took a page out of the Nicholas Sparks playbook with an overwrought, schmaltzy kid-with-cancer subplot. The sickness trumped any character development, and, of course, conveniently got worse at critical plot points. The central love triangle relied on tired character tropes, as well. The characters even spoke in cliches when arguing, joking, and communicating their feelings. I'd get it if Cleave was just trying to relay that these are single-minded athletes, not especially clever, eloquent people, but overall, it just felt like lazy writing.
jwlove333's review against another edition
3.0
I think really I would say 3.5. This was an interesting book for me. I liked the story a lot and it was very intense at times, but yet there is something holding me back a little on it. Not sure if it was part of the plot or the characters or something else. I am looking forward to discussing it at a book club tomorrow night to see if my opinion on it changes at all the more I think about it.
plt333's review against another edition
2.0
The plot is interesting, but it can be told in half the amount of pages it took to put this book together. I'm not a fan of the writing style; I wouldn't recommend it despite how every review of this book claims it's the most wonderful story ever written in the universe.