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A review by hobbithopeful
Good as Gold by Candace Buford
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
A great premise, but unanswered questions and a rushed plot made Good as Gold feel unfinished, confusing, and overall left me incredibly frustrated and disappointed.
The book was so inconsistent. Some chapters we would get lovely full scenes, tension, and great plot. But the for the vast majority of the book it would lead us right into scenes perfect for suspense...and then just cut away to the next day and give us a measly recap of what happened! How am I supposed to be invested in the plot and characters if so much is happening off page?
It had a strong beginning but the further into the book I got, the character development just stopped and the pacing kept speeding up. There are so many characters that seem so vital to the story that we just never see again.
A lot of the action happens in the beginning of the book, but it just makes it more confusing if anything else. There's a car chase and shots fired, and the characters know who is after them. And then they just keep walking around town and living their lives as if they aren't in any danger! They even go to school and regularly encounter the bad guys yet it doesn't even seem to matter.
In an odd way Good as Gold felt half finished and rushed. So many scenes that I thought were going to lead to action, or more suspense, were just cut aways to "the next day". I really thought things were going to go down at Prom, the stakes were incredibly high and they had to be sneaky. Instead we didn't get any of that and it was just a cut away and a recap.
I did like how Fatima stood up for herself, even though her character just completely disappears after Prom. I liked the inclusion of talking about the lack of education around the Civil War, and how history is whitewashed. Overall just the premise of a mystery and town that has been covered up by white people so they can maintain power is such a great one, though lacking in execution.
I thought there was going to be more discovery around Toulouse and the showdown that happened. Maybe a journal, or a history book. Even just a simple conversation talking about what took place, and what happened. I guess the author would just assume we would have enough to go on by the bullet holes, the cannon balls, and the hidden deeds. BUT THAT TOLD ME NOTHING! I was so incredibly frustrated because the writing could be so engaging at times, and I feel like the book was such a let down. The end came out of nowhere. We didn't get to see any of the showdown, and it just was all resolved in one page. Then it was the epilogue which jumped a year without even saying above the chapter "one year later" and at that point I had no investment in any of the characters. I really thought that Casey was going to have a showdown with her ex friend, or just some kind of character growth in regards to how her family views money. Casey stands up and makes her speech and then..that's it. We don't get any answers about the town or the history. It's not even that the story was bad it just felt like half of it was missing. I just truly don't understand how this book even got to the point of being published with it being like this.
I do not recommend this book, nor would I ever read anything from this author again. (Unless maybe Buford moves moves publishers)
The book was so inconsistent. Some chapters we would get lovely full scenes, tension, and great plot. But the for the vast majority of the book it would lead us right into scenes perfect for suspense...and then just cut away to the next day and give us a measly recap of what happened! How am I supposed to be invested in the plot and characters if so much is happening off page?
It had a strong beginning but the further into the book I got, the character development just stopped and the pacing kept speeding up. There are so many characters that seem so vital to the story that we just never see again.
A lot of the action happens in the beginning of the book, but it just makes it more confusing if anything else. There's a car chase and shots fired, and the characters know who is after them. And then they just keep walking around town and living their lives as if they aren't in any danger! They even go to school and regularly encounter the bad guys yet it doesn't even seem to matter.
In an odd way Good as Gold felt half finished and rushed. So many scenes that I thought were going to lead to action, or more suspense, were just cut aways to "the next day". I really thought things were going to go down at Prom, the stakes were incredibly high and they had to be sneaky. Instead we didn't get any of that and it was just a cut away and a recap.
I did like how Fatima stood up for herself, even though her character just completely disappears after Prom. I liked the inclusion of talking about the lack of education around the Civil War, and how history is whitewashed. Overall just the premise of a mystery and town that has been covered up by white people so they can maintain power is such a great one, though lacking in execution.
I thought there was going to be more discovery around Toulouse and the showdown that happened. Maybe a journal, or a history book. Even just a simple conversation talking about what took place, and what happened. I guess the author would just assume we would have enough to go on by the bullet holes, the cannon balls, and the hidden deeds. BUT THAT TOLD ME NOTHING! I was so incredibly frustrated because the writing could be so engaging at times, and I feel like the book was such a let down. The end came out of nowhere. We didn't get to see any of the showdown, and it just was all resolved in one page. Then it was the epilogue which jumped a year without even saying above the chapter "one year later" and at that point I had no investment in any of the characters. I really thought that Casey was going to have a showdown with her ex friend, or just some kind of character growth in regards to how her family views money. Casey stands up and makes her speech and then..that's it. We don't get any answers about the town or the history. It's not even that the story was bad it just felt like half of it was missing. I just truly don't understand how this book even got to the point of being published with it being like this.
I do not recommend this book, nor would I ever read anything from this author again. (Unless maybe Buford moves moves publishers)
Content Warnings
Minor: Car accident, Toxic friendship, and Racism