Gold: A Novel

As the days countdown to the 2012 London Olympics, Cleave delicately balances the plot with revelations of the intertwined pasts of 3 Olympic cyclists and their coach. A riveting read about the lives of elite athletes, where your best friend can be you toughest competition. In Gold, Cleave retains all the insights into the motivations of individual souls that made Little Bee so captivating, but delivers them with a more plot(and less soul-crushing despair). This is one of those novels, I want to read again just to study how he balances it all and brings it all together. It's a book that will appeal to serious and casual reader alike (so it's perfect for book clubs).

Especially with the Olympics this year, I found this book about Olympic training for the bicycle race to be fascinating. Zoe and Kate are two women who have trained together since early childhood. They have trained with their friendJack. All three have been hand picked for their temperaments by their coach Tom, who watches and lives their lives as they are enmeshed in the Olympic pursuit. I found most interesting the way that the more quotidian concerns of the world interrupt the pursuit of excellence. Even for these world class athletes, the world of sex, bodies, and relationships become a part of the story. I am a sucker for a trip into a different world, and this gave me an excellent read. It isn't as luminous as Little bee, but that is the curse of an author with the excellence of a previous novel. It is still worth the read. Cleave is a wonderful writer.

Chris Cleave is an extraordinary writer, whose talents surpass most, which is why I'm extra critical of his work. "Incendiary" and "Little Bee" were gut wrenching, with raw emotion and detail; they didn't trail off like a fairy-tale ending. "Gold", Cleave's third book to hit shelves is a fine read; however, it's nowhere near as good as his previous work. The story centers around two female Olympic cyclists in their early thirties, Zoe and Kate, who are training for the 2012 London Olympics. Training together since they were nineteen, the two ladies have more drama off the track than on, yet remain as close as sisters throughout each traumatic event that hits their life in their thirteen years together. Instead of taking the voice of his main characters as we're used to him doing, Cleave chose to write in the third-person, skipping from character to character, making it difficult to truly understand and feel each voice. His character development maintains strong yet leaves the character somewhat distant from the reader. To be honest, the characters didn't come across as believable. They were too simple and "Hollywood-like" to actually be realistic. In the end, "Gold" fails to live up to "Incendiary" and "Little Bee". His detailed descriptions of the track and cycling maintain the reader's interest; however, it's nowhere near his best work.

I bought this book because I'd read 'Little Bee' by the same author and was grabbed by the life-likeness of the characters and the authenticity of the dialogue. I felt I was right back amongst the people I knew when living in London 40 years ago. After starting 'Gold' I, at first, wondered why I'd bought it as I wasn't the least interested in cycling, especially pursuit events. However, once again I was grabbed by the characters and kept on reading as I got drawn into the plot and through them, was able to appreciate the thrill of the sport. The author says he, himself, raced to experience what he was to write about and it shows. I'll watch the velodrome events during the next Olympics with a greater understanding and excitement thanks to this book. However, there's more to the plot than competitive racing - the human dynamics are also riveting. To get inside the head and body of each character as the author does is nothing short of amazing, and his research is commendable, adding integrity to the story. This book confirms my belief that Chris Cleave is a great writer and I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.

"Gold" is a great read. As the story unfolded it was harder and harder to put down. Cleave does a great job of taking the reader into three separate but overlapping worlds: the interior world of the professional/ elite athlete in general, the physical world of competitive cycling in particular, and the internal world of the individual characters that make you care about this novel. Although the story examines what it takes to pursue Olympic gold, it also is a keen drawing of a set of inter-connected and terribly flawed human beings, of their dreams and their realities, and the fears that get to them in the middle of the night - just like the rest of us. Like Cleaves' other work, this novel has the journalist's nose for the telling detail as well as the compelling human element. A good read for the jock and non-jock, alike - and I know of what I speak. Seriously.

I have read both The Other Hand and Incendiary, and although pretty dark, loved them. I felt they pondered a little too much on the darker side of human nature, but I think we should all recognise that we have that dark side and its potential is to 'look the other way'. Gold delivered! I loved the characters, the build of the drama, I foresaw much of the plot, but still loved how the characters histories padded them out. I loved Sophie and how her vulnerability added an energy to the whole story, not just to her illness. I got moaned out throughout my whole holiday, with a large group, to put the bloomin Kindle down!!! That's testimony for you:)

This is the second novel I read from this author and have enjoyed his writing style. Gold kept you intrigued from the first chapter. Having just watched the Olympics, it makes me want to go back and watch the cyclists all over again. Cleave did a great job of getting into each characters mind making you love and hate them. He researched the topic well. The characters and their life style was believable. I look forward to any of his future works.

Chris Cleave is amazing, and the characters he creates in Gold are at least as real and fascinating as those in Little Bee. The timing couldn't have been better, of course, as this is a story about 3 Olympic cyclists (2 women and a man) and their life-long journey, getting ever-closer to the London 2012 Olympics (the book was released only a few weeks prior). Their complex, intertwined lives kept me wanting to know more all the way through (and I got it), and the competitive moments on and off the track were truly heart-pounding. I really couldn't put this one down, and I was happy about the ending, but sad when it was over ~ I wanted more!