Gold

I enjoyed this book, for the most part - Chris Cleave is very good at ramping up the emotion and he also has a lovely turn of phrase, describing common things in unusual ways. I definitely wasn't bored and it was fascinating getting a glimpse inside this driven, obsessive world - unlike other readers I didn't feel the book was too 'sports heavy' and I felt he wove the information about cycling seamlessly into the narrative.However, what tends to grate on me about Chris Cleave's books in general is a sense that they seem a bit calculated and contrived. He is good at picking a 'now' topic and putting it out there at just the right time. Every character has a heartrending situation to deal with - whether a poorly child (in my opinion the most heart breaking aspect of the book) or a dead brother or mental health problems. It reads a bit like an X Factor list of sob stories. I know this is the stuff of fiction and I can't really put my finger on why it annoys me, but it does. I think the author is capable of much more than he has shown us in The Other Hand, Incendiary and now Gold - my feeling is that he needs to trust himself to fill a story without resorting to 'drama of the week' tactics. Just my opinion though.

Gold by Chris CleaveThree athletes, one trainer, one sick child; all the main characters in Gold, by Chris Cleave, have equal weight. Their stories are cleverly woven together to give all five a 'central role'.The book is written with great attention to chronology with flashbacks revealing the back-story at just the right pace.At times Zoe is harder to like but there is always the hint of a trauma that will explain what is driving her. Kate is almost too good to be true, but empathetic. Jack, could be seen as selfish but his flaws are human and understandable. His attraction to Zoe is genuine so he turns to her when he and Kate fall out.Their trainer,Tom the ex-champ who is determined to have the reflected glory of Olympic champions to compensate for missing his own gold medal by one tenth of a second.A bit corny in places but a touching story, never maudlin and ultimately optimistic,Themes associated with each character include serious illness in children, the dedication involved in top level sport, competition and sacrifice. Overall, if there is one theme it is perhaps commitment.

Kate and Zoe are training for the 2012 London Olympics. This will be the last chance they have to compete as they are both in their early thirties and reaching retirement (from professional sport) age. They met young and have the same coach, Tom, who has worked tirelessly to ensure that these two women achieve the best out of their bodies. Kate and Zoe are friends, they are rivals. The book is about whether their biggest rivalry is on the track, racing against each other on their bikes, or off the track. Is it only about sport? Or is it about family? Love? Kate's husband Jack? Or their daughter Sophie?Apart from a short prologue and epilogue this book takes place over just a few days (with several flashbacks, obviously). The attention to detail necessary to allow the whole story to unfold in this time span is phenomenal. And yet not one page, paragraph or sentence is boring.Both female characters are complete with personality traits, flaws and irritations. Both are one hundred per cent credible and likable. I found myself rooting for both of them, stuck in the horrible position Tom (the coach) is in when he knows only one of them can win. The ending for me was enormously satisfying.I don't know much about professional sports and even less about cycling. Assuming that Cleave has done his homework, I feel I know a lot more now. Another major element of the book was Sophie's illness. This was tough to read at times, but equally you want to know what is going to happen next. At the end of the novel Cleave pays tribute to the real athletes of the Olympics, "May their victories be remembered, and their characters celebrated, forever." and to The Great Ormond Street Hospital for allowing him to do research there. "Caring for sick children is the Olympics of parenting."I would strongly urge anyone to read this thrilling and pacy, yet sensitive and heart-warming, book.

I have read Gold and also The Other Hand and I must say that I prefer Gold. I found The Other Hand utterly unbelievable and it completely failed to grip me - it was too contrived. Gold at least gives insight into the physical, emotional and psychological strength and perseverance that drives athletes to the height of achieving gold at the Olympics. I also liked the relationship between the five characters - like the five circles of the Olympic emblem, tied together and unable to break away.What bothered me about Gold was that I didn't think an athlete who was putting her body through the type of demand necessary would get pregnant that easily. And if she did, I can't believe that another athlete who's goal is also gold would do what Kate did. I guess it can happen but again a little too contrived for me ... but not as much as The Other Hand.

I loved the intensity of this fictional story about elite cyclists. I loved the way the author described the intensity of the struggles and misfortunes both on and off the bikes, and the intensity of their relationships. Their seriously ill daughter brought an additional heartbreaking dimension to the story. I felt for all the main characters, even hard, single-minded Zoe who was not so likeable. The author gets under their skin and clearly portrays that elite athletes are not only a different breed, but that past setbacks and tragedies could possibly give some an extra competitive edge. Nevertheless, if you have a competitive spirit or if you enjoy pushing yourself and others of similar ability, then like me you may get a real buzz from reading some of the training sessions described in this book. I plan to read more from Chris Cleaves.