Gold

A Novel

By: Chris Cleave

Narrated by: Emilia Fox

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Building on the tradition of Little Bee, Chris Cleave again writes with elegance, humor, and passion about friendship, marriage, parenthood, tragedy, and redemption.

Gold is the story of Zoe and Kate, world-class athletes who have been friends and rivals since their first day of Elite training. They've loved, fought, betrayed, forgiven, consoled, gloried, and grown up together. Now, on the eve of London 2012, their last Olympics, both women will be tested to their physical and emotional limits. They must confront each other and their own mortality to decide, when lives are at stake: What would you sacrifice for the people you love, if it meant giving up the thing that was most important to you in the world?

Listen to Little Bee by Chris Cleave.

©2012 Chris Cleave (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Cleave goes for the gold and brings it home in his thrillingly written and emotionally rewarding novel about the world of professional cycling.... Cleave expertly cycles through the characters' tangled past and present, charting their ever-shifting dynamic as ultra-competitive Zoe and Kate are forced to decide whether winning means more to them than friendship.... Cleave likewise pulls out all the stops getting inside the hearts and minds of his engagingly complex characters. The race scenes have true visceral intensity, leaving the reader feeling breathless.... From start to finish, this is a truly Olympic-level literary achievement." ( Publishers Weekly)

Wish I liked it more - narrator was great.

Any additional comments?

The narrator does an excellent job. She acts the various parts and does so convincingly bringing more to the book than if it was just words on the page. But... I wasn't a huge fan of Cleave's first book and I wanted to give him another try since I was in the minority then. I had loved Little Bee until the last 30 pages, so I was hopeful that it was a fluke. Unfortunately, my issues with Gold started much earlier in the book. And while I like Gold better that Little Bee, I still don't buy all of the plot twists that it took to continue to throw these four people together and keep them interacting throughout the book. I don't know that real people confronted with these challenges would have acted in the same way and if they would, the story still didn't ring true. There were too many flying leaps. A Cleave fan will probably overlook these issues, in which case, listen away!

light on the sport but still enjoyable

This story of an Olympic cycling rivalry between two women is more soap opera than a realistic athletic portrayal. The two women are friends and rivals over more than ten years. The husband of one (also an Olympic cyclist), the shared coach of the women, and the daughter of one (fighting leukemia) are the main characters. The novel bounces back and forth in time, and it wasn't until the story was halfway done that I was drawn in. While I felt a bit manipulated, I still enjoyed the second half of this novel. Listening to this English novel at the same time as the real Olympics were going on in London was pretty cool. Don't listen to this expecting to get a true glimpse of the lives of Olympic athletes. But if you want a soap opera-like story with a sports background, you might like this.

Wildly addictive!

What did you love best about Gold?

I loved the complexity of the relationships and the revealing of the backstory in small doses.

What did you like best about this story?

It was a blast to read during the olympics and be able to watch the athletes in action in real time.

Which character – as performed by Emilia Fox – was your favorite?

All of the characters were great, but I think I liked Tom, the coach, best.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I'll never forget the scene with Zoe and her brother. Never.

Any additional comments?

I was so addicted to listening that I extended my workouts so I could keep listening! I had horrible withdrawl after the book was over and I'm having a hard time choosing my next listen because I was so immersed in Gold.

Beautiful Writing, Implausible Story

The narration was excellent--gripping, heartfelt, perfect pacing. Chris Cleave is eloquent with gorgeous, thoughtful descriptions of people and their actions. But the story ran false to me--as did the supposed great friendship between Zoe and Kate. I also thought the story should've and could've ended at several other points before it did. Readers should have been left with more to figure out and ponder than we did. Too tidy. I know no one's life, happy or sad, that reaches so many resolutions. Nonetheless, I'll keep reading Mr. Cleave's other books. I loved Little Bee. I also will seek out work by Emilia Fox.

My current favorite book to recommned

If you could sum up Gold in three words, what would they be?

Wide-ranging, human, emotional

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kate - I could so connect with her desire to please but wanting to win at the same time.

What about Emilia Fox’s performance did you like?

Emilia Fox did a very credible job of the different voices and settings - I don't recall any passages where I was confused about who was speaking. Her performance also kept me engaged.

Who was the most memorable character of Gold and why?

Zoe - I can't imagine the torment she went through, but it all seemed believeable.

Any additional comments?

I couldn't stay away from the book but I was reluctant to finish it - I didn't want the book to be over. Of course, the timing was perfect for me (Aug'12) but I think this story would be just as engaging at any time.
I generally go for the longer books - I'm an Audible addict - but I've had the unfortunate habit recently of getting tired of books before they're done. This was absolutely not the case with this book.

Brilliant story about 2 friends

Would you consider the audio edition of Gold to be better than the print version?

I seem to love audio more than printed anymore. I usually do whispersync but I love the audio. It is alot faster to read a book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kate was my favorite because of the choices she made in her life.

Which character – as performed by Emilia Fox – was your favorite?

Probably the coach because she had to really stretch her abilities to make him be believable.

Who was the most memorable character of Gold and why?

Zoe because she is soooo competitive.

Awesome

Best audio book ever!!! Highly recommended. Would make a great movie. Easy listen and enjoyed the reader.

overcoming family trauma genre

Would you consider the audio edition of Gold to be better than the print version?

don't know, as I haven't read the book, only listened

Who was your favorite character and why?

the kid, wise like any fiction kid, because she is sustained by space fantasy

What does Emilia Fox bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

she did a good job of allowing the author's characters to come through

If you could take any character from Gold out to dinner, who would it be and why?

the husband or the coach
because I'd want to find out more about them

Any additional comments?

this is a book you will want to hear every episode, go back to those missed parts when your fall asleep when listening late at night. every character is quite interesting, you'll care about each one

Really enjoyable

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes---overall it was great.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tom--- because he had to be the steady sensible person juggling his three athletes.

Have you listened to any of Emilia Fox’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No first time

If you could take any character from Gold out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Tom to hear the stories he must have to tell.

Any additional comments?

No

Great post Olympic Book!!!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Gold to be better than the print version?

Yes, the narrator made this book interesting and fun to listen to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Zoe! She is flawed, but there is something about her that kept me wanting to hear more.

What does Emilia Fox bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She makes you feel like you are listening to the girls conversation.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This was a book that I got hooked too and had a hard time turning off. I did have to break it up, but once I got started it was hard to turn it off.