Gold

It takes a certain mindset to win Olympic gold. There is a level of dedication and sacrifice necessary that does not come easily to the average person. Timed to coincide with the London summer Olympics, this book gives an amazing look at the world of Olympic level competitive cycling. The story follows two friends who share the dream of winning gold. Cleave realistically shows the training and commitment needed to compete and complicates things by adding family drama to the mix. This is an easy read that holds your interest, although it requires a slight suspension of belief at times and the ending feels a bit contrived. This aside, I recommend it for those who enjoy a good story with believable characters.

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

What would you sacrifice for the people you love?

Kate and Zoe met at nineteen when they made the cut for the national training program in track cycling, a sport that demands intense focus, blinding exertion, and unwavering commitment. They are built to exploit the barest physical and psychological edge over equally skilled rivals, all fighting for the last one tenth of a second that separates triumph from despair.

Now at thirty two, the women are facing their last and biggest race: the 2012 Olympics. Each wants to win gold, and each has more than a medal to lose.

Kate is more naturally gifted, but the demands of her life tend to slow her down. Her eight year old daughter Sophie dreams of the Death Star and fighting alongside Rebels as evil white blood cells ravage her personal galaxy. She is fighting a recurrence of leukemia. Sophie does not want to stand in the way of her mum's Olympic dreams, but each day the dark forces of the universe seem to mass against her.

Devoted and self sacrificing Kate knows her daughter is fragile, but at the height of her last frenzied months of training, might she be blind to the most terrible prognosis?

Intense, aloof Zoe has always hovered on the periphery of real companionship, and her compulsive need to win has threatened both her friendship with Kate and her own sanity. Will she allow her obsession, and the advantage she has over a harried mother, to sever the bond they have shared for more than a decade?

Echoing the adrenaline fueled rush of a race around the Velodrome track, Gold is a triumph of superbly paced, heart in throat storytelling, examining the values at the heart of our most intimate relationships and the choices we make when lives are on the line.

1. Discuss the opening scene of Gold where Kate and baby Sophie are watching Zoe win gold at the 2004 Olympics. What do you learn about Kate as a wife, mother, and athlete?

2. Sophie loves Star Wars and wants to play "tough" games. What attracts her to these stories, and what do they help her express?

3. Tom predicts early on that Zoe will stay afloat in the sport while Kate will struggle under the weight of real life. How accurate is he?

4. Compare Kate, Zoe, and Jack's athletic strengths to their personalities. How do these traits help them off the track?

5. Compare how Zoe and Kate handle fame. How does the press treat each of them, and how do they respond differently?

6. Discuss Zoe and Kate's competition for Jack's attention. Why does Zoe pursue Jack in the hospital? Were you surprised?

7. If you were Kate, would you forgive Jack for his affair with Zoe? Could you raise Sophie knowing the truth?

8. Zoe fears ordinary days more than race days. What does this reveal about her ability to live a balanced life?

9. Discuss the impact of Adam's death on Zoe. How has she punished herself, and how does she finally begin to heal?

10. Jack gives Kate the chance to race without knowing Sophie is hospitalized. Did you agree with his decision?

11. Zoe waits for Kate after Kate crashes on the track. Why is this moment significant for Zoe's character?

12. Zoe becomes Sophie's coach at the end. What kind of coach do you imagine she will be?

13. Gold means something different to each character. What does it symbolize for Zoe, Kate, Jack, and Tom?

This book is about two friends training for the Olympics, but the story is about much more than what it takes to win gold. It explores relationships and life's priorities and abounds with the dynamics of family, friendship, love, and rivalry. The characters are complex, human, and believable. Slightly melodramatic but still a good read.