''Gold'' is a 2012 sports novel by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

author

Chris Cleave Chris Cleave (born 1973) is a British writer and journalist. Biography Cleave was born in London on May 14, 1973, brought up in Cameroon and Buckinghamshire, and educated at Balliol College, Oxford where he studied psychology. He lives in the ...

and was published by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

on 3 July 2012 in the US, and by

Sceptre A sceptre is a staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia. Figuratively, it means royal or imperial authority or sovereignty. Antiquity Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia The ''Was'' and other ...

in the UK. The story focuses on the friendship and rivalry between two women and the effects that come from the choices they make and the events that they cannot prevent.

Plot

''Gold'' follows two friends and professional cycling rivals, Kate Meadows and Zoe Castle, through their lives until the London Olympics. Meeting at the age of nineteen at a cycling challenge, Kate chooses a family over cycling while Zoe maintains her profession, winning several medals at both Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games. Kate re-enters competitive cycling with hopes of competing in the London Olympics. Kate's daughter, Sophie, is seriously ill with leukemia during the preparation for the Olympics.

Background

Cleave stated that the then-upcoming

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

prompted him to write ''Gold'', with his children also serving as a source of inspiration. He also did research on cycling as he wrote the book, with the book going through six drafts before its final version.

Reception

Critical reception for ''Gold'' was positive, with the ''Guardian'' praising it as "thrillingly good". The ''Toronto Star'' and

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

both gave positive reviews of the novel, with the ''Star'' stating that ''Gold'' was "a sports novel

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

transcends the tropes and clichés of sport journalism". The ''Telegraph'' gave an ambivalent review for ''Gold'', saying that "Cleave’s writing style suggests that he enjoys the practical mechanics of his subject, but there are times when concrete, industrial images just can’t work". Bruce Barcott of the ''New York Times'' praised ''Gold'' but stated that instead of being the "“North Dallas Forty” or “Ball Four” of an obscure Olympic sport" it was "“Beaches” on bikes".

References

External links

''Gold'' at Chris Cleave's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gold 2012 British novels Novels about cycling Olympic Games in fiction Sceptre (imprint) books