California Golden

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Two sisters navigate the turbulent, euphoric early days of California surf culture in this dazzling saga of ambition, sacrifice, and longing for a family they never had, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Children's Blizzard "A shimmering rendering . . . pairs the surf culture of the Beach Boys with the sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll of Daisy Jones & The Six."-Entertainment Weekly ("Best Books of the Summer") Two sisters navigate the thrilling, euphoric early days of California surf culture in this dazzling saga of ambition, sacrifice, and the tangled ties between mothers and daughters from the New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator's Wife. "A shimmering rendering . . . pairs the surf culture of the Beach Boys with the sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll of Daisy Jones & The Six."-Entertainment Weekly ("Best Books of the Summer") Southern California, 1960s- endless sunny days surfing in Malibu, followed by glittering neon nights at Whisky a Go Go. In an era when women are expected to be housewives, Carol Donnelly breaks the mold as a legendary female surfer struggling to compete in a male-dominated sport-and her daughters, Mindy and Ginger, bear the weight of Carol's unconventional lifestyle. The Donnelly sisters grow up enduring their mother's absence-physically, when she's at the beach, and emotionally, the rare times she's at home. To escape questions about Carol's whereabouts-and to chase her elusive affection-they cut school to spend their days in the surf. From her first time on a board, Mindy is a natural, but Ginger, two years younger, feels out of place in the water. As they grow up and their lives diverge, Mindy and Ginger's relationship ebbs and flows. Mindy finds herself swept up in celebrity, complete with beachside love affairs, parties at the Playboy Club, and a USO tour in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Ginger, desperate for a community of her own, is tugged into the dangerous counterculture of drugs and cults. But through it all, their sense of duty to each other survives, as the girls are forever connected by the emotional damage they carry from their unorthodox childhood. A gripping, emotional story set at a time when mothers were expected to be Donna Reed, not Gidget, California Golden is an unforgettable novel about three women living in a society that was shifting as tempestuously as the breaking waves.

Reviews

Melanie Benjamin pairs thesurf culture of the Beach Boys with the sex, drugs, and rock n roll of Daisy Jones & the Six. . . . Benjamins novel isa portrait of three women beset by shifting cultural tides and a shimmering rendering of the promisesand heartbreak of Southern California.Entertainment Weekly

If youre looking for a meticulously detailed breakdown of surf culture, look no further than Melanie Benjamins new novel. . . [a book] teeming with sand, sun, water, hot-pink bikinis and hamburger stands. . . .California Golden plants its feet firmly on the board and rides a powerful wave of nostalgia, eyes focused on the opportunities and dangers ahead.Los Angeles Times

Benjaminvividly evokes the squalor and splendor of California surfing culture in this richly-textured novel that explores sisterhood, motherhood, ambition and friendship,with characters who rise alive from the page. Its rare to find such raw, honest sympathy for human beings and their capacity for mistakes and redemption. California Golden is a breath of bracing salt air.Beatriz Williams, author of A Hundred Summers

A gripping story about the poweroffamily ties set in the edgy California surf cultureand the glamorous and sometimes dangerous world of Hollywood celebrity, California Golden takes readers on anemotional, page-turning ride.Elyssa Friedland, author of The Most Likely Club

California Golden left me breathless.Against the shimmering backdrop of Californias burgeoning surf culture, Melanie Benjamin explores the bonds of sisterhood and motherhood in an era where society, and its expectations of women, are ever changing.The Donnelly women, perfect in their imperfections, will stay with you long after the last page.Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

Melanie Benjamin does a superb job of showing the complicated relationships that happen in so many families. Her ability to describe the scenery of the California surf scene is unmatched.This is the perfect story for readers who want to get lost in an emotional novel about breaking barriers and being a family.Rachel Hanna, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Beach House

You can practically hear The Beach Boys singingCalifornia Girls in this novelabout surfer sisters Mindy and Ginger Donnelly and their mother, Carol, a world-class athlete and terrible mom. Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reids Malibu Rising will enjoy this story, which shares some of same locales, but the dysfunctional family at its center isone of a kind . . . This sun-soaked novel is wonderfully awashin the music, television, and fashion of the 60sas well as the counterculture movement.Kirkus Reviews

With the charm and nostalgiaof Beth Harbisons Confessions of the Other Sister and Amy Mason Doans Lady Sunshine,Benjamins novel also shows what the sun-kissed highlight reels so often missed.Booklist

Author Bio

Melanie Benjamin is a prize-winning novelist and the New York Times bestselling author of The Children's Blizzard, Mistress of the Ritz, The Girls in the Picture, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, The Aviator's Wife, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, and Alice I Have Been. Benjamin lives in Chicago.