California Gold: The emotional, must-read literary saga from the BBC Between the Covers author of Another Life

by Jodie Chapman

'Stylish, vibrant, romantic – and written in beautiful prose - the characters' various realisations that the only thing any of us have is the moment we are living in will stay with me for a very long time' KATE SAWYER


Frank and Chrissy meet a few days into ’70. Frank has been travelling around California for a while with friends, when someone tells him about a house in the desert two hours east of LA where the walls are steel and the glass shimmers. Frank tells I have to see this house. When Chrissy picks him up on the side of the road, all blond hair and oversized sunglasses, it’s love at first sight.

Years later, as their shared dream of recreating a mid-century masterpiece of a home in Britain threatens to overwhelm them, Frank will often think about how this was where it started. What if he had carried on walking, kicking at the dust? What if she had driven to Palm Springs the next day or even the next hour? Every moment of tomorrow would have completely changed.

So begins California Gold, a portrait of a marriage, a family and the thin line between a dream and an obsession.

'Both a wide-screen romance and a dream that turns into obsession. An epic portrait of a complicated family, ambitious and compelling' JULIE OWEN MOYLAN

'A sweeping, sumptuously told tale that will entirely transport you. Compelling, evocative and cinematic…an utter joy' YOMI ADEGOKE

373 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 19, 2026

About the author

Born and raised in England, Jodie spent a decade as a photographer before returning to her first love of writing. She lives in Kent with her husband and three sons.

Instagram: @jodiechapman
Twitter: @jodiechapman

Reviews

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+
Englishman Frank O’Hara and Chrissy Wharton meet in 1970 south of Los Angeles when he’s hitching a ride and she stops to pick him up. She’s definitely all California Gold and he’s dazzled. There’s an instant connection and they swiftly marry in Las Vegas in opposition to Chrissy’s wealthy parents who disinherit her. They head to England and set about re-creating a dream home in Kent, reminiscent of one Frank sees in Palm Springs which mesmerises him. Eventually ‘Mirage’ appears on the Kentish hillside. However, transferring a Californian dream to Kent could indeed be a mirage, and it will certainly come with a multitude of challenges that could impact them for years.

Well, this is a saga that’s for sure as it follows the family through the decades and I’m not surprised it took the author so long to write it as it’s so polished. It’s beautifully written, there’s nothing unnecessary or superfluous as I immerse myself in the emotional rollercoaster that is the O’Hara family. Their relationships are charted, how it changes and morphs into something new, it’s hard to get a handle on some characters but that’s how they are to those who observe them. The fluctuating dynamics and family conflicts are fascinating.

Overarching it all is the house, a character in its own right, mirroring what’s going on inside and reflecting it back in its appearance. It could be anything from gold to grey, filled with love and laughter or silence and ghosts, vibrant or disintegrating. This is one of the most powerful elements in the book in my opinion.

Each decade has its own specific feel along with the characters which gives a great sense of context and time. There are lots of other touches that I like, such as lack of speech marks at the start which captures the excitement, optimism and energy which then appear as life takes on a different tone.

I really like the ending as it’s a full circle moment.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was offered this on @netgalley by the lovely @michaeljbooks having read and loved Oh Sister by @jodiechapman a couple of years ago.

This story starts in 1970s California where Englishman Frank meets the beautiful Chrissy in California. Their whirlwind romance leads them to the House of Tomorrow, the glass and steel house where Elvis and Priscilla Presley spent their honeymoon.

Within days they marry (to her parents dismay) and return to the UK where they build their own version of House of Tomorrow planning to live there forever….

The story follows the lives of Frank and his family over the next forty years. It’s a saga full of detail and emotional depth, resentment, distance, and emotional pain ripples through the generations, leaving each sibling scarred in their own way. For me, youngest daughter Alice was the most heartbreaking, and her suffering stayed with me long after finishing.

The House of Tomorrow was never just a building, its was a promise and a commitment, and dreams like buildings, when untended, can fracture under the weight of time.

It’s deep and slow and at times a hard read, but like Oh Sister, I highly recommend

*Out Spring 2026*

[Lidija Hilje · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Chrissy and Frank meet in California in early 1970, they fall in love not only with each other but also with The House of Tomorrow, Elvis and Priscilla’s honeymoon hideaway in Palm Springs, which they become determined to recreate in England. But this endeavor will come with challenges neither of them has imagined or expected, and when the unthinkable happens, the consequences will ripple through their newly-formed family for decades to come.

With sparse, almost factual prose, that somehow still ripples with emotion, Jodie Chapman paints a devastating portrait of how emotional inheritance can upend a family’s life, and what it takes to free oneself from it in order to move on.

Stylish, elegant, and immersive, CALIFORNIA GOLD is Britain’s brilliant response to Ann Patchett's Commonwealth and The Dutch House, Ann Napolitano's Hello Beautiful, and Eric Puchner's Dream State.

A family saga not to be missed, it will stay with me for a long time.

[Helen Latto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story from many different angles, the story of a fractured family and how all of their intertwined relationships affect them all in different ways. Sad at times but also hopeful, I found it an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Chelsea Knowles]

DNF at 18%. I tried this from 11/01 to 21/01. This just isn’t the story for me. I haven’t really got any interest in reading it and I just don’t want to continue. It’s not a bad book at all. The writing is good, the characterisation strong and there are some interesting things mentioned in this, for example there was a point about war in this that I appreciated. That said, I don’t want to carry on with this.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars and more!

It’s a family saga, it’s character driven and you get attached to these characters. It’s about love, marriage, siblings and belonging. It tackles a lot, there’s everything in this book. I knew from the first chapter that I was reading something truly special.

I’ll be recommending it for years. Unforgettable ❤️

[Jodie Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why yes I'm giving this story that took up three years of my life five stars

[Lucy Skeet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another banger from Jodie!!! Thanks so much to MJ for my copy