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California Golden
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 Aviator's Wife
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 Donelly is breaking 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 her 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 chase their mom's elusive affection--they cut school to spend their days in the surf. From her first time on a board, Mindy shows a natural talent, 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 USO tours to Vietnam. Meanwhile, Ginger--desperate for a community of her own--is tugged into the vibrant counterculture of drugs and cults. 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.
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 Donelly is breaking 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 her 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 chase their mom's elusive affection--they cut school to spend their days in the surf. From her first time on a board, Mindy shows a natural talent, 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 USO tours to Vietnam. Meanwhile, Ginger--desperate for a community of her own--is tugged into the vibrant counterculture of drugs and cults. 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.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 8, 2023
250 people are currently reading
36646 people want to read
About the author
Melanie Benjamin
15 books3,461 followersMelanie Benjamin is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE and THE AVIATOR'S WIFE, as well as the national bestseller ALICE I HAVE BEEN, and THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB, THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE, MISTRESS OF THE RITZ and THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD. Her next novel is CALIFORNIA GOLDEN, a dazzling saga of mothers, daughters and sisters set in the vibrant surf culture of 1960s California. It will be out in August 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,007 reviews
July 17, 2023
If everybody had an ocean
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody'd be surfin'
Like California
You'd seem 'em wearin' their baggies
Huarache sandals too
A bushy, bushy blond hairdo
Surfin' U.S.A. - The Beach Boys
1960's
Carol Donelly was a legendary female surfer in a time when men ruled the sport. She happily took to the Ocean and gave it her all. Her two young daughters, Mindy, and Ginger grew up in the shadow of their mother's surfing. Their father had left, and Mindy had to pick up the slack, looking after herself and her younger sister. To get their mother's attention, they both took up surfing and left school behind. Both are desperate for love and to belong. Mindy will excel at surfing while Ginger feels more comfortable being on the beach.
The sisters who have always been together have their relationship changed one evening. This will be the catalyst for the rest of their lives. Mindy will go on to be in beach movies, party on the sunset strip, excel at surfing and win surfing championships. Ginger, who never felt as if she belonged or mattered, grows attached to Tom and lives in a shack with him doing drugs and basically whatever he wants.
This is a coming-of-age story that takes place in sunny California and beyond. I felt for both Mindy and Ginger who grew up without parents who were involved in their lives. Mindy was a parentified child who had the responsibility of not only taking care of herself but also her sister at a young age. They were neglected by their mother, and both bore the emotional pain and trauma of their upbringing. I enjoyed how the author showed how experiences/trauma/neglect in an individual's formative years/childhood shapes thoughts, expectations, self-image, self-worth, and feelings.
This was a gripping read that had me walking down memory lane. I lived in Los Angeles for a long time and spent almost every weekend on Zuma beach. I watched the surfers and swam in those waters. It's always a treat to read about the places who have lived in and enjoyed.
The characters were all interesting and fleshed out. I had some strong feelings about Carol and the way she raised (didn't really raise) her daughters. There is a section of the book which gives readers a glimpse into her early life and that softened me to her when that section came. I also wanted to tell both Mindy and Ginger that they were worthy and deserving. I felt for both sisters but felt for Ginger most of all.
This book touched on expectations, motherhood, family relationships, sibling relationships, surfing, racism, abuse, drug usage, cults, and neglect. It also shows determination, love, hope, strength, and second chances.
Benjamin set the stage and did a great job describing the beaches, Hollywood and the USO tour in Vietnam. I found the book to be well written and thought provoking.
*Buddy read with DeAnn.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody'd be surfin'
Like California
You'd seem 'em wearin' their baggies
Huarache sandals too
A bushy, bushy blond hairdo
Surfin' U.S.A. - The Beach Boys
1960's
Carol Donelly was a legendary female surfer in a time when men ruled the sport. She happily took to the Ocean and gave it her all. Her two young daughters, Mindy, and Ginger grew up in the shadow of their mother's surfing. Their father had left, and Mindy had to pick up the slack, looking after herself and her younger sister. To get their mother's attention, they both took up surfing and left school behind. Both are desperate for love and to belong. Mindy will excel at surfing while Ginger feels more comfortable being on the beach.
The sisters who have always been together have their relationship changed one evening. This will be the catalyst for the rest of their lives. Mindy will go on to be in beach movies, party on the sunset strip, excel at surfing and win surfing championships. Ginger, who never felt as if she belonged or mattered, grows attached to Tom and lives in a shack with him doing drugs and basically whatever he wants.
This is a coming-of-age story that takes place in sunny California and beyond. I felt for both Mindy and Ginger who grew up without parents who were involved in their lives. Mindy was a parentified child who had the responsibility of not only taking care of herself but also her sister at a young age. They were neglected by their mother, and both bore the emotional pain and trauma of their upbringing. I enjoyed how the author showed how experiences/trauma/neglect in an individual's formative years/childhood shapes thoughts, expectations, self-image, self-worth, and feelings.
This was a gripping read that had me walking down memory lane. I lived in Los Angeles for a long time and spent almost every weekend on Zuma beach. I watched the surfers and swam in those waters. It's always a treat to read about the places who have lived in and enjoyed.
The characters were all interesting and fleshed out. I had some strong feelings about Carol and the way she raised (didn't really raise) her daughters. There is a section of the book which gives readers a glimpse into her early life and that softened me to her when that section came. I also wanted to tell both Mindy and Ginger that they were worthy and deserving. I felt for both sisters but felt for Ginger most of all.
This book touched on expectations, motherhood, family relationships, sibling relationships, surfing, racism, abuse, drug usage, cults, and neglect. It also shows determination, love, hope, strength, and second chances.
Benjamin set the stage and did a great job describing the beaches, Hollywood and the USO tour in Vietnam. I found the book to be well written and thought provoking.
*Buddy read with DeAnn.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
August 20, 2023
As a SoCal girl myself, I fell hard for this sun-drenched epic of surfing-athlete Malibu mother Carol and the two daughters--bold Mindy, timid Ginger--who she pulls in her formidable wake. Under the late-sixties/early-seventies vibe of the Beach Boys, Gidget films, sunshine, and rock 'n roll, Benjamin tackles serious questions: the generational echoes through a family when a woman is pulled away from her calling into a role she has no desire for, and how her choices resonate through her daughters. Definitely recommended!
July 3, 2023
California Golden takes on the surfing culture of 1960s California. Think Gidget and Beach Boys.
Mindy and Ginger are the daughters of surfing phenom Carol. In order to have any connection with their mother, they have both taken up surfing. Mindy takes to it, to pardon the pun, like a fish to water. Ginger is not a natural. One night, they make different decisions and their lives veer in vastly different directions.
The book is divided into three parts. The first covers the period from their preteens through their early twenties. It flits back and forth through the years, and from Mindy to Ginger and back again. The second part covers their mother Carol, “the anti-Betty Crocker”. A woman happy to walk out on her family to surf. And finally, the third section, which moves to the 1970s.
None of these women were likable, although they were all sympathetic. Carol, who should never have been a mother. And her daughters, the results of poor parenting having left marks on each. The girls react in very different ways; Mindy building up walls, Ginger becoming totally dependent on a bad man.
Benjamin does a good job painting the time and place. She encompasses both the Hollywood and the surfing scenes, the cults and Vietnam. The USO scenes were very strong. She also does a good job encompassing the prejudices of the time.
Unfortunately, the plot is predictable beyond belief. And I found the entire book oddly dissatisfying - a little too shallow and the characters too flat, despite the situations presented.
Benjamin took her inspiration from a real life mother and daughter surfing trio, but her characters’ lives are purely made up.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for an advance copy of this book.
Mindy and Ginger are the daughters of surfing phenom Carol. In order to have any connection with their mother, they have both taken up surfing. Mindy takes to it, to pardon the pun, like a fish to water. Ginger is not a natural. One night, they make different decisions and their lives veer in vastly different directions.
The book is divided into three parts. The first covers the period from their preteens through their early twenties. It flits back and forth through the years, and from Mindy to Ginger and back again. The second part covers their mother Carol, “the anti-Betty Crocker”. A woman happy to walk out on her family to surf. And finally, the third section, which moves to the 1970s.
None of these women were likable, although they were all sympathetic. Carol, who should never have been a mother. And her daughters, the results of poor parenting having left marks on each. The girls react in very different ways; Mindy building up walls, Ginger becoming totally dependent on a bad man.
Benjamin does a good job painting the time and place. She encompasses both the Hollywood and the surfing scenes, the cults and Vietnam. The USO scenes were very strong. She also does a good job encompassing the prejudices of the time.
Unfortunately, the plot is predictable beyond belief. And I found the entire book oddly dissatisfying - a little too shallow and the characters too flat, despite the situations presented.
Benjamin took her inspiration from a real life mother and daughter surfing trio, but her characters’ lives are purely made up.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for an advance copy of this book.
August 16, 2023
The Donnelly girls and the 60's. There was much more to the surfing scene than Gidget and the Beach Boys. In this story of Carol Donnelly and her two daughters, Mindy and Ginger, we get a warm and salty Melanie Benjamin title. Carol struggles with balancing motherhood and her passion for surfing while also battling the attitudes of the guys on the beaches in California and Hawaii (the real origin location for surfing) in the 50's. Her daughters take up her mantle in the 60's and we even take a detour to Vietnam. What will they pass onto their daughters? This is an engrossing read. If you are still thawing out from reading her last book about The Children's Blizzard, here is an opportunity to warm up on the beach. 🌴
January 26, 2025
Growing up in Southern California, I have been drawn to the ocean since I was a little girl…
And…When I had the opportunity to accept a job position on the Central Coast of California, that brought me to my current location of Morro Bay,
It...Turned out to be the perfect decision for me.
But…Even with my life so attached to the seaside, I never once was interested in learning how to surf. It didn’t mean that I didn’t admire surfers for their bravado or their masterful ability to stand amongst the waves…
It…Just wasn’t me.
Still…This story provides a meticulous detailed breakdown of the surf culture and natural cult of beach life that flourished after World War II in Southern California.
There is…One good thing I can say about Benjamin’s storytelling. She pays excellent attention to historical detail for the 1960’s time period. One of the characters even joins a cultish commune. Something not unheard of as part of the West Coast counterculture.
But…It is this same character, who chooses to continually return to an abusive character that makes it hard for me to connect to the story.
Not…That there aren’t other characters to follow. Especially how they spring to life when they are on their surfboards.
But…One of those characters, in her selfishness, puts everything aside for her devotion to surfing. Specifically, her children.
So…When I lost my connection to the characters, the story lost its appeal to me.
Despite…The beauty of the California ocean, and the descriptions of the surfing experience, I needed to like and want to root for the characters…
And…By the time anything felt like it would change, it just seemed anticlimactic.
And…For me, it was too late. The author lost my interest in caring.
Trigger Warnings: Drugs. Domestic violence. Sexism.
And…When I had the opportunity to accept a job position on the Central Coast of California, that brought me to my current location of Morro Bay,
It...Turned out to be the perfect decision for me.
But…Even with my life so attached to the seaside, I never once was interested in learning how to surf. It didn’t mean that I didn’t admire surfers for their bravado or their masterful ability to stand amongst the waves…
It…Just wasn’t me.
Still…This story provides a meticulous detailed breakdown of the surf culture and natural cult of beach life that flourished after World War II in Southern California.
There is…One good thing I can say about Benjamin’s storytelling. She pays excellent attention to historical detail for the 1960’s time period. One of the characters even joins a cultish commune. Something not unheard of as part of the West Coast counterculture.
But…It is this same character, who chooses to continually return to an abusive character that makes it hard for me to connect to the story.
Not…That there aren’t other characters to follow. Especially how they spring to life when they are on their surfboards.
But…One of those characters, in her selfishness, puts everything aside for her devotion to surfing. Specifically, her children.
So…When I lost my connection to the characters, the story lost its appeal to me.
Despite…The beauty of the California ocean, and the descriptions of the surfing experience, I needed to like and want to root for the characters…
And…By the time anything felt like it would change, it just seemed anticlimactic.
And…For me, it was too late. The author lost my interest in caring.
Trigger Warnings: Drugs. Domestic violence. Sexism.
September 13, 2023
A mother and her two daughters learn to live and grow in the 60's surfing world.
Mindy and Ginger grow up in the shadow of their mother Carol, one of the first women surfers. It is the time of Gidget and Beach Blanket Bingo. Mindy becomes an excellent surfer while Ginger follows, but is not quite as passionate or committed. When Carol leaves to find her own path, Mindy and Ginger must figure out how to go forward. The novel brings in all the turmoil of the 60's and 70's including the Vietnam war and women's rights. Mindy follows her mother's steps into movies and surfing and then joins an entertainment tour in Vietnam. Ginger goes another path following the love of her life into very different circumstances. It is a well-researched historical novel with realistic characters that the reader can relate to. – Jen C.
Mindy and Ginger grow up in the shadow of their mother Carol, one of the first women surfers. It is the time of Gidget and Beach Blanket Bingo. Mindy becomes an excellent surfer while Ginger follows, but is not quite as passionate or committed. When Carol leaves to find her own path, Mindy and Ginger must figure out how to go forward. The novel brings in all the turmoil of the 60's and 70's including the Vietnam war and women's rights. Mindy follows her mother's steps into movies and surfing and then joins an entertainment tour in Vietnam. Ginger goes another path following the love of her life into very different circumstances. It is a well-researched historical novel with realistic characters that the reader can relate to. – Jen C.
March 12, 2024
California Golden is based on historical facts of two daughters and their mom who ruled the surfing world during the 1950's and 60's. It brought to life much of politics and pop culture of the late 1960's, not just beach parties and surfers but Hollywood and hippies, drugs and cults and Vietnam and USO tours.
September 3, 2023
California Golden by Melanie Benjamin. Was so good I read it in one day. I love anything like this from the 60s. There were places it lagged and for that I rated 4🌟. It was a nook of selfishness and redemption. Unconditional love. Powerful moments. A bit of romance. I like how she covered all the culture of the 60s. From the big California surfing boom to women can’t do this. The Vietnam war. The cults and drug culture. She pulled in verbal, emotional and physical abuse. Codependency and Hero Worship. Hippies and soul wonderers. The author truly hit on the highlights of one of the greatest decades ever. I wish there were more books like this one.
August 8, 2023
Happy PUB Day!
Unintentionally I read this book right after spending time in California, Malibu and the surrounding areas. I had also recently been watching a series that takes place in the 70’s so I had the perfect mindset of time and place for this book. It takes place a little earlier but I think both factors actually enhanced my experience as a reader. This is admittedly my first book by our author and it was a really good one to read first.
I especially enjoy and seem to gravitate to books with sibling relationships and story lines. This book is a wonderful story about two sisters in California totally immersed in the culture of surfing, especially the very early days of women in the sport during the 60’s. In a time where the expectation of women is to be domesticated the family represented in our book are trail blazing in a sport that is still made up of primarily men. Not only does this book involve the sport of surfing, sunshine and swimsuits it also tells a story that I really enjoyed of dedication, ambition and competition. It has layers of chosen family and family that doesn’t choose each other. At times it is raw, vulnerable and full of emotion and at other times it is hard core cut throat competition. I thought our characters were really well developed with adequate back story and layers. The setting was so descriptive and well described I could easily put myself into the scenes in the book. Overall I really liked this book and would recommend it.
Many thanks to our author, Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced eGalley copy of the book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This will be released on August 8th, 2023 and I hope if you choose to read it you enjoy it also.
Unintentionally I read this book right after spending time in California, Malibu and the surrounding areas. I had also recently been watching a series that takes place in the 70’s so I had the perfect mindset of time and place for this book. It takes place a little earlier but I think both factors actually enhanced my experience as a reader. This is admittedly my first book by our author and it was a really good one to read first.
I especially enjoy and seem to gravitate to books with sibling relationships and story lines. This book is a wonderful story about two sisters in California totally immersed in the culture of surfing, especially the very early days of women in the sport during the 60’s. In a time where the expectation of women is to be domesticated the family represented in our book are trail blazing in a sport that is still made up of primarily men. Not only does this book involve the sport of surfing, sunshine and swimsuits it also tells a story that I really enjoyed of dedication, ambition and competition. It has layers of chosen family and family that doesn’t choose each other. At times it is raw, vulnerable and full of emotion and at other times it is hard core cut throat competition. I thought our characters were really well developed with adequate back story and layers. The setting was so descriptive and well described I could easily put myself into the scenes in the book. Overall I really liked this book and would recommend it.
Many thanks to our author, Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced eGalley copy of the book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This will be released on August 8th, 2023 and I hope if you choose to read it you enjoy it also.
August 27, 2023
Carol was strong and athletic during WWII, but her athletic career was brought short by an unexpected pregnancy. After her daughter Mindy, and 2 years later, Ginger, were born Carol discovered surfing. She excelled at the sport, but had no interest in motherhood or in being a wife. Eventually, her husband Bob had enough of her physical and emotional abandonment and he left her and the children. The only thing that brought the three together was surfing. The girls clung to surfing as a way to keep Carol from leaving them. The three beautiful, blond surfers attracted a lot of attention in the 1960s. Mindy’s championship-worthy skills led her to a career in movies. Ginger tried hard, but her life took a different direction.
This book is about motherhood, ambition, gender stereotypes, racial and gender discrimination, family bonds and forgiveness. The characters were believable and I liked the period details. I thought that the book veered into soap opera territory in the second half, but I still enjoyed the book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
This book is about motherhood, ambition, gender stereotypes, racial and gender discrimination, family bonds and forgiveness. The characters were believable and I liked the period details. I thought that the book veered into soap opera territory in the second half, but I still enjoyed the book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
August 8, 2023
3.5 stars
I am a big fan of Melanie Benjamin and have read all of her books, so I was very excited to read her newest one. Unfortunately, this did not end up being ranked as one of my favorites.
If you're a historical fiction lover, but you need a break from WWII, then this might be a book to try. This is not one of those cookie cutter stories that you have read before. This is a new perspective on a mother/daughter drama set in the California surfing community in the 1960s. It is about betrayal, loss, need and neglect, but also about love and devotion.
In 1957, surfing became all the rage and Mindy and Ginger's mother, Carol, loved nothing or no one as much as she loved surfing. From the time they were small, all the two sisters did was try to do the things that would please their mother and get her to notice them. So, they take up surfing. At a very young age they are on their own. Mindy becomes enveloped in the L.A. party scene with surfers and movie people. Ginger takes a different path with surfing, drugs and a cult-like commune.
I've never lived in California, but I have been to the beach. The author does a superb job of setting the reader onto the beaches of California and Hawaii. You can almost feel the heat of the sun and the grit of the sand on your skin, as well as see the blue of the ocean and the colors of the sunsets. I was transported into the time and place of this story.
The only negative for me was the layout of the story. Book One is about the two sisters, from the time they are little until the time they are adults. Carol, the mother, plays a small part and then disappears from the narrative, leaving many questions unanswered. Book Two drops back in time and is about Carol and her obsession with the ocean from the time she was a teenager who never wanted to get married or have children. I think that the storyline would have been better served if it had been presented in a more linear timeline, but that's just my personal choice.
My sincere thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the DRC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
I am a big fan of Melanie Benjamin and have read all of her books, so I was very excited to read her newest one. Unfortunately, this did not end up being ranked as one of my favorites.
If you're a historical fiction lover, but you need a break from WWII, then this might be a book to try. This is not one of those cookie cutter stories that you have read before. This is a new perspective on a mother/daughter drama set in the California surfing community in the 1960s. It is about betrayal, loss, need and neglect, but also about love and devotion.
In 1957, surfing became all the rage and Mindy and Ginger's mother, Carol, loved nothing or no one as much as she loved surfing. From the time they were small, all the two sisters did was try to do the things that would please their mother and get her to notice them. So, they take up surfing. At a very young age they are on their own. Mindy becomes enveloped in the L.A. party scene with surfers and movie people. Ginger takes a different path with surfing, drugs and a cult-like commune.
I've never lived in California, but I have been to the beach. The author does a superb job of setting the reader onto the beaches of California and Hawaii. You can almost feel the heat of the sun and the grit of the sand on your skin, as well as see the blue of the ocean and the colors of the sunsets. I was transported into the time and place of this story.
The only negative for me was the layout of the story. Book One is about the two sisters, from the time they are little until the time they are adults. Carol, the mother, plays a small part and then disappears from the narrative, leaving many questions unanswered. Book Two drops back in time and is about Carol and her obsession with the ocean from the time she was a teenager who never wanted to get married or have children. I think that the storyline would have been better served if it had been presented in a more linear timeline, but that's just my personal choice.
My sincere thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the DRC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
March 24, 2023
Melanie Benjamin’s latest novel is a unique one! Set in California along the Southern coast in the 1950s and 1960’s, I can’t think of any book I have read similar to that. The novel focuses on two sisters who grow up with their mom who is totally wrapped up in the surfing lifestyle, well as wrapped up as you can be with two kids. Life is more complicated than just sun and surfing, we soon find out.
The novel opens with Mindy and Ginger, sisters, filming as extras on the beach in movie production. Once filming wraps for the night, one of the movie stars invites Mindy to hang out with the other actors. Mindy can’t believe she would be asked and goes to tell her sister, Ginger, the plan. However, Ginger wants to stay back with a boy and surf. Mindy is torn because that is not part of “The Plan”. Mindy, for the first time, leaves her sister behind and the story and mystery around “The Plan” begins to slowly unfold..
The first 70% of the book alternates between Mindy and Ginger’s points of view both in the past and in the future. The sisters have an unconventional upbringing especially as their mom, Carol, becomes something of a surfing legend. Both sisters learn to surf, drop out of high school, and end up on completely different life paths. While I was wanting them both to succeed, they made plenty of mistakes along the way.
The last 30% includes their mom’s point of view as well which really shakes things up. From the sister’s point of view, their mother certainly wouldn’t win a mother of the year award. However, Carol’s point of view changed things for me and made me view her differently.
Ultimately, this book kept me engaged the entire way through. This book also offered me so many things I like in a book: a unique setting and time period, alternating points of view, a non-linear timeline, parts to root for the main characters and times to be frustrated with their decisions, and a satisfying conclusion. Just like the author’s other novels, this one did not disappoint!
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Melanie Benjamin, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader’s copy.
The novel opens with Mindy and Ginger, sisters, filming as extras on the beach in movie production. Once filming wraps for the night, one of the movie stars invites Mindy to hang out with the other actors. Mindy can’t believe she would be asked and goes to tell her sister, Ginger, the plan. However, Ginger wants to stay back with a boy and surf. Mindy is torn because that is not part of “The Plan”. Mindy, for the first time, leaves her sister behind and the story and mystery around “The Plan” begins to slowly unfold..
The first 70% of the book alternates between Mindy and Ginger’s points of view both in the past and in the future. The sisters have an unconventional upbringing especially as their mom, Carol, becomes something of a surfing legend. Both sisters learn to surf, drop out of high school, and end up on completely different life paths. While I was wanting them both to succeed, they made plenty of mistakes along the way.
The last 30% includes their mom’s point of view as well which really shakes things up. From the sister’s point of view, their mother certainly wouldn’t win a mother of the year award. However, Carol’s point of view changed things for me and made me view her differently.
Ultimately, this book kept me engaged the entire way through. This book also offered me so many things I like in a book: a unique setting and time period, alternating points of view, a non-linear timeline, parts to root for the main characters and times to be frustrated with their decisions, and a satisfying conclusion. Just like the author’s other novels, this one did not disappoint!
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Melanie Benjamin, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader’s copy.
May 21, 2023
The best part of the book is its description. The story line is terrible. It didn't draw me in with any historical significance. At best a poorly written romance novel with a surfing backdrop. Really disappointing.
July 9, 2023
I chose to read this because I love the sixties era and its association with California, The Beach Boys- but not so much surfing. The descriptions of surfing throughout the book did not resonate with me and while I entertained them fully at first- began to skim these passages a bit deeper into the book. At its crux, this story is about a young woman in the fifties who had dreams to devote her life to athletic pursuits such as being part of an all-female baseball team, but ultimately as a competitive surfer. Those plans were upended with her unplanned pregnancies and marriage. Her failure to focus on her marriage and children while prioritizing her nirvana-like obsession with surfing caused major conflict in these relationships. Her two daughters Mindy and Ginger had different personalities and coping mechanisms to deal with the fear and abandonment concerns brought by their very distracted mother which is fleshed out in the bulk of the book.
I found the damaged family construct portions of the book compelling. There is always one person who rises to the occasion and becomes the "adult in the room", and I admired this character. I enjoyed this author's other historical fiction novel "The Children's Blizzard" more, but this was a decent read.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
I found the damaged family construct portions of the book compelling. There is always one person who rises to the occasion and becomes the "adult in the room", and I admired this character. I enjoyed this author's other historical fiction novel "The Children's Blizzard" more, but this was a decent read.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
June 17, 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction/Surfing
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: November 8, 2023
I've read and thoroughly enjoyed the majority of Melanie Benjamin's books. Her specialty is creating fictional accounts of real-life people. Her novels that I devoured include "The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb,” (Mercy Lavinia), "The Swans of Fifth Avenue" (Truman Capote), and "The Girls in the Picture" (Mary Pickford). My favorite was "The Aviator's Wife" (Anne Morrow Lindbergh). However, all of them are excellent. "California Golden," her most recent novel, might be her first historical fiction that is not based on a real-life person. I am not sure.
This is a coming-of-age story set amidst California's sun-drenched, beautiful beaches. We meet a dysfunctional mother and her two daughters during the 60s surfing scene in Southern California. Carol, the mother, despite sexism, is among the first women to compete professionally with men in the water sport. The author made her a complex character who is easy to hate. Her commitment to her sport makes her a dreadful mom to the point of being abusive.
Her daughters, Mindy and Ginger, are raising themselves after Carol left them to surf in Hawaii's powerful waves. Benjamin has her becoming somewhat motherly when the girls learn to surf. A flaw in the novel is that Carol's backstory is told in one chunk in the middle of the book instead of throughout the novel, which would have given us a better understanding of her.
For those looking for something other than surfing, there is much drama in the story: romance, unwanted pregnancies, drugs, and battered woman syndrome. Things get very interesting when Mindy outshines her mom in the water. Additionally, for those who remember the Gidget TV show and movies, you will enjoy when the sisters are hired to act in them. I thought of Sally Field when she was in the TV show with its cheesy lines such as “Honest to goodness it's the absolute ultimate!” However, this book is the opposite of a plucky, naïve teenage girl’s tale. There is no Moondoggie here. The story can get dark.
The scenes describing the endless summer with the beauty of the big waves enchanted me. I learned through the protagonists that big wave surfing is a discipline where brave surfers paddle into waves over twenty feet high. As I was fascinated, I googled and discovered that Carol may be modeled after Mary Ann Hawkins who was one of the first professional female surfers. Benjamin’s latest work is not one of my favorites by her. Still, it is a good read. As usual, Benjamin’s research shines. In this one, readers learn about the sport of surfing while becoming immersed in a compelling family drama. I recommend reading "California Golden."
I received this novel at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://books6259.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com
https://twitter.com/NeesRecord
https://www.amazon.com
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr…
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/c…
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: November 8, 2023
I've read and thoroughly enjoyed the majority of Melanie Benjamin's books. Her specialty is creating fictional accounts of real-life people. Her novels that I devoured include "The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb,” (Mercy Lavinia), "The Swans of Fifth Avenue" (Truman Capote), and "The Girls in the Picture" (Mary Pickford). My favorite was "The Aviator's Wife" (Anne Morrow Lindbergh). However, all of them are excellent. "California Golden," her most recent novel, might be her first historical fiction that is not based on a real-life person. I am not sure.
This is a coming-of-age story set amidst California's sun-drenched, beautiful beaches. We meet a dysfunctional mother and her two daughters during the 60s surfing scene in Southern California. Carol, the mother, despite sexism, is among the first women to compete professionally with men in the water sport. The author made her a complex character who is easy to hate. Her commitment to her sport makes her a dreadful mom to the point of being abusive.
Her daughters, Mindy and Ginger, are raising themselves after Carol left them to surf in Hawaii's powerful waves. Benjamin has her becoming somewhat motherly when the girls learn to surf. A flaw in the novel is that Carol's backstory is told in one chunk in the middle of the book instead of throughout the novel, which would have given us a better understanding of her.
For those looking for something other than surfing, there is much drama in the story: romance, unwanted pregnancies, drugs, and battered woman syndrome. Things get very interesting when Mindy outshines her mom in the water. Additionally, for those who remember the Gidget TV show and movies, you will enjoy when the sisters are hired to act in them. I thought of Sally Field when she was in the TV show with its cheesy lines such as “Honest to goodness it's the absolute ultimate!” However, this book is the opposite of a plucky, naïve teenage girl’s tale. There is no Moondoggie here. The story can get dark.
The scenes describing the endless summer with the beauty of the big waves enchanted me. I learned through the protagonists that big wave surfing is a discipline where brave surfers paddle into waves over twenty feet high. As I was fascinated, I googled and discovered that Carol may be modeled after Mary Ann Hawkins who was one of the first professional female surfers. Benjamin’s latest work is not one of my favorites by her. Still, it is a good read. As usual, Benjamin’s research shines. In this one, readers learn about the sport of surfing while becoming immersed in a compelling family drama. I recommend reading "California Golden."
I received this novel at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://books6259.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com
https://twitter.com/NeesRecord
https://www.amazon.com
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr…
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/c…
October 6, 2023
This one’s for the Taylor Jenkins Reid and Kristin Hannah fans!!! 🌊🌴☀️🏄
Things that reminded me of TJR:
- Strong women 💪
- Flawed, realistic characters
- Expectations of women back in the 50s and 60s
- Surfing (Malibu Rising obvi)
- Drug use (Daisy Jones & The Six)
- The dark side of fame
Things that reminded me of Kristin Hannah:
- The Vietnam War
- Sisters and their dynamics with each other and their mom
- Strong women (again)
- Themes of domestic abuse
I am a historical fiction girlie to my core and I LOVED learning about the rise of California surfer culture in the 60s. Melanie managed to create characters that I was both rooting for and extremely frustrated with at the same time.
While this story centers around surfing, there is so much more that goes on in the story; following 2 sisters throughout their lives as they take very different paths in life. The author brings us into the world of surfing, cults, the Vietnam War, Hollywood, motherhood, and sisterhood.
Going into this book, I was a little nervous that I would constantly be comparing it to Malibu Rising (which I loved). I really, genuinely enjoyed this book and was pleasantly surprised by the different angles on the surfing world that Melanie took. I highly recommend this book! 🙂
Thank you so much PRH for the gifted copy of this book!
Things that reminded me of TJR:
- Strong women 💪
- Flawed, realistic characters
- Expectations of women back in the 50s and 60s
- Surfing (Malibu Rising obvi)
- Drug use (Daisy Jones & The Six)
- The dark side of fame
Things that reminded me of Kristin Hannah:
- The Vietnam War
- Sisters and their dynamics with each other and their mom
- Strong women (again)
- Themes of domestic abuse
I am a historical fiction girlie to my core and I LOVED learning about the rise of California surfer culture in the 60s. Melanie managed to create characters that I was both rooting for and extremely frustrated with at the same time.
While this story centers around surfing, there is so much more that goes on in the story; following 2 sisters throughout their lives as they take very different paths in life. The author brings us into the world of surfing, cults, the Vietnam War, Hollywood, motherhood, and sisterhood.
Going into this book, I was a little nervous that I would constantly be comparing it to Malibu Rising (which I loved). I really, genuinely enjoyed this book and was pleasantly surprised by the different angles on the surfing world that Melanie took. I highly recommend this book! 🙂
Thank you so much PRH for the gifted copy of this book!
September 6, 2023
3.5 stars, rounded up. I enjoyed this 60's SoCal set surfing story a lot - lots of it familiar to me from both of those aspects. Really kept me engaged, but one of the sisters was just so irritating that I got seriously tired of her & there's a lot of generational trauma to wade through. Still very interesting & a decent read
June 5, 2023
I'm definitely a fan of Melanie Benjamin's historical fiction and this book doesn't disappoint. California Golden provides a view of the surfing culture as it grew in California and originally, in Hawaii. Specifically it shines a light on women breaking into the all male sport of surfing, both competitively and for their own enjoyment.
Description:
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 Donelly is breaking 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 her 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 chase their mom's elusive affection--they cut school to spend their days in the surf. From her first time on a board, Mindy shows a natural talent, 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 USO tours to Vietnam. Meanwhile, Ginger--desperate for a community of her own--is tugged into the vibrant counterculture of drugs and cults. 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.
My Thoughts:
It's hard for me to imagine how life must have been for women when they had so few freedoms and society placed so many constraints on them. It is thanks to women who pushed at those constraints, like Carol Donnelly in this story, that allow women to have so many more choices and opportunities now. This was an emotional story and I found Ginger's life to be downright tragic. Mindy had to be admired for her perseverance and courage, even though she made some bad choices. Carol made some truly bad decisions with her family and did so in a selfish way to follow her dream and her passion for surfing.
This book provided an in-depth profile of surfing lifestyle. I was fascinated with how the surfers lived for the waves and their time spent in the ocean. The book spans history from the 1950's through the end of the Vietnam War in the 1970's. The time Mindy spent on the USO tour provided a scary window on some of the things happening in Vietnam during the war from a visitors perspective.
The writing was superb and the plot moved at a good pace. I didn't want to put the book down. I loved following the Donnelly girls through all of their hardships, dreams and passions. Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on August 8, 2023.
Description:
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 Donelly is breaking 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 her 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 chase their mom's elusive affection--they cut school to spend their days in the surf. From her first time on a board, Mindy shows a natural talent, 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 USO tours to Vietnam. Meanwhile, Ginger--desperate for a community of her own--is tugged into the vibrant counterculture of drugs and cults. 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.
My Thoughts:
It's hard for me to imagine how life must have been for women when they had so few freedoms and society placed so many constraints on them. It is thanks to women who pushed at those constraints, like Carol Donnelly in this story, that allow women to have so many more choices and opportunities now. This was an emotional story and I found Ginger's life to be downright tragic. Mindy had to be admired for her perseverance and courage, even though she made some bad choices. Carol made some truly bad decisions with her family and did so in a selfish way to follow her dream and her passion for surfing.
This book provided an in-depth profile of surfing lifestyle. I was fascinated with how the surfers lived for the waves and their time spent in the ocean. The book spans history from the 1950's through the end of the Vietnam War in the 1970's. The time Mindy spent on the USO tour provided a scary window on some of the things happening in Vietnam during the war from a visitors perspective.
The writing was superb and the plot moved at a good pace. I didn't want to put the book down. I loved following the Donnelly girls through all of their hardships, dreams and passions. Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on August 8, 2023.
October 10, 2023
This book started out so strong for me!!
Honestly the Golden California setting is what initially sold it for me. It felt like one of the characters. Southern California, Hawaii, surfing, hippies, Gidget, the 60’s and 70’s. As far as place and time goes this was perfect. I even liked the storyline mom Carol, is struggling with her role, as for the time expectations, of being wife/mother. Daughters afraid mother will abandon them for her love of surfing and decide to take up the sport alongside her in hopes she’ll just stay and not leave like their father. It’s a coming of age for all three Donnelly girls as they become surfing phenomenons.
But my hang up was this:) it just began to include way too much hot button topics for one book, feminism, Vietnam, cults, racism, abuse, drug use. So much big stuff. But none of them ever really got the attention it rightly deserved, it was all kind of clouded over in my mind with too much jammed in. I wanted to really feel all these heavy emotions and instead it only hit surface level.
Also I can do unlikeable characters but I just began to really not like any of them. I just didn’t understand their decisions and didn’t really get to witness growth beyond Mindy. And the last third of Carol’s story I believe should have given me empathy or understanding on her part. It didn’t. I still don’t understand any of her choices.
Honestly the Golden California setting is what initially sold it for me. It felt like one of the characters. Southern California, Hawaii, surfing, hippies, Gidget, the 60’s and 70’s. As far as place and time goes this was perfect. I even liked the storyline mom Carol, is struggling with her role, as for the time expectations, of being wife/mother. Daughters afraid mother will abandon them for her love of surfing and decide to take up the sport alongside her in hopes she’ll just stay and not leave like their father. It’s a coming of age for all three Donnelly girls as they become surfing phenomenons.
But my hang up was this:) it just began to include way too much hot button topics for one book, feminism, Vietnam, cults, racism, abuse, drug use. So much big stuff. But none of them ever really got the attention it rightly deserved, it was all kind of clouded over in my mind with too much jammed in. I wanted to really feel all these heavy emotions and instead it only hit surface level.
Also I can do unlikeable characters but I just began to really not like any of them. I just didn’t understand their decisions and didn’t really get to witness growth beyond Mindy. And the last third of Carol’s story I believe should have given me empathy or understanding on her part. It didn’t. I still don’t understand any of her choices.
August 31, 2023
No, I could cry! 😫 The synopsis sounds so good but this book fell flat. The characters are unlikeable and the story is disappointing. 👎🏻 The best thing about this book is probably the cover and learning the history behind surfing. 100 pages in and this was a DNF. 😭😭😭
August 8, 2023
**Happy Publication Day**
Carol Donnelly is a surfing star but not such a great mother. Her two young daughters, Mindy and Ginger, are practically raising themselves after dad walked out. Mindy's plan to keep mom's attention is to love surfing too.
Set in the 1960s, Melanie Benjamin's latest book of historical fiction takes a look at the California culture during those days--surfing, yes, but also racism, misogyny, drugs, war, cults, feminism. She even touches on relationship abuse when Ginger attaches herself to the wrong guy in a desperate quest to feel loved. At the heart of the story is a pretty messed up, dysfunctional family with the mother asking the question, Why can't a woman be allowed to follow her dreams?
Did I like these characters? Not really. But with Benjamin's skillful writing, I came to understand why they did the things they did. She also does an excellent job of depicting the culture of the tumultuous 60s. Gnarly, dude!
I received an arc of this novel from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
Carol Donnelly is a surfing star but not such a great mother. Her two young daughters, Mindy and Ginger, are practically raising themselves after dad walked out. Mindy's plan to keep mom's attention is to love surfing too.
Set in the 1960s, Melanie Benjamin's latest book of historical fiction takes a look at the California culture during those days--surfing, yes, but also racism, misogyny, drugs, war, cults, feminism. She even touches on relationship abuse when Ginger attaches herself to the wrong guy in a desperate quest to feel loved. At the heart of the story is a pretty messed up, dysfunctional family with the mother asking the question, Why can't a woman be allowed to follow her dreams?
Did I like these characters? Not really. But with Benjamin's skillful writing, I came to understand why they did the things they did. She also does an excellent job of depicting the culture of the tumultuous 60s. Gnarly, dude!
I received an arc of this novel from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
January 25, 2024
DNF
If you are over fifteen, skip this piece of garbage. I wonder how this drivel gets published?
I grew up surfing the California beaches in that era, but that is where all similarities stops. These characters were just ridiculous, especially the Surf God. Couldn’t stand to hear another word out of his mouth.
California may be golden, but the book wasn’t.
If you are over fifteen, skip this piece of garbage. I wonder how this drivel gets published?
I grew up surfing the California beaches in that era, but that is where all similarities stops. These characters were just ridiculous, especially the Surf God. Couldn’t stand to hear another word out of his mouth.
California may be golden, but the book wasn’t.
May 3, 2025
End notes refer to surfing as sexist and “obviously” racist too. 🙄 I’m obviously not going to enjoy this book. Hard pass!
September 20, 2023
3.5. I found this book to be really interesting in that it talked about women in the sport of surfing and dealt with women who really did not want nor should have been a mother. Also the whole hippie/Timothy Leary aspect of the book was good - drug filled days and nights - and even touched on Viet Nam. Wish it had one more chapter so that it showed a conclusion for one sister. The rest all seemed to have resolved itself but the one “wild” child wasn’t ever truly decided.
May 9, 2023
California Golden (2023) is the story of women competing in a man’s sport -surfing. It begins with the waves crashing on that golden California shore and ends with the golden edges of that dream permanently tarnished. The Donnelly girls all costar in this surfing safari, mother Carol and daughters Mindy and Ginger.
Carol was the original surfer chick when no other women were on the waves. But her dreams were dashed as she got locked into 1950’s suburban life with Tupperware parties and two young daughters. But Carol was not the PTA mom in Van Nuys. She was hardly around and eventually abandoned her family to go to the place it all started – in Hawaii – where no one took her seriously till they had no choice.
The two daughters were inseparable as twins – until they weren’t. Mindy, like her mother, took to the waves, winning surf championship after surf championship until a moviemaker wanted to star her in Gidget type movies. Mindy D, the girl with the curl, became the new sensation and a mini-celebrity -until years later when her time passed and she had to beg to accompany a USO tour to Vietnam and come to terms with who and what she left behind.
Meanwhile mom Carol bristled at being told she was too old for surf moviedom and disappeared again. Little Ginger was afraid of the surf and glommed onto a surfer, Tom, eventually clinging to him as they lived like vagabonds in a shack and later in a Laguna Beach commune. Tom beat her and said he really wanted the older sister. Ginger didn’t want anything but him – no matter what.
The novel tracks the trajectory of their intertwined but separate lives, they’re rises and falls through life. It tracks them through the Fifties and the Sixties and shows each of them in their glory and their imperfections. It is a well-written, charming, and often heart-wrenching tale.
This reviewer received an advance copy from the publisher for review purposes.
Carol was the original surfer chick when no other women were on the waves. But her dreams were dashed as she got locked into 1950’s suburban life with Tupperware parties and two young daughters. But Carol was not the PTA mom in Van Nuys. She was hardly around and eventually abandoned her family to go to the place it all started – in Hawaii – where no one took her seriously till they had no choice.
The two daughters were inseparable as twins – until they weren’t. Mindy, like her mother, took to the waves, winning surf championship after surf championship until a moviemaker wanted to star her in Gidget type movies. Mindy D, the girl with the curl, became the new sensation and a mini-celebrity -until years later when her time passed and she had to beg to accompany a USO tour to Vietnam and come to terms with who and what she left behind.
Meanwhile mom Carol bristled at being told she was too old for surf moviedom and disappeared again. Little Ginger was afraid of the surf and glommed onto a surfer, Tom, eventually clinging to him as they lived like vagabonds in a shack and later in a Laguna Beach commune. Tom beat her and said he really wanted the older sister. Ginger didn’t want anything but him – no matter what.
The novel tracks the trajectory of their intertwined but separate lives, they’re rises and falls through life. It tracks them through the Fifties and the Sixties and shows each of them in their glory and their imperfections. It is a well-written, charming, and often heart-wrenching tale.
This reviewer received an advance copy from the publisher for review purposes.
April 25, 2023
This was so different from anything I’ve ever read and started off a little slow but then really hooked me about half way through.
This had a lot of tough topics to read about especially because I’m a mom.. so seeing how Carol literally didn’t give a shit about her children was heartbreaking.
I also wanted to just scream at Ginger to WAKE UP..
I really enjoyed several parts of this book.. some parts honestly weren’t necessary but I would definitely recommend this as a good historical fiction option!
This had a lot of tough topics to read about especially because I’m a mom.. so seeing how Carol literally didn’t give a shit about her children was heartbreaking.
I also wanted to just scream at Ginger to WAKE UP..
I really enjoyed several parts of this book.. some parts honestly weren’t necessary but I would definitely recommend this as a good historical fiction option!
October 31, 2025
I enjoy good historical fiction and I find the time period in this novel fascinating, add the obscure topic of women’s surfing and color me intrigued.
Carol Donnelly is a legendary surfer which is essentially unheard of for women at the time. She gets pregnant at nineteen and does what’s expected of her, she gets married and has the baby, Mindy. Quick to follow is another girl, Ginger. Mindy is the responsible one, doing many of the things her mother should be doing, including watching over Ginger. She comes up the Plan, a way to be become a part of their mother’s life and make her stick around therefore avoiding life in an orphanage. The Plan is to learn to surf since that’s all her mother wants to do. Mindy is a natural and takes to it like a fish to water but Ginger is not. She doesn’t love it and is actually more than a little afraid of it. Eventually, the girl’s lives diverge and they become estranged from their mother.
The timeline follows the characters lives from the mid 1950s to 1980. The atmosphere of the novel is very well done. I especially enjoyed how well the complete 180 degree turn America’s youth took between the early 1960s and the mid 1960s is illustrated. It was a very abrupt societal shift in a very short amount of time. I got an accurate sense of surf culture, the sexism and racism involved. The section in Carol’s perspective was difficult to read. I felt both sympathy and judgement as I read it. Trauma is the only word that came to mind as I read her childbirth experience. Not all women are built for motherhood, nor do all women WANT motherhood (even though society certainly told them differently back then). Unfortunately, Carol lived in a time of very limited choices for women (regarding their lives and their bodies) and, as a result, behaved badly as a wife and mother. Her experience raising the girls versus the girls’ childhood experience was maddening; she was so clueless when it came to the effect her “parenting style” had on her children. I found it very believable that two children with very different personalities but raised in the same household by the same adults would take such different paths in life.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I was pleasantly surprised considering the number ratings/reviews and the overall lukewarm rating. Highly recommend.
Carol Donnelly is a legendary surfer which is essentially unheard of for women at the time. She gets pregnant at nineteen and does what’s expected of her, she gets married and has the baby, Mindy. Quick to follow is another girl, Ginger. Mindy is the responsible one, doing many of the things her mother should be doing, including watching over Ginger. She comes up the Plan, a way to be become a part of their mother’s life and make her stick around therefore avoiding life in an orphanage. The Plan is to learn to surf since that’s all her mother wants to do. Mindy is a natural and takes to it like a fish to water but Ginger is not. She doesn’t love it and is actually more than a little afraid of it. Eventually, the girl’s lives diverge and they become estranged from their mother.
The timeline follows the characters lives from the mid 1950s to 1980. The atmosphere of the novel is very well done. I especially enjoyed how well the complete 180 degree turn America’s youth took between the early 1960s and the mid 1960s is illustrated. It was a very abrupt societal shift in a very short amount of time. I got an accurate sense of surf culture, the sexism and racism involved. The section in Carol’s perspective was difficult to read. I felt both sympathy and judgement as I read it. Trauma is the only word that came to mind as I read her childbirth experience. Not all women are built for motherhood, nor do all women WANT motherhood (even though society certainly told them differently back then). Unfortunately, Carol lived in a time of very limited choices for women (regarding their lives and their bodies) and, as a result, behaved badly as a wife and mother. Her experience raising the girls versus the girls’ childhood experience was maddening; she was so clueless when it came to the effect her “parenting style” had on her children. I found it very believable that two children with very different personalities but raised in the same household by the same adults would take such different paths in life.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I was pleasantly surprised considering the number ratings/reviews and the overall lukewarm rating. Highly recommend.
August 10, 2023
All the California dreamin' vibes with this fantastic historical fiction book about mothers and daughters and the complications of pursuing your dreams at a time when women are expected to be good wives and mothers - not famous surfers.
I really, really enjoyed this latest from Melanie Benjamin! She had interesting quotes at the start of the chapters, told a story about the complicated relationships between a mother and her daughters and how her dreams for herself got sidetracked when she got pregnant at 19.
Alternating POVs from each of the women, my heart ached for them all at different points as they experience loss in different ways set against a drastically changing America of the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. If you love this time period, strong female characters, authors like Kristin Hannah or the movie Blue Crush this book is for you and is the perfect read for the summer.
Great on audio too narrated by Christine Lakin. Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. I also enjoyed the author's note included at the end in which she talks about how she struggled coming up with the idea for this book and definitely did NOT learn how to surf in the name of research lol.
I really, really enjoyed this latest from Melanie Benjamin! She had interesting quotes at the start of the chapters, told a story about the complicated relationships between a mother and her daughters and how her dreams for herself got sidetracked when she got pregnant at 19.
Alternating POVs from each of the women, my heart ached for them all at different points as they experience loss in different ways set against a drastically changing America of the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. If you love this time period, strong female characters, authors like Kristin Hannah or the movie Blue Crush this book is for you and is the perfect read for the summer.
Great on audio too narrated by Christine Lakin. Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. I also enjoyed the author's note included at the end in which she talks about how she struggled coming up with the idea for this book and definitely did NOT learn how to surf in the name of research lol.
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