Melanie Benedict brings history to life in California Golden, exploring the little-known story of women in the Hawaiian sport of surfing, starting with trailblazers similar to the character of Carol Donnelly in the 1950s and her two daughters, talented Mindy and wayward Ginger in the 1960s. Carol leaves her daughters with their father to go on a surfing safari in Hawaii. Their father later deserts them as well and the girls hatch the PLAN, which involves succeeding in surging in order to win their mother's attention and love.

Thank you to @netgalley and Penguin Random House International USA for this ARC. Carol Donnelly, a world class surfer finds herself pregnant and now having to put her life on hold. After several years of struggling in her marriage and another daughter later, she runs away to find herself in Hawaii. A short while later, her husband abandons the girls and Carol has to come home to be a mom again. They try to make it work until it doesn't. Carol runs away again, Mindy is just trying to make a living and Ginger falls in love and leaves with the wrong guy. With each alone, they each have to find their own way.
This book was ok. I felt like the characters were constantly sabotaging themselves.
#CaliforniaGolden #MelanieBenjamin #BallatineRandomHouse #Aug2023

4.5 stars

Thank you to Melanie Benjamin, Dell, and NetGallery for the opportunity to read this book!

I had no clue that this was the fourth book that I have read by the author, Melanie Benjamin! I have enjoyed all of the books by her that I have read and this was no exception.

This book really touched my heart as I was born in the '60s and lived through some of these events in Southern California. Of course, I was younger than the three main characters, but it was about my home area that I am so proud of! Interestingly, the book is also set in Hawaii where I feel most at ease and comfortable in my own skin. So realize that all impacted my review.

The three main characters were a mother, Carol, and her two daughters, Mindy and Ginger. The novel begins near the end of WWII and ends at the end of the '60s with a closing based in the '80s. Although not all of the characters in this book were likable, they were interesting and totally fleshed out. The three main characters could have been women that I knew growing up - I understood each of them and their choices. It was fascinating to read about places that I knew, especially Malibu and Laguna, as well as the clothing, music, and Hollywood scene.

Melanie Benjamin has a way with historical fiction - each book that I have read has been written about a COMPLETELY and UNIQUE time frame. She writes so vividly with such colorful strokes that I can see it all playing out in my head.

HIGHLY recommend

The Donnelley sisters grow up in the 1960s in southern California., Their mother is physically at the beach and emotionally absent. They skip school and hang out surfing, only to find their lives taking different, yet similarly disastrous, directions.

This is a story of family and trauma and what endures. I enjoyed it.

I loved “The Children’s Blizzard” by Melanie Benjamin and was excited to read her latest novel. While it was a good read, I wasn’t in love with the story. The characters frustrated me, and I feel it’s a stretch to categorize this book as historical fiction, even though it involves female surfers and 1960s California culture. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have received an ARC of this novel and have given it an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read California Golden by Melanie Benjamin.

If Melanie Benjamin wrote it, I'm going to read it. And then, because the characters she writes SO well have been inspired by strong women who I want to know more about, I'm going to scoot down some rabbit holes to learn more about them.

Ms. Benjamin's research is impressive, her writing keeps me reading and leaves me hoping her next book is on the way soon.

California Golden, to be released on August 8, is a historical fiction which is quite different from the typical story line for Melanie Benjamin. Set in the 1950's and 60's, two sisters, Ginger and Mindy, struggle to find their way in the world after being raised in a dysfunctional environment. Their mother, a woman trying to make it in the man's world of surfing, abandons her girls and her role of mother. As Ginger and Mindy move closer to adulthood, each sister deals with their past in a different way. This is a story of struggle, love, resilience, survival, hopes, and dreams. This novel will appeal to those who like reading about surfing and the era of the 50's and 60's.

California Golden review
Carol had been an all star athlete in high school. Her ambition was to become a player on an all girl team in the MidWest. However that all changed when she discovered that she was pregnant. She quickly married before her new husband went to fight in World War II.
Carol hated being a wife and mother and showed new interest in her baby Mindy. She also developed an interest in surfing.By the time her second daughter, Ginger, arrived a few years later, Carol was spending most of her time surfing.
Then Carol got a one way ticket to surf in Hawaii with a rich girl friend. She had to return to California when she learned that her husband had left the girls in the care of her alcoholic mother and moved out.
For the next few years Carol continued to neglect the girls and noticed them only when they were surfing with her. Mindy assumed the role of mother and took care of her younger sister.
The girls dropped out of school and the 3 surfers became known as the Donnelly girls.
Then Mindy started an acting career with small parts in the newly popular surfer films. Ginger teamed up Tom, a handsome but abusive drug dealer. Then Mindy and her mother had a falling out. Ginger & Tom joined a commune where the main occupation was drug dealing. Soon the three women lost all contact with each other.
The book is narrated first by Mindy and then by Carol & Ginger. At the end of the story an event causes the three to reunite.
This story begins during World War II and continues till 1980. It deals with the Viet Nam war, the drug culture in California and surfing.
I enjoyed the book but did not find any of the main characters likeable.
I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.

I just finished reading this in one sitting! I really enjoy Melanie Benjamin's style of writing and appreciate how she does the research to write richly detailed books.
California Golden is based in surf culture and hones in on women and their acceptance in the 60s-80s. One would think in the so called chill environment of surfing that all would be included and a group connection would be the scene. And it was, unless you were a female. Stereotypical roles for women were very pervasive in this sport and that their talent was not heralded sadden me. It doesn't seem the type of sport that gender would impact your ability to be good or great at it.
What surprised me even more was the attitude in California to Hawaiian surfers and the insufferable attitude towards them. Coming from a non surfing background I would have thought Hawaiian surfers would have been the gold standard, but again the hubris of some folks thinking.
I liked how the book weaved back and forth and told the story of the 3 main characters. In some spots I thought some storylines could have been expanded upon.
I felt sorrow for Carol, even though she was not the most likable of characters, of how her life turned out. I wonder if it could have been different if her family could have come together ( older generation, not the kids) and helped her achieve her greatness in either baseball or surfing. It was so sad that she had to be forced into the only role, acceptable at the time as a mother, How wonderful it could have been if her husband could have lifted her, her parents enabled her and the community supported her. Her story would have been interesting to read more of, especially as the story progressed, but I understand it was more a story of one daughter and how the other characters impacted her trajectory.
I was drawn to Ginger, and while I can understand her need to be needed, I hate this type of codependent personality. Why was she not able to be involved in the marketing part of surfing her looks and family connections would have made her successful at. I wonder the motivation for not allowing her to go that direction. Her mother and sister did know her surfing abilities were limited so why not gently push into a different direction that would have allowed her to feel connected to them still. Sigh.
Mindy was a very interesting character and I rooted for her throughout the book. Some parts seemed rushed about her storyline as there was much being covered. I liked her growth throughout the book.
I enjoyed this book, it was well written and had compelling characters and a good pace.
Thank you NetGallery for this early copy of California Golden. I did enjoy it, though as always wish the world was a nicer place.

I love reading about complicated and unexpected women, although damn was it hard to root for just about anyone in this book. The setting and premise gave serious Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes, especially at the beginning. From Vietnam on it was just ok for me. Over all still a fun read. 3.5

Started off very slow and I forged ahead, it just wasn't really for me. I might have gone in with too high expectations and wanted it to be like Malibu Rising. Might try the audiobook to see if I like it better that way! I am not giving up on Benjamin yet.

CALIFORNIA GOLDEN by Melanie Benjamin tells the story of a (fictional) famous female surfer at a time when such things did not exist. I was so excited to read her story and see what her experience was like. However, she's so awful to her two daughters--and that story is told first--that it's almost impossible to care about Carol's story. This book was high on my list, but it fell short, with underdeveloped characters and confusing timeline transitions.

I really wanted to like this one and it wasn’t “bad” but man I really felt like it was all over the place. The story starts in what I assume was present day and then with no indication does like a 30-40 page flashback and then comes right back to present day with no good transition and it just made the story feel wonky. Overall is wasn’t bad, the story itself, but the layout and transitions could definitely use some fine tuning

This book is good, and it is similar to Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but it is also different.
We have a family of women trying to find their identities and accept their relationships with each other and figure out what home means to them. There is some neglect and abuse.
I liked how the author brought all their perspectives together.
I enjoyed seeing us span through history from WW2 until the 80s. And how we see the reflection of the cultural dynamics of these important times and how it affects these characters lives.
A good read.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

A story about mothers and daughters and sisters set in the 50s and 60s in California and Hawaii. It tackles some serious issues like neglect, gender roles, racism, and abuse among others. The story was interesting, if a little muddled in parts. I generally don't mind stories told from different perspectives, but in this case, it just felt disjointed and out of order, especially Carol's part. Mindy's ability to forgive is infinite, apparently, and just a little unbelievable.

All in all, the story was engaging once I set aside some of the issues I had (which may not bother other readers at all) and I would recommend it to others looking for an entertaining novel.

I loved this one the author has a way of creating unlikeable people be like able people in her books while immersing you in a place so much you can hear the waves and see the surfers with 7o’s rock playing.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read another book by a phenomenal author

Melanie Benjamin wrote a phenomenal story of a mother who choses her love of the sea, freedom and her surfboard over her family. This surfing story brings all of the deep feels of sisterhood, abandonment, and strength all in one. Get ready to pull an all nighter as you dive into this California dreaming saga.
Thank you Net Galley for this winner!

Thanks to Ballantine for sending me an arc.

I wanted to really enjoy this but i think i had too high of expectations due to how much i enjoyed Malibu Rising

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It wasn't terrible, parts of it were good and interesting, it just didn't live up to the potential for me. Two daughters who were brought up with little mothering, as their mother was very self involved in her life and surfing. Their lives take two different paths as they both struggle with identity and love. It didn't carry the emotional punch i was looking for