A powerful debut, They Dream in Gold is a book about who we are as individuals as well as our familial identity. We learn the story of Bonnie and Mansour, alternating perspectives and timelines, going all the way back to the 1920s, until their paths finally cross in the 60s. Traveling the world, we get to know the background of this family until we come to present day, where we know that Mansour has gone missing and Bonnie is anxiously awaiting his return, pregnant with their first child.

While the blurb made this story more mysterious than it actually was, I knew from prior SJP titles that it would likely be heavy on character development and it certainly was. The story itself is quite meandering but the prose is gorgeous and Sennaar paints such a clear picture of who the characters are, that I was heavily invested in the outcome of their story.

Contemplative and throughful, They Dream in Gold is an excellent piece of historical fiction and would be a great book club pick.

Mai Sennaar's debut THEY DREAM IN GOLD show a young couple Bonnie and Mansour and their origin story, including from the perspectives of their caretakers. This novel takes place in several locations: Senegal, Switzerland, and America. Bonnie and Mansour meet when Bonnie is making the cover art for the band Mansour's in. When he goes missing while Bonnie is in the first trimester of her pregnancy, they all must reckon with their pasts.

A novel of identity and belonging, much of this novel is aching. It does have a slower pace, which some readers might not appreciate. I did, as I tend to gravitate toward character-driven novels.

This debut has very strong writing. At times, the narration is more detached than I wanted. I do favor up close and personal narration, but there is a bit of a mystery here so I understand why the author wrote it that way.

I would not hesitate to read the next novel by this author!

I normally love books with multi generational stories, switching timelines/POVs but sadly this wasn’t working for me. I found myself often getting bored or tired after only a few pages. Some chapters are more engaging than others but overall I’m not enjoying the meandering pace or story enough to continue. DNF at 15% but I’ll be recommending to my friends and fellow readers that I know would enjoy the slower pacing, character driven novel

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. The cover is what captivated me! I am a judge a book by a cover kind of girl. This was my first time reading work by this author and this was a very engaging read with love and flashbacks, multiple POVs well written. Looking forward to see what else is out there by this author.

Thank you to Zando – SJP Lit and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book.

They Dream in Gold reads like a mosaic made of circles, where individual people, times, locations and plot revolve around each other to finally form a glittering picture.

Set mostly in the late 60’s, but going back to the 1950’s, and even the 1920’s, the story tells of Bonnie and Mansour, two talented young black people from different countries but sharing stories of distance and loss of their mothers, unknown fathers, and struggles to find both love and home. The main people are from Senegal, France, Ireland, Switzerland, the USA. Contemporary events – such as the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. - are part of the background, and racism is often at the forefront.

The book is challenging: many characters appear by name early in a phrase or a sentence, only to return chapters later in significant roles. The timeline is hazy, and some episodes are based on secrets and incomplete or inaccurate information. Chapter headings foretell events that do not occur until later, and the tension of the story’s initial mystery – Where is Mansour as Bonnie awaits, pregnant with his child? – is introduced early, but hints of a happy conclusion are scattered in sentences through the book that refer to later years.

Reading this book was a struggle for me. I wasn’t comfortable with the non-linear structure, which made it impossible not to repeat events and patterns in troubled and troubling relationships. Still, it had a certain beauty to it, especially when describing the music that grounds Mansour and first connects him to Bonnie.
I am 76 years old, white, educated, middle class, and liberal. A younger audience may greatly enjoy and appreciate this book for its style as well as its story.

“They Dream in Gold” is a book of music, love, friendships and new beginnings, The characters are well developed and thoroughly interesting. While I enjoyed reading about Mama, Bonnie and Mansour, the different locales and their journey’s, I found at times that I couldn’t keep track of all the characters and the timelines. I’m usually pretty good with historical fiction that jumps back and forth but this book was a bit disjointed to me. As I got closer to the end, I found I was really liking it! I can see by the majority of the reviews that I’m in the minority re my view. For a debut novel, it definitely hits a lot of high spots ie romance, family, suspense and the jazz/music aspect.
Do I recommend it? Certainly!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC COPY.

I enjoyed so many things about this book. I was entertained from beginning to end as the characters became friends of mine. Great book!!!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for gifting me this book in exchange for my honest review

This is great read. The characters were engaging and I couldn't put the book down. I would recommend this book for a book club or a friend.

This was a great book. I loved the theme. I loved the way it was written and the way the words flowed.

This is a love story, this is a jazz story, this is a story of America and of trying to claw your way out of poverty.
When Bonnie and Mansour meet in New York in 1968 they are tied together forever. Through snippets and flashbacks and multiple POVs, Mai Sennaar creates a love song to those who believe in true romance and of perseverance. I loved all of the voices and the easy way I fell into each person's tale. Mai Sennaar is an amazing talent!

A sprawling story of intercontinental travel, this is an intergenerational tale that should be produced on the big screen!
#zando #sjplit #africandiaspora #maisennaar #theydreamingold #bestdebut

I'd like to say the cover art for this book is absolutely stunning!
I struggled to get through parts of this story. It's a bit like a collection of short stories, woven together. Some stories more compelling than others. The overall theme of the story comes together to tell the resilient stories of women and mothers.

I found myself attracted to this book's cover. Each time I look at it I see something new. The author skillfully turned the words into a powerful story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Sennaar has crafted characters that are going to stay with me for a long time.

A unique story of one man's journey to success as a musician, told largely through the perspective of the leading women in his life. The novel is absolutely sprawling as we jump between characters, time periods, and continents. As would be expected, certain threads of the story are more captivating than others and I struggled a bit though the less engaging parts. However, with music as the thoroughline, the author gracefully explores motherhood, cross-cultural experience, grief and ambition. An impressive debut.

I struggled with They Dream in Gold. I wanted so badly to love this book. When I saw Sarah Jessica Parker’s glowing review I knew I would love this book. Maybe my hopes were too high. In the beginning I was so confused on what was going on. I couldn’t figure out how the characters were connected and the story was all over the place in time and places around the world. About half way through it started to make more sense and I willed myself to finish the book. The ending was good. I love books about families, love, and happy endings so I reluctantly gave it three stars. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

simply a gorgeous work about family with fantastic writing and a really fun style. would recommend this one so much. thanks for the arc.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

such a beautiful story, I was hung on every single word! Sennaar really captured the familys feelings and belifs and told them in such a heartwarming way I loved ever second of it and cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!