I really enjoyed Melanie Benjamin's Swans of Fifth Avenue, and I'm currently listening to the audio book version of Mistress of the Ritz (so far, so good). California Golden is a fast-moving page-turner with a lot of familiar settings for anyone who lives in or has traveled frequently to California, and with all its cultural references to the 60s and the Baby Boom era in which it is set. As I qualify as both a frequent visitor to the Golden State and as a Baby Boomer, there wasn't a lot of new territory to discover here, in those respects and in many of the plot elements. Unfortunately, a number of the developments in the storyline are pretty predictable before they unfold, but I enjoyed reliving some (but not all) of the aspects of the 60s.
Mindy and Ginger Donnelly are sisters. We follow them from their pre-teen years, into their later teens and beyond, in chronological order, and through flashbacks. They are the daughters of Carol Donnelly, a champion surfer (a rarity for a woman in the 50s and 60s), a reluctant mother who'd rather be chasing a wave than living the suburban life of the post-war era. In fact, Carol leaves her husband and daughters to live in Hawaii in a surfing community. Their disappointed father sues for divorce, and Carol is forced to come back to California to make a home for them – more or less, mostly less, as the girls struggle through the remainder of their childhood and adolescence, mainly struggling to self-parent themselves. But Carol, as we eventually learn, has quite a backstory of her own, though it is told in a way that does not engender much sympathy.
Mindy, as the big sister, who follows in her mother's footsteps to become a surfing phenomenon, feels a great responsibility for the very vulnerable Ginger, but one day at the beach the girls make choices that will challenge their bond, and forever impact their future lives – and that is where the saga really starts to unfold.
Mindy embarks on a Hollywood career but it ends almost before it begins, while Ginger falls into a relationship that captures much of the down side of 60s California beach culture. Reading their stories, it was easy to imagine what their older and wiser selves might have said to them decades later about the directions they took.
Carol's fate in late middle age seems to be a harsh judgement, perhaps even retribution, for her earlier choices. Though her character made me angry, I also felt sympathy for her. Her daughters, as the next generation, had more opportunity to reset their lives, and the reader is left with the impression that they will.
The title "California Golden" is filled with irony, as the novel also focuses on the impact of racism and colonialism in Hawaii, carried over into the California setting, where white supremacy also makes several appearances. Since it is the 60s, the Vietnam War and drug culture are also addressed. Domestic violence and sexual politics come into play. There is nothing "golden" about any of these – they are the dark side of the peace, love, and brotherhood we prefer to remember about the era, when in fact, there was tremendous turmoil: the contrasting violence against civil rights marchers, riots in major cities (including Los Angeles), and the opposition to the war. Still, I am glad I lived through it, and that some essence of its ideals remain, though in today's harshly divided America those principles are struggling to survive more than ever.
Mindy and Ginger Donnelly are sisters. We follow them from their pre-teen years, into their later teens and beyond, in chronological order, and through flashbacks. They are the daughters of Carol Donnelly, a champion surfer (a rarity for a woman in the 50s and 60s), a reluctant mother who'd rather be chasing a wave than living the suburban life of the post-war era. In fact, Carol leaves her husband and daughters to live in Hawaii in a surfing community. Their disappointed father sues for divorce, and Carol is forced to come back to California to make a home for them – more or less, mostly less, as the girls struggle through the remainder of their childhood and adolescence, mainly struggling to self-parent themselves. But Carol, as we eventually learn, has quite a backstory of her own, though it is told in a way that does not engender much sympathy.
Mindy, as the big sister, who follows in her mother's footsteps to become a surfing phenomenon, feels a great responsibility for the very vulnerable Ginger, but one day at the beach the girls make choices that will challenge their bond, and forever impact their future lives – and that is where the saga really starts to unfold.
Mindy embarks on a Hollywood career but it ends almost before it begins, while Ginger falls into a relationship that captures much of the down side of 60s California beach culture. Reading their stories, it was easy to imagine what their older and wiser selves might have said to them decades later about the directions they took.
Carol's fate in late middle age seems to be a harsh judgement, perhaps even retribution, for her earlier choices. Though her character made me angry, I also felt sympathy for her. Her daughters, as the next generation, had more opportunity to reset their lives, and the reader is left with the impression that they will.
The title "California Golden" is filled with irony, as the novel also focuses on the impact of racism and colonialism in Hawaii, carried over into the California setting, where white supremacy also makes several appearances. Since it is the 60s, the Vietnam War and drug culture are also addressed. Domestic violence and sexual politics come into play. There is nothing "golden" about any of these – they are the dark side of the peace, love, and brotherhood we prefer to remember about the era, when in fact, there was tremendous turmoil: the contrasting violence against civil rights marchers, riots in major cities (including Los Angeles), and the opposition to the war. Still, I am glad I lived through it, and that some essence of its ideals remain, though in today's harshly divided America those principles are struggling to survive more than ever.
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