Did you like any of the characters? Kate, Jack, Zoe, Sophie, Tom?
What did you think of the topic of sacrifice vs. fleeing responsibilities?
Did you think the backdrop of cycling in the Olympics was well crafted?
Was it exciting to follow the story?
What did you think of the ending?
By the end, I even hated Kate’s goody-two-shoes holier-than-thou existence.
I think it’s incredibly hard to write a novel about the Olympics.
I predict the story will be turned into a Hallmark Channel made for TV movie.
One man’s opinion.
Phew, what an ending! Did you see the Sophie-is-Zoe’s-daughter twist coming? Did you bet on Kate to win the single spot in the Games? In the end, does Kate “have it all”? Let us know what you think. And more from us in a few minutes.
Alright guys. For real this time— our last Tumbly chat for ‘Gold,’ coming to you at 2 pm ET today. As always, you can start submitting thoughts, questions, etc. now.
Sorry y’all we got a little side-tracked today. The good news is that you get a one-day extension to finish our book, ‘Gold’!
We’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.
Hope you all have finished ‘Gold.’ What a finale! If you haven’t turned the last page I’d recommend staying away from this Tumblr today, because we’ll have plenty of spoilers up during our chat.
For those of you who have finished, see you this afternoon. Although don’t hesitate to submit any awesome thoughts/questions/discussion points ahead of time.
Thanks for your input on the chat today!
For our next assignment, we’ll be finishing the book by this Tuesday, the 31st. Who do you think will make it to the games!?
Gaw, shucks Dad.
Stay tuned to this tumblr for our thoughts on the last batch of ‘Gold,’ nwkbookclub’s book.
(Source: nwkbookclub)
As Brian said, he seems like a great coach. (“Holy shit. He’s good.”) But his predictability also feels like a character straight out of A League of Their Own. You’ve probably had a coach like him, who says things like “You know what you should be scared of? The day they aren’t shouting your name. Then you’ll be like me.” Or, when his knees locks while he was taking a bath, and needs Zoe and Kate to rescue his naked and uncooperative body from the bathroom, says, “Call the vet. Have me put down.” It’s to the novel’s credit that Tom is a funny and lovable character, and he’s believable, because he says things that all of us have said before, or will say at moments like that. “Call the vet” or “You should see the other guy” are ready-made phrases that our minds instinctively turn to when we are confronted with having to say something clever, but not too clever. Tom is not clever. But he’s believable as a regular guy.
Later, after Zoe and Kate leaves, Tom is in his flat, trying to fall asleep, and the scene is set to get inside his head, to embody his consciousness. “They were just your bloody neurons crackling and fizzing, like jaded ladies fabricating gossip,” he thinks to himself. That “bloody” is the only word that is not the narrator’s, but Tom’s, and “bloody” (“they won every bloody trophy in sight,” “a hell of a thing that they’d looked after him”) is all that the narrator can manage when he wants to close the gap between the reader and the character. There’s no other way to get to know him—we already feel like we know him, from the things he says and the shrugs he makes. (“He shrugged. ‘Oh, you know. The lingering sensation that in pursuit of my own exacting gloas and objectives I might not have been as generous in spirit as I could have been with regard to the needs and dreams of the people I cared most about or for whom I was emotionally responsible.’ “) The predictability and believability of Tom is an advantage in so far as it allows us to immediately identify him. But doesn’t that render him a type, a flat character? So far, as of page 88, the narrator has not inched into Tom’s mind. Tom has not surprised us. There’s nothing we don’t know already. Characters, I believe, are not good characters because they are “the funny coach” or “the scary schoolmaster” or “the precocious tomboy” with a “benevolent lawyer daddy.” These are types. I believe a good character is constructed and created, bit by bit, to achieve depth. It’s like inflating a rubber balloon.
