California Golden

author: Melanie Benjamin

Publisher: Random House- Ballantine

Publish Date: August 8, 2023

*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

    This beautifully crafted story takes place in California during the late 50s through early 70s. Carol Donnely never wanted to be a wife or a mother. A natural-born athlete, she had dreams of being a baseball player. When that dream was shattered, she discovered surfing. From that day forward, nothing else was important to her.

    While other mothers were staying at home raising children and baking cookies, Carol dropped hers off at school wearing the same outfits several days in a row. Blissfully unaware of her husband or her responsibilities, Carol lives only to surf.

    Carol's daughters, Ginger and Mindy, do their best to survive with a mother who does not seem to know they exist and a father who is only aware of their mother and his hopeless love for her. They spend their days trying to not get taken into custody by DFCS. 

   When their father finally walks out, the girls are left on their own. Their mother continues to only care about the surf. In order to get her to notice them, the girls start learning to surf. Mindy becomes a great surfer in her own right. Ginger is terrified of the water and only surfs to make her mother and sister happy.

    This story reveals what happens when Carol is forced to try to parent daughters she has no interest in. When Mindy becomes a champion in her own right,, there are unexpected consequences. When Mindy takes off with her new career, Ginger is left on her own. Having never made a decision on her own before, her life becomes a portrait of the California Dream when it is left too long in the harsh sun

    From the shores of California to the shores of Hawaii and even across the ocean to Viet Nam, this story covers the surfing craze of the 60s, the hippies, the surfers, the soldiers, and the golden people. However, we don't just see the beautiful blonde people with perfect white teeth. We see that dark underbelly of the culture as well. The drugs. The surf bums. The communes.

    This story is very hard to put down. Full of unexpected twists and turns, we see how women have been forced to fulfill certain roles in society. We see what happens when children are raised by mothers who are not able to love. It also shows the bitter reality behind that golden California sun. This is a beautifully written novel. I highly recommend it.