Book Review: California Golden by Melanie Benjamin

“Because she didn’t think she was that good, although she supposed if you walked around quietly all the time and tried not to make anyone angry or take one step out of line, because that one step could be the one that capsized the entire ship and scattered your family in all different directions, a family no more – that could be mistaken for goodness. When actually it was just fear.”

Melanie Benjamin, California Golden

Review:

One glance at this book and I was sold on the summer vibes. The vibes delivered. As for the story itself, I was left with mixed feelings. 

California sisters Mindy and Ginger are more or less left to raise themselves. Their father leaves them at a young age with their mother, who, up until then, had spent years floating in and out of their lives. 

Mindy and Ginger’s lives are unconventional, practically living in their swimsuits and eventually joining their mother on the beach and learning to surf. Mindy embraces this lifestyle for a while. Ginger, on the other hand, never felt she belonged. 

I loved the mother/daughter themes of the book and I liked how character-driven it all was, but it felt like it was trying to fit as many 1960s cliches in as possible with a plot woven around those. It felt choppy with little direction. A lot was enjoyable, I just felt like I was fumbling along. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The mother/daughter themes.
• Character-oriented.

What I didn’t like:

• Overloaded with 1960s cliches.
• There wasn’t much direction in the story.

Afterthoughts:

I meant to read this last summer but never got around to it.

Where to buy the book: