Gold, English edition

authenticity'. -- Independent on Sunday 'Cleave is excellent on the technical details of the athletic life which, along with its physical and mental demands, requires further personal sacrifices, both of privacy and happy relationships ... This book overflows with astute perceptions. One of the most moving is the parallel drawn between the athletes' need to live in the present ... and the more devastating necessity for the parents of a sick child to not consider the horrors the future may bring.' -- TLS 'The race scenes have true visceral intensity, leaving the reader feeling as breathless as a cyclist. From start to finish, this is a truly Olympic-level literary achievement.' -- Publishers Weekly 'If there's one Olympic-themed novel you ought to read this summer it's Chris Cleave's well-imagined and researched look at just what it takes to compete at the highest level.' -- Daily Mirror 'Extremely moving ... It really has that same thing as The Other Hand and Incendiary, where you feel a bit lonely and annoyed until someone else you know has read it and you can discuss it with them ... I really loved it and I do think it's one of those books that you want to talk to people about ... no one will be able to read it then put it down with a gentle sigh. They will be pressing it on people.' -- Alex Heminsley, BBC 6 Music 'With its tightly plotted twists and turns this is a novel of extremes - of the heights a body can reach in pursuit of Olympic cycling gold, and of what the heart can endure in the face of love, parenthood and an ill child. Cleave's writing is nothing short of poetic and this has to be our (very early) tip for the best book of 2012.' -- Glamour 'The Olympics are almost upon us and if like me you are given to wondering whether it's possible to be a superhuman athlete and a simple human being, GOLD is here to help ... What counts about this thrilling novel are the characters: the flaws and fears that fuel their need to compete, the drives and dreads that bring them together and threaten to bring them to blows ... Cleave artfully interleaves moments of high-tensile emotion with no less taut descriptions of action on the track ... I don't know about Kate and Zoe but Chris Cleave deserves a medal.' -- Daily Express 'Cleave's brilliantly plotted, nail-biting, and emotional tale dramatizes the anguish and triumphs of ambition and sacrifice, fame and heartbreak to celebrate the true gold of love.' -- Booklist 'If you are looking for a book to read to avoid the brouhaha of the Olympics this year but still want to get a taste of what all the fuss is about, this would be a superb choice ... Cleave's style is highly readable, with plenty of humour and some wry similes and metaphors ... It would take a cold heart not to be moved at some point in this book.' -- thebookbag.co.uk 'Compelling, dramatic and ... pure gold.' -- Scotsman 'Compelling and heart-wrenching.' -- Good Housekeeping 'GOLD is immensely enjoyable ... The writing is energetic and urgent, and, far from being geeky, the descriptions of bike racing are among the most poetic passages. Best of all are the powerful, dark moments where we glimpse the cost of obsession with something as painful as cycling.' -- Financial Times 'A riveting read because at the heart of it is the unseen, private world of our greatest athletes.' -- Press Association 'Underpinning their stories is poignant tragedy, fierce ambition, hope, failure and a glorious twist in the tale that will take your breath away. I tore through the pages with such rabid abandon that, by the time I looked up again, it was dark outside.' -- Herald 'If you've read Chris Cleave's earlier novels you'll know how well he wraps searing social commentary in a gripping and engaging narrative. In GOLD he focuses his insightful gaze on the world of Olympic-level speed cycling ... It's the perfect counterpoint to all the Olympic mania - but it's one for sports fans too.' -- Irish Times 'A gloriously fast-paced romp of a sporting novel that's a must-read in this Olympic year. Thrilling and deeply touching, it'll have you sobbing.' -- FHM 'Gold is an emotional rollercoaster ride as it explores what drives people to succeed and what they choose to sacrifice for success.' -- Choice 'This bestseller-bound, tightly told story is unusually compelling ... Cleave is that rare creature -- an Oxford graduate with an emotional IQ of Mensa proportions. Add some hard research to give his characters credibility and you have a dream team of story-telling ingredients.' -- Evening Standard 'It is a timely work of fiction, but Cleave is meticulous in his research' -- Claire Byrne, Irish Times Books of the Year