Southern California during the 1950s and 60s was a surfer's paradise--for men. Then Carol Donnelly came on the scene, blowing everyone out of the water with her skill and boldness on tany wave. By that time she was already married and a mother of two little girls, Ginger and Mindy. Carol is never a very attentive mother and becomes even less so when her husband abandons them. She hauls Mindy and Ginger from surf spot to surf spot, never allowing them to put down roots and generally ignoring them. Mindy is a talented surfer and Ginger is good, but they are pulled in different directions when Carol moved on entirely from her motherhood role.

Melanie Benjamin gives us insight into each character's motivation. Ginger is the most difficult to understand and relate to, because she, the tender one, makes one destructive decision after another. Mindy flirts with fame but is ultimately practical, seeking stability. Carol is aloof, squeezed into decisions completely opposed to her being by time and place. I only found Mindy, with her practical bent, as someone relatable, but, then, she takes steps that do not make her relatable at all.

Benjamin's first two novels were deep, insightful, satisfying examples of quality hostorical fiction, but she seems to have gone the Taylor Jenkins Reid school of fiction, which is fine. But we already have TJR, and now no one like the author of "Alice I Have Been" or "The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb," books I shared with many friends. "California Golden" has a good sense of place and a nice take on the surf culture of California and Hawaii. It will appeal to readers who want to groove on the '60s surf scene and discover something about what it felt like to grab a wave with the sun on your back and the sand ahead.

Melanie Benjamin never disappoints!! I was immediately pulled into the story and found California Golden "unputdownable"! I have read and enjoyed all of her previous books but this one may be my favorite!

My first 5 Star read of the year! I enjoyed everything about this book. I could feel the sun on my skin, the smell of suntan oil and feel of the surf board.

California Golden is the story of the Donnelly Girls, carol and here daughters Mindy and Ginger.

Spanning the decades from the late 50’s until 1980, it does good job of isolating the surfing culture in Ca at the time. It was an extremely sweet, warm story that I enjoyed.

Melanie Benjamin’s latest novel is a unique one! Set in California along the Southern coast in the 1950s and 1960’s, I can’t think of any book I have read similar to that. The novel focuses on two sisters who grow up with their mom who is totally wrapped up in the surfing lifestyle, well as wrapped up as you can be with two kids. Life is more complicated than just sun and surfing, we soon find out.

The novel opens with Mindy and Ginger, sisters, filming as extras on the beach in movie production. Once filming wraps for the night, one of the movie stars invites Mindy to hang out with the other actors. Mindy can’t believe she would be asked and goes to tell her sister, Ginger, the plan. However, Ginger wants to stay back with a boy and surf. Mindy is torn because that is not part of “The Plan”. Mindy, for the first time, leaves her sister behind and the story and mystery around “The Plan” begins to slowly unfold..

The first 70% of the book alternates between Mindy and Ginger’s points of view both in the past and in the future. The sisters have an unconventional upbringing especially as their mom, Carol, becomes something of a surfing legend. Both sisters learn to surf, drop out of high school, and end up on completely different life paths. While I was wanting them both to succeed, they made plenty of mistakes along the way.

The last 30% includes their mom’s point of view as well which really shakes things up. From the sister’s point of view, their mother certainly wouldn’t win a mother of the year award. However, Carol’s point of view changed things for me and made me view her differently.

Ultimately, this book kept me engaged the entire way through. This book also offered me so many things I like in a book: a unique setting and time period, alternating points of view, a non-linear timeline, parts to root for the main characters and times to be frustrated with their decisions, and a satisfying conclusion. Just like the author’s other novels, this one did not disappoint!


Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Melanie Benjamin, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader’s copy.

This is a great historical fiction novel that the author's fans with enjoy. Fans of Daisy Jones and the Six will also enjoy the trip to the 70s.

California Golden by Melanie Benjamin is yet another shining example why this author is at the very top of my favorites!! Honestly, this woman can do no wrong. I LOVED this story about a mother and her two daughters, set primarily in California in the 50s and 60s. Surfing, cults, unexpected pregnancy, expectations vs reality, sister drama, mother-daughter drama, heartbreak, love. California Golden is a must read!!!!

California Golden by Melanie Benjamin takes us back to the simpler days of 1960s California surfer life. The Donnelly’s are anything but simple though. Carol Donnelly broke the mold as a legendary female surfer, living for the the sand, surf and water. It wasn’t in her plan though to have two daughters, Mindy and Ginger, and she throughout the story, she struggles with the life she wanted vs. the life she’s been dealt. Mindy and Ginger grow up in this unconventional lifestyle, often left behind by their mother, but eventually following in her footsteps. As they grow up, their lives diverge, one towards stardom, the other towards the counterculture world of drugs and the occult. Sisterhood is an unbreakable bond though, and despite their differences, Mindy and Ginger will always be there for each other.

I find this book a bit difficult to review. I enjoyed the setting of this story. The visuals were beautifully written and I got a really good vibe for what it was like to live in California during this time.

The story though felt a bit messy at times in the way it was presented. I felt like it might have worked better if it had been broken up into 3 alternating POVs instead of books. I would have liked some of Carol’s story sprinkled through the story instead of one large chunk more than 2/3 of the way through the book.

Mindy and Ginger’s story was a great though. I found myself drawn a bit more to Ginger’s, despite her choices being a bit infuriating and maddening at times. Maybe it’s her personality, the sister that was left behind and struggling as a result. Despite her choices, Mindy is always there for her though to help her in moments of desperation. Despite their ups and downs, I was ultimately happy with the ending.

Overall, I’m mixed on this story. There’s some good stuff, some not so good stuff, but I still think I would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

California Golden by Melanie Benjamin
This story is about a family, who's left years later are the mother Carol, Ginger and daughter Mindy.
First part of the book is about the girls, next part their mother and then all three of them for the ending chapters.
Carol just loves the water and surfing and even takes her daughters out of school to be close by to her at the beach. Kids really suffer, not having a real home life, or education.
They grow up fast on their own and others take advantage of them, sexually and another for her body and surfing.
Story follows each as their lives do get tangled together again years later.
Life in 60's on west coast is whatever you want you can get. Cults were abundant and so many harmful things to children.
Story left me with many tearful emotions as i read it, I grew up during these times but on east coast.
Hard book for me to read with the drugs and the cult activity as parts of that have personally harmed our family over the years.
Especially love how just a photograph of a famous surfer and her girls the author was able to create this story. So much history and so fun at the same time.
Resource listings are available at the end, acknowledgements and about the author. Can't wait to read more of the author’s works, she does her homework.
Received this review copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#CaliforniaGolden #NetGalley

3 stars

I’ve never read this author before but I really enjoyed reading this book. Though it was labeled historical fiction, it was not so far in the past history. I loved the timeframe, the setting, and the characters. It was a bit heavier than I expected when looking at the cover.

As a longtime fan of Melanie's Benjamin's historical novels, I was delighted to get an early copy of CALIFORNIA GOLDEN. Benjamin does a wonderful job at bringing the surfer scene from the 1950s and 60s to life for the reader. While you can tell she did a ton of research, thankfully it does not get in the way of the story.

Mindy and Ginger are immediately relatable, with Mindy really being the narrative's driving force. Ginger makes one bad decision after another. Their mother is aloof and frustrating at times. I appreciated getting her point of view later in the book so that the picture of these women is more fleshed out.

My one complaint is very minor -- too many exclamation points. They begin to feel like a lazy way to convey energy or enthusiasm, which we don't need.

That very minor point aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author is not afraid to delve into tough topics and put the characters in difficult situations. She does so with a graceful hand. Ultimately this is a well-written character-driven novel that deftly shows the women's personal journeys.

This book was a little heavier than I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it. It gives some low-key Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes, and that's NEVER a bad thing. I absolutely loved the backdrop of the 1950s-1960s California surf scene. Melanie Benjamin paints such a vivid picture of the sun and the sand, and it was a great place to escape to each night before bed.

I really felt for Mindy and Ginger, two young girls abandoned by their father and raised by a negligent mother who never wanted to do anything other than surf all day and who got by doing the absolute bare minimum of parenting (I'm still not sure how she made money and was able to afford rent and groceries when she didn't seem to have a job, but I tried not to overthink things and just enjoy the story).

'Surf Mama' Carol Donelly is quite the enigma. She's a woman of great talent on the waves but is very closed off to everyone else around her. Even her own children. Because of this, I really appreciated the section near the end that was told from her point of view. It didn't excuse her behavior, but it really helps the reader get inside her mind and understand just how trapped she was by the time period she lived in. All her choices were taken from her, and she no longer had a voice in the life she was being forced to live. It's no wonder she harbored such resentment towards her daughters, even if they weren't at fault.

I struggled with Ginger, who consistently made one bad decision after another and refused to take any responsibility for her life, but given her childhood trauma and debilitating insecurities, I get how she was the perfect prey for the 60s-era cult community. All she wanted was to be loved and needed, but when you're as broken as she was, you'll fall for the first person to show you any interest, regardless of their intentions.

Mindy is the driving force behind this story, though, and while she's a bit aloof and unapproachable, you still find yourself rooting for her. She missed out on a normal childhood because she spent all of her time raising her sister and trying to get her mother's attention, so while she's much stronger and more resilient than her sister, she's just as damaged. Her journey of self-discovery was raw and realistic, and I thought the author did a great job highlighting her inner struggle of trying to define herself, yet also trying to do what was right.

Overall, I'm really glad I read this! I requested it on a whim (mainly because I loved the cover, lol), and I really enjoyed it. This is the first Melanie Benjamin book I've ever read, but I'll definitely have to check out some of her other stuff. Definitely recommend.

Greatly disappointed since I've been a longtime fan of the author.
Was so looking forward given the description but this one was unfortunately a miss for me--both the writing & the story.

With thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for this e-ARC.

Oh my gosh, I really liked this book! Benjamin has crafted a fabulous story about motherhood and sisters and daughters and families. While it is labeled a historical novel, it didn't read like that to me. That's not my favorite genre and somehow this book sucked me in. The characters are complex and the descriptions of the California and Hawaiian lifestyle seemed spot on. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars!

This is a story of 3 dysfunctional women who selfishly chase their passions to the detriment of themselves. Carol is the mom who is a surfer and actually wins awards for it - and this is WWII era. All she wants to do is surf all day, every day. She married a man she never loved, and had 2 girls by him. The older girl is Minnie who surfs better than her mom, much to her mom's displeasure. But Minnie wants the glamor and publicity that comes with being a surfer in the movies. She chases that at all costs. The younger girl, Ginger, only wants to be loved by someone - and that someone is Tom who is a drug addict.
You'll see yourself in some of the experiences these different women have. But also you'll understand the motives, the desires behind all 3. That's helpful when you feel a little judgmental - not just in this book but in life as well.
The ending is a bit sugary but all the loose ends are tied together.

What seems like an easy beach read when you first open it turns complicated and important just a few pages in. It's the story of California surfing during the late 50's and 60's from a woman's point of view. The Donnelly women, a mom and two daughters, are the golden girls of surfing with era's misogyny and racism floating under the surface like a shark. The women take separate paths and Benjamin's description of the era is fascinating and spot-on. She delves into changing roles of women and the meaning of family. I've always enjoyed Melanie Benjamins well-researched historical fiction and appreciate how she writes about all different eras. California Golden is one of her best.

“California Golden,” by Melanie Benjamin sheds light on the surfer scene in 1960’s California as experienced by the fictional “Fabulous Donnelly Girls” consisting of mother Carol and her daughters, Mindy and Ginger. Before becoming the “Donnelly Girls,” Carol flees to Hawaii to pursue her dream of surfing there, leaving her husband and young daughters behind. She is called home by her mother after the girls’ father also abandons them. Carol reluctantly returns, full of resentment for her daughters, who have prevented her from realizing her dreams. Her eldest daughter, Mindy, fearing that Carol will abandon them again, comes up with “the Plan” wherein she and her sister will train to become surfers, thereby keeping their mother interested in them.

Through the sixties, each sister pursues different paths, Mindy becoming known as “the Girl with the Curl” for her part in surfer movies, while Ginger becomes emotionally and financially dependent on Tom Riley, a surfer bum and drug dealer who physically and emotionally abuses her. The book brings California in the sixties to life with its vibrant club and surfer scenes, and later its hippy, rebellious phase in reaction to the Vietnam War. The characters are well-drawn, although not very likable at first, a product of their abandonment issues triggered by the desertion of first their mother and then their father. Throughout the novel they both undergo personal growth based on their life experiences and disappointments. The novel did feel somewhat long at times, perhaps because the characters were so unappealing that I found myself not caring about their plight; however, there were always interesting events occurring to hold one’s interest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

California Golden, Melanie Benjamin’s latest novel is awash in the California dreams of the 1950’s and 60’s. The bright sunshine, golden beaches, big waves, blonde haired surfers, bikinis, sex, drugs and rock ’n roll; but this novel centers around a family of three women, surfers all, beautiful all and totally dysfunctional as a family. Unrequited and unfulfilled desires makes all three tick. I loved this book! Ms. Benjamin writes with incredible fact based heart rendering warmth, and she grabs me, as always in her novels, with the first sentence. I read this book in one day, couldn’t put it down, as I was transported to my high school days when I used to go out in the waves with the boys. Thank you to Ms. Benjamin, first of all for your research and respect for the Art of Surfing, the backdrop to this story, and to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for the eGalley in exchange for my very honest review. Ms. Benjamin has another bestseller in California Golden!

I loved this story about two sisters it had a great concept in the historical genre. Melanie Benjamin has a great writing style for the genre and I was hooked from the first page. It worked well overall and I enjoyed getting to know the sisters and the rest of the cast.

"No, their bond went deeper than words and stories and emotions; their lives depended upon one another. Even if Buzzy still grumbled that women shouldn’t be riding big waves and did his best to keep Carol from getting the best ones, she knew that if she ever got in trouble, he’d drop everything to help. So would they all."

“California Golden” takes us back in time to sunny and laid back Southern California when life was simpler, the ocean breezes were mesmerizing and dreams were chased by the young at heart. The Donnelly family dynamic was somewhat dysfunctional and went against the societal norms of the 1960’s. Carol and her daughters, Mindy and Ginger lived a carefree life, where surfing all day was much more important than family dinners, dance classes and homework. For Carol, surfing was her life and she often left her young daughters to fend for themselves. The oldest, Mindy, was an old soul who watched over her wayward mother and her sister, Ginger. I felt sorry for them because at first, all they wanted was a normal life, until Mindy caught the surfing bug and began riding the waves alongside her mother. Ginger wasn’t as adept at surfing but she went along with their plan to get closer to their mother, so they could finally be a family. As with any plan, things could go wrong and unfortunately, the sisters went their separate ways, to lead very different lives.

I was impressed with the attention to detail the author used to create the backdrop for our characters. The music, the movie and TV stars, and the tragedy of the Vietnam War, were what the 1960’s were all about. I very much felt a part of the story as I listened to The Beach Boys on the transistor radio while watching the surfers balance on their boards, cheering when they had a good run. All the characters changed as the years went by, and I cried along with them when their lives were turned upside down by the decisions they had made, and laughed when they basked in the warm sunshine, wishing they could stay this way forever. I read to escape, and this trip back in time was the perfect vacation.