California Golden by Melanie Benjamin

Author Melanie Benjamin is a master of historical fiction. Her best-selling novels include THE AVIATOR’S WIFE, SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE, and THE CHILDREN’S BLIZZARD. Her newest, CALIFORNIA GOLDEN IS SET IN the 1960’s surf culture of California. Described as a mash-up of the Beach Boy’s , Gidget, and the counterculture of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, CALIFORNIA GOLDEN is Benjamin at her best. From her deep dive research into trailblazing surfing icon Marge Calhoun and other pioneering female surfers to  1960’s popular culture – the music, movies, television, and fashion of this iconic era -- Benjamin sends you back to your beach blanket, listening to music on your transistor radio.

Sisters Mindy and Ginger were taught to surf at an early age by their mother, Carol. Carol is a world-class surfer, but a terrible mother. Mindy takes quickly to the water and surfing, but Ginger, two years younger, feels out of place in the water. The girls’ relationship is close but becomes strained as they get older. Mindy is a celebrity – winning surfing competitions and getting cast in movies as the Girl in the Curl. Ginger, looking for a place to belong, gets swept up by the counterculture of drugs and cults. Carol, their mother, is alternatingly physically and emotionally absent. The girls are often left to raise themselves.

This is a story about divided loyalties: to sisters, to family, to lovers. Set during a time of great cultural upheaval, CALIFORNIA GOLDEN brings us back to a time when women had few choices and societal expectations loomed large. Melanie Benjamin has written a compelling story about three women caught in a vortex of change.

This is Lin Salisbury with Superior Reviews. Listen to my author interview with Melanie Benjamin on August 24 at 7:00 pm on Superior Reads.