Golden State

by Michelle Richmond

Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Jacquelyn Mitchard, and Anna Quindlen, Golden State is a powerful, mesmerizing new novel that explores the intricacies of marriage, family, and the profound moments that shape our lives.
 
Doctor Julie Walker has just signed her divorce papers when she receives news that her younger sister, Heather, has gone into labor. Though theirs is a strained relationship, Julie sets out for the hospital to be at her sister’s side—no easy task since the streets of San Francisco are filled with commotion. Today is also the day that Julie will find herself at the epicenter of a violent standoff in which she is forced to examine both the promising and painful parts of her past—her Southern childhood; her romance with her husband, Tom; her estrangement from Heather; and the shattering incident that led to her greatest heartbreak.
 
Infused with emotional depth and poignancy, Golden State takes readers on a journey over the course of a single, unforgettable day—through an extraordinary landscape of love, loss, and hope.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Family, Audiobook, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Thank you for stopping by! To read my serial novella, sign up for my newsletter at michellerichmond.substack.com

I also share books I love & glimpses into my writing life on TikTok: @michellerichmondwriter.

I grew up in Alabama and have lived in California for 20 years, with a two-year stint in Paris. My 2017 literary thriller, the Sunday Times bestseller THE MARRIAGE PACT, examines marriage under the extreme pressure of constant monitoring from a powerful organization called The Pact. The Pact promises to help couples have a happy, lasting marriage...but the punishments for breaking the rules are severe. THE MARRIAGE PACT is available in 31 languages.

My latest novel, THE WONDER TEST, a suburban suspense novel set in Silicon Valley (Grove Atlantic in, 2021) was an Amazon Best Book of July. In a starred review, Booklist called THE WONDER TEST "a gripping blend of danger and sharp social commentary on high-stakes education, the 1%, and suburban tropes." The first in a series, THE WONDER TEST introduces a tough and spirited new protagonist, FBI agent Lina Connerly, and her teenaged son Rory.

To get updates, exclusive previews, free audio short stories, and (coming soon) serialized fiction, sign up for my newsletter at michellerichmond.substack.com.

You can also read my true stories of living in Paris, traveling, and writing at wanderingwriter.substack.com

My previous books include the New York Times bestseller THE YEAR of FOG, GOLDEN STATE, HUM: STORIES, NO ONE YOU KNOW, DREAM OF THE BLUE ROOM, and THE GIRL IN THE FALL-AWAY DRESS (stories).

I like to write about ordinary people in crisis: a kidnapping (The Year of Fog), a hostage situation (Golden State), a decades-old murder that became a true crime sensation (No One You Know). My novels are often set in San Francisco and the Bay Area, where I've made my home, but my books also take inspiration from many of the places I've lived and traveled. My story collection HUM (2014) features Americans caught up in espionage, surveillance, and all manner of marital crimes.

If you love discovering new books, or if you've enjoyed any of my books, I'd love to send you my author newsletter! It includes notes on what I'm reading, and dispatches from the writing life. You can sign up for the newsletter at http://michellerichmond.com.

Back story: I knew I wanted to be a writer for almost as long as I can remember, way back when I was a kid growing up in Alabama. I used to write skits to perform for my parents with my two sisters. After graduating from a huge public school in downtown Mobile, I studied journalism and creative writing at the University of Alabama, then worked in advertising, as well as in restaurants and a tanning salon (!) for a few years before enrolling in an MFA program in creative writing. I bounced around the South for a while and lived in New York City for a couple of years, with a brief work stint in Beijing, before settling in Northern California in 1999. I've been writing here in the fog ever since.

My first book, The Girl in the Fall-Away Dress was a short story collection that I wrote during my years waitressing and doing other odd jobs in Knoxville and Atlanta. My first novel, Dream of the Blue Room, was inspired by my time in Beijing. My second novel, The Year of Fog, gathered many rejections before being acquired by a young editor at Bantam. The Year of Fog was a life-changing book in that in allowed me to connect with readers in ways I'd never quite imagined, and it gave me the freedom to pursue writing full time. Writing is my dream job. It's a job I do alone in a quiet room, but because it allows me to connect with readers, it never feels lonely.

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little confusion with past reviews---
I read this when it was first released---
The original review was lost for awhile---
It came back--- no need to 'like' this -just cleaning up old files. lol

To resolve mixup - I deleted both past reviews-- they weren't much -only a few words anyway-

Michelle Richmond writes books that I enjoy!!! Nobody describes the streets of San Francisco better.
This Southern Bell, SF Bay Area transplant....
writes entertaining- character driven -books with fresh flowing energy!

4.5

This book takes place in 1 day. Conflict after conflict! You'll be ready to kick off your shoes when it's over - have a glass of wine -

Michelle: As long as you keep writing books - I'll keep reading them! You're one the Bay Area author treasures!! We're blessed to have you live here.

[Bharath · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel starts off with a bang (California voting to secede, and the city of San Francisco in turmoil as Dr Julie Walker faces many situations unfolding at the same time), and the story to follow only partly lives up to the potential the start offers.

California is voting on whether to secede from the United States. As Dr Julie Walker is set to divorce her husband Tom, her sister Heather goes into labour and despite their complicated relationship, Julie needs to be there for her. Her ex-Dennis takes staff at her hospital hostage and insists on speaking to her. While the current events are all about what happens on one day, the story follows a non-linear path by going back to past happenings to provide context to the current situation.

The best part of the story was about Julie and her evolving relationships which is very well written. The background of the election and the hostage situation has relatively poor follow through in comparison. The audiobook narration was very good. Overall, an interesting and original storyline.

My rating: 3.5 / 5.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.7 stars!!!!!

I was looking forward to receiving Michelle Richmond's 'Advance-Copy' of "Golden State" in the mail ---[very thankful to Goodreads for this opportunity] --

So--when the book arrived --I opened and started 'reading' within seconds!

The ENTIRE story of "Golden State" takes place in ONE DAY. (note: it took me two days to finish it --ONLY because it was my 35th wedding anniversary --and I 'had' to pay attention to my husband).

Its a book that once you begin reading you DO NOT WANT TO STOP!. Its addicting --like eating M&M's...
You MUST keep turning those pages to find out WHAT will happen next!

A few basic facts:
... The story takes place in California --(ha ha). How'd ya guess? We ARE the "GOLDEN STATE"!
... Julie is a doctor in S.F.
... Julie marries Tom who works for a radio station in S.F.
... Julie & Tom experience love, loss, and drama
... Heather is Julie's sister (a big part of the drama)
... Its 'VOTING DAY' in CALIFORNIA......to determine whether California will secede from the United States.

GREAT FUN!!!

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally got to this one, the 4th novel I’ve read by this author. I’d just finished my 3rd, her latest book, and wanted more by her.

4 1/2 stars

It was published in 2014 but I kept thinking how it felt as though it could have been published right now or a few years from now. At 2017-2016 California leaving the country seems even more current than it did a few years ago. It might be no more likely but the discussion about it is definitely more common since Election Day last November.

As is usual for this author the book has interesting, relatable characters easy to care about, and stellar storytelling, and perfection when it comes to describing San Francisco and particularly the Richmond District in San Francisco. (I’ve spent almost all of my adult years in 2 dwellings in different parts of the Richmond District so I know it well and I get a kick out of reading about it, and I’ve lived in San Francisco most of my years and appreciate reading about all neighborhoods/places this author mentions.)

Even though I live nearby and have known people directly connected with the V.A. campus, I wasn’t sure about some of the details described regarding it. As I was reading I wondered about the school and hotel described. In the interview section that comes at the end of the book the author confirmed the existence of the school and I researched the nearby hotels and found a hoptel that fits, and I suppose other places might also fit.

I wish that more book authors got San Francisco right. This author has for the 4 books by her that I’ve read so far and for me it contributes to the joy I feel when reading them. I especially appreciated how in addition to the San Francisco setting, the author’s southern roots and some locations are included in this story. I got a good sense of both locales.

I thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth time lines. I thought that this technique worked particularly well for this story.

I appreciated how much is tied up at the end and also how a couple of main things are left open and left to readers’ imaginations.

½ star off because so much is going on: the marriage story, the sister story, the child story, the California secession vote story, the hostage story. I’m not 100% sure all of them were needed, though I admit the whole thing did work, beautifully really. I just wanted a tad more of each part.

At the end of my paperback edition there is a short but enlightening interview with the author, a playlist for the book, and a list of questions for discussion. They’re all interesting and worthy inclusions.

This author’s books are always quotable. Two quotes (of many) from this one that resonated with me are: “We tend to see life as a continuum, but really, it's a series of phases, generating a series of different selves. You leave one life behind and start another. And each time, a different version of yourself emerges.” AND “History is made not of facts set in stone but of the stories we tell.”

I have to say something not about the book proper but about the cover of my edition, sans any spoilers. In the text of one of the mini-reviews that are included, one by an author whose books I enjoy, while no plot specifics are mentioned a feeling word is mentioned when referring to the end of the book, and that’s something I did not want to know and I consider it a spoiler. My gripe is with the edition publisher for including it/not editing out that word. It’s too much information for text that’s often read before readers read the book. When I got to the end of the book I realized that reading it was not as much of a spoiler issue as I’d feared but I still think it would have been best for it not to have been there.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. I found this book intriguing. There is so much going on over the course of one day: Dr. Julie Walker has just signed her divorce decree, the vote for the succession of California is taking place, her jeep windows have been broken, her sister is in labor and she is to deliver her baby, she has broken her foot and a friend who always wanted to be more than a friend, a vet suffering from post traumatic stress is holed up in her office and is holding three of her fellow workers hostage. All this going on should make this novel unrealistic, it should not work, yet it does. It should be full of hold on to your seats suspense, but rather than this, the author uses these scenarios to investigate the choices we make in life. An amazing in depth character study.

During this very long day, Dr. Walker examines her life, the choices she has made, that has led her here from there. How in a moment, one decision and our lives can change, our path forward taking a detour.

Another new author for me, will be on the look out for her next book.

[Larry H · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What I believe is this: there is no divine flow chart, no elegant spiritual mathematics through which our lives are processed. Events occur, we respond to them, we make choices, and our lives are shaped accordingly."

Julie Walker's life has been shaped by many different events. Her father died when she was young; her mother raised Julie and her younger sister, Heather, in a small, stifling Mississippi town which Julie couldn't wait to leave. When Julie left for medical school in San Francisco, she felt bad about leaving her needy sister, but she needed to reinvent herself and start her future. Heather drifted from boyfriend to boyfriend, place to place, problem to problem, and came in and out of Julie's life.

Julie met Tom, a radio disc jockey, and the two fell deeply in love. And when an unexpected incident surprises them and transforms their lives, they are truly happy. Until Heather re-enters their lives, and everything falls apart in her wake, including, little by little, Julie and Tom's marriage. Heather leaves to join the Army, and the two sisters stop speaking completely for several years.

"I understand now how families become estranged, not by design but by embarrassment. You come to a point when so much time has passed that it seems impossible to make the first move."

Heather's return throws Julie into upheaval once again, and wreaks havoc with what is left of her relationship with Tom, especially once Heather reveals her pregnancy. Yet Julie agrees to deliver Heather's baby, and the day she goes into labor turns out to be one fraught with chaos—for Julie, for the possibility of a future with Tom, for the entire state of California. Julie faces a shocking crisis which forces her to re-evaluate everything in her life, including her relationships.

Golden State is tremendously compelling, thought-provoking, emotional, and very engaging. Michelle Richmond hooks you quite quickly into Julie's life and the crises she faces, as the book follows the course of one day, with occasional reminiscences of other times in Julie's life. It's a fascinating exploration about the ties and the loyalties of our relationships, those we're born into and those we choose.

"Between a marriage one chooses and a blood relation one doesn't, shouldn't marriage be the more powerful bond?"

I enjoyed Golden State a great deal. I really liked the complexity of both Julie and Tom's characters, compelled both by what has happened and what remains unsaid. I'll admit, however, while the major incident that drives much of the plot and forces Julie to reminisce certainly is a driver of the story, I felt as if it was almost superfluous; I thought Julie's story and her relationships with her sister and her husband could have stood on their own. But it didn't detract from the power of the story.

If you see any of the reviews or publicity around this book, it's recommended for fans of Jodi Picoult or Jacquelyn Mitchard. I worried a little bit that this book would be one of the ripped-from-the-headlines-type stories Picoult is well known for, but fortunately (in my opinion), this wasn't that way at all. It's just a well-written and well-told story that definitely makes you think how you'd react in similar situations.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot going on during this one day in the life of VA doctor Julie Merrill. During the course of June 15, we learn all the history that led up to a hostage situation involving a former patient/friend, the rush to deliver her sister's baby despite her own sprained or broken ankle, her estrangement from her husband, the loss of their child, and an ongoing election in California that will impact that state and the country. It is ultimately a novel about the power of forgiveness and the resilence of the human spirit. Michelle Richmond does a very good job of portraying characters with the strength to do that.

[☮Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan of books that take place all in one crazy day yet go back and forth between flashback after flashback. I'm glad to finally have read this but found myself skimming through some of the longer memories. There were so many stories up in the air (a hostage situation, a woman in labor, a vote to have California secede from the US, a couple getting divorced, their little boy gone), it was just too much yet too little for me. 2.5 stars.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Golden State takes place in one day, and that day is packed with family, love, loss, and current events. All in one day! One would expect to breeze through, but the pace is slowed by including the necessary back stories.

Julie is a physician and is called to be at her sister’s side as she gives birth. It’s a complicated relationship and the journey to be at Heather’s side is prolonged by protesters in the way as California plans to secede. When she finally arrives, it’s a tense situation and reflections of past relationships and choices made ensue. Golden State is bittersweet and powerful in the healing power of redemptive love.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mesmerizing story takes place in the course of one day. Dr. Julie Walker is not only finalizing her divorce but also on her way to deliver her sister's baby when a hostage situation occurs. I'm not really fond of stories where all the action happens in one day however the author takes you on a journey into the life of the main character, Julie. The story opens in the present and then backtracks to a few weeks leading up to the hostage situation and then again to the very past past where there is more insight into Julie's history, her sister's life, and the man who becomes obsessed with Julie. This novel was indeed a page-turner, suspenseful, and the last few pages beautifully written as Julie puts her life into perspective. I was going to give this novel 3.5 stars but after reading my own review I believe this soul-searching book deserves 4 stars. I won this book through LibraryThing.

[Connie Rea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up a book years ago that was entitled "The Year of The Fog". I devoured it in hours. I absolutely loved it. I rushed out, purchased multiple copies and sent them out in the mail to the only readers I knew at the time. I then proceeded to read her other works. Sadly, that's been over 7 years ago! I've never forgotten how much I enjoyed TYotF and I often browse looking for a new release from Richmond. I joined up for her newsletter via her website and heard very little. Then FINALLY!!! I got an email that said she had a new book coming out! I quickly checked my ARC websites and saw the book in both NetGalley and Edelweiss....I quickly applied to both sites to snag my copy...and surprisingly enough I was approved by both websites. I can't remember being so excited about a book for a while now.

It wasn't soon that I was completely worn out from hooting and hollering and dancing around the house from all of my excitement. Suddenly, as I sat down to catch my breath, I was dejected. I had waited so long for this book to be written, now it was here...what if I hate it? What if the love I felt for TYotF was just a fluke? What if I am so disappointed in this novel that it even takes away from my previous feelings of obsession to getting to my next Michelle Richmond read? What if the writing is so awful that I start to doubt what I felt in the past? I was torn....to start the book or to stare at it's cover for a time and just imagine what might be between the covers?

Heck!!!!!!! You guys know me, RIGHT???????? I ripped into this baby so fast!!!!! I couldn't wait to start it! Was I disappointed? Heck no!!!!!! It's a Michelle Richmond novel! I absolutely loved it from start to finish!

I think I might have loved it even a bit more than TYotF....

This novel is a day in the life of Doctor Julie Walker. Of course, it's no ordinary day. California is in the midst of a game changing election day. Her sister needs her help pronto. Her Jeep is broken into. And two men in her life are not where she needs them to be. And this ladies and gentlemen is only the beginning....

Now let me forthright and honest here for just a moment....I wish there was a bit more to the ending...that Richmond had taken it just a little bit further...I wanted to see just a smiden more of the side story of the novel (and for sake of spoilers, that's all I will say on that subject)

Also, it needs pointed out that Richmond has a unique writing style. She doesn't blurt out the plots. They are just there...yes, you sort of know what they are, but at the same time, you're not 100% sure. All the while, Richmond drops bread crumbs along the trail and confirms her story or throws in a small twist that has you wondering....

At the same time, she jumps back and forth. It can be frustrating if you want things laid out in a straight path to follow. One moment, the main character is in the present, the next second she is 3 hours earlier or a decade earlier. The only way you have to follow is to simply LISTEN to thoughts of the main character. Soon enough, if you just relax, you can follow along just fine.

I was sitting there after I finished the book, pondering it all (did I mention I LOVED the book?) and I realised, really, think about it, isn't that how we really are? We jump from the present to what we had for breakfast this morning...and then a moment later a song, or a smell, or for some reason we don't even know, think back to a time in our past. To a memory. Pondering how we got to this place in time. Memories are a great tool. They help us live our current lives and they help shape our futures as well. Memories are not just something that we leave behind and forget. We never know when they are going to hit us.

I think that is why I love Richmond so much. She has a way of writing that I really feel like I can connect with the character. I am there with them, confronting the memories. Dealing with their guilt. Or their anger. Or their confusion. I am there feeling them realise their imperfections. Accepting their blame. I am the one trying to find forgiveness. I am the one who is trying to change for the better. I can't recommend this book enough. I really can't. I won't say that it's perfect format for writing. I won't say this is a literary gem that will challenge all the writings throughout time. But I will say, PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT YOU HOLD HOLY, DO NOT MAKE ME WAIT ANOTHER 7 YEARS FOR THE NEXT BOOK, MICHELLE RICHMOND!!!!

Bwhahahahahahaahahahaha....go get this book!!!! As fast as you can! Still not convinced? Maybe a few quotes will do for you...

"I understand how families become estranged, not by design, but by embarrassment. You come to a point when so much time has passed that it seems impossible to make the first move"

"We tend to see life as a continuum, Julie, but really, it's a series of phases, generating a series of different selves. You leave one life behind and start another. And each time, a different version of yourself emerges."

"I guess I'm just stuck on the idea that there's this monumental machine, and we're all part of it. Most of the time, we don't even stop to think about how it works. We just go about our business, doing our part, trusting that everyone else will do their part, and the machine will keep functioning. But all it takes is for someone to come along who isn't thinking straight, some who's not paying attention, or worse, hell-bent on self-destruction and everything turns to shit."

Go on then! Buy the book!!!!

ARC provided by NetGalley and Edelweiss for an honest review. See more of my reviews at: Randombookmuses.com #Urania

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Golden State
by Michelle Richmond
Releases 2/4/14
This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Finish Time: 6 Nights. This was a definite page-turner. It’s the sort of book that presents the “almost-end” of the story first and then works its way back. So the story jumps from present time, to earlier in that same day. And actually includes a lot of back stories to understand how the characters got to the point they are. I had so many questions as the book started; what is going on? who is Ethan? what did Heather do? Who is Dennis? and what happened to him? And the book answers all of them, in time.

The main character is Dr. Julie Walker and she begins the book with her pregnant, in labor, sister Heather. If that’s not enough drama, throw in protests throughout the city of San Francisco and a hostage situation. And on top of all of that many little mysteries (or rather facts not yet revealed) the author includes to keep those pages turning.

The protests shutting down the city throughout the day revolve around the possible succession of California from the United States. An interesting premise and as the story began, I thought there would be more political discussion on this topic. But there was just enough for me, as that is not always a huge interest to me (and I also worry about getting turned off by extreme political views.)

I also enjoyed that Julie’s (soon-to-be-ex) husband, Tom, is a radio show host and certain songs he plays are almost the soundtrack to the book, and most of them spur memories for Julie which continue to build her character throughout the book. While we actually never meet Tom in the book, he is easily pictured through Julie’s memories and descriptions of him.

So much packed into this book, I feel I could go on about all the characters you meet and what you learn from them, but you’ll just have to read it! Lastly, I loved the overall message. (I can’t quote the book because this is an advance copy) But basically we shouldn’t let our past define us, but we must always carry it with us and let it help who we will be moving forward. Julie came from a rough background and even after she overcame that, still had some bad stuff happen to her. She could choose to let it consume her and carry those raw emotions, but life is too short and precious and she learns that need to move forward.

Great book – check it out in February!

http://mydogearedpurpose.com/2013/11/...

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Bantam Books for an "advance uncorrected proof" of this book.

Golden State is a novel set in San Francisco. It is about a woman named Julie and it takes place when Californians are voting whether or not California should secede from the United States. Julie is also involved in a hostage crisis. The book takes place over one day, but memories from Julie's past are strewn across the book so that the reader can understand her story and why she is in her current situation. Julie is a doctor and on this day she is in a hurry to a medical crisis. She has to get to Heather (and we slowly find out why) and many obstacles stand in her way especially because of all the street commotion due to the voting. To me, the maybe or maybe not separation of California from the States and the hostage situation are secondary to Julie's story. Her relationships with those closest to her are what this book is about. This book is about how people make certain choices to change their lives for the better, but how sometimes bad things happen in the end and we just have to make things work the best we know how. My favorite character in the book was Tom, the radio DJ. I enjoyed how Tom and Julie's past were revealed by her memories through his music choices that she heard over the radio. I also enjoyed the mystery behind Ethan. I don't think the book needed the California seceding part, except that it was foreshadowing to things in Julie's life being broken.

This was a good book. Richmond is a good writer and she knew how to end this book properly. How to sum it up in a beautiful way. The story also had twists that kept me turning the pages. There was also great character development when it came to Julie and Heather. This is not the last book by Michelle Richmond that I will read.

[Alena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably more like 4.5 stars. Loved it.

In Golden State, Michelle Richmond perfectly captures a woman and a society “on the brink.” The time is the present, a single day in fact, but California is on the verge of seceding from the United States and Dr. Julie Walker’s life in San Francisco is falling apart.

“I never expected to find myself here, on the edge of the continent--childless, possibly jobless, with broken bones and a broken marriage, citizen of a broken country. But here I am, and I must make something of it. That's really the only choice one has: make something of it, or don't.”

Julie is in the midst of a hostage crisis, a divorce, a birth and deep in grief. But it is her determination to “make something of it” that makes this novel sing. Richmond brilliantly brings Julie to life, slowly sharing her past and each hour of this single day leading up to the crisis point. I love her use of time in this novel.

She also goes deeper than a great character study, to investigate the ways we as individuals and as societies deal with change.

"We understand the possibility of change up to a point. We are not prepared for, what we lack the capacity to imagine, is a seismic shift. The wall coming up or down, the decades-old dictatorship falling, the familiar bonds disintegrating."

Golden State is the first of Michelle Redmond’s novels that I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be the last. I am excited to dive into her short story collection, Girl in the Fall-Away Dress -A.

[R.S. Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Golden State begins in the midst of turbulent crisis. A new life is coming into the world, being born into chaos within chaos. An injured doctor and laboring mother are holed up inside a hospital hotel room with furniture pushed up against the doors and windows barricaded. Outside, a disgruntled civilian is holding people hostage in the VA hospital and help is nowhere to be found. The police are elsewhere and a hostage situation is nothing when California itself is in a complete political upheaval with state succession looming in the distance. With the vote to leave the union occurring that very day, the riots and uprisings have taken their toll on law enforcement availability.

For every minute that occurs during the hospital standoff, the author brings us back in time through the eyes of Dr. Julie Walker. We witness all of her lifetime achievements and losses, from marriage to the loss of a child, from budding romance to extra-marital affairs, from love to anger and resentment. Everything builds up to this one day, dictating how she handles the events that unfold.

A Mississippi transplant, Julie often comments on the earthquakes in California - comparing the quakes to things that can shake up your life. I quite liked this line:

"But there's no emergency kit for marriage. No neat plan you can turn to when the ground shifts beneath your feet."

A wonderful book that makes you wonder about the life-changing events that shape a society. Are we a product of those events when we are the ones who create them?

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read that started out really intriguing and ended just kinda interesting. It's set against a backdrop of a city under siege - California is voting to secede, it's election day, and people are rioting. There's also a gunman holed up at the VA hospital with three hostages, and the main character's sister is across the street in labor. The main character, Julie, is injured and trying desperately to get to her sister without stepping into the line of fire.

This seems like a pretty exciting beginning, right? Well, as it turns out, that's as exciting as it gets. Julie's injury has nothing to do with the siege nor the guman - she stepped off the curb wrong. It also isn't clear how the gunman and the secession vote are related - maybe the gunman just chose that day because of all the chaos?

This book is full of good starts with disappointing payoffs. Another thread woven throughout is the reason for Julie's estrangement from her sister, and how that is related to the loss of Julie's child, but the explanation was disappointing.

It's more about introspection - Julie recalls the events in her life since she moved to CA which led her, and her new state, to this moment. It's not really about the action of the riots, the election, or even the gunman.

Still, I gave it three stars because I liked some of the insights Julie had about marriage and family, and because it was a super quick read. All in all, I think it took me about three hours.

[Snotchocheez · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good news (for me, anyway): Michelle Richmond's Golden State is better than anything I've read by Picoult, Quindlen, or Mitchard (the three carrot-dangled authors listed in the blurb to entice readers not familiar with her writing). I was intrigued by the idea of the secession of California from the US, and its metaphorical significance to a crumbling marriage. (i also liked exploring the back story of the protagonist, VA Hospital physician Julie Walker, whose path from Mississippi to the Golden State was kinda the polar opposite of my own bailing out of California to come to the South ten years ago, at the height of the state's {and my own personal} woes.). Ms. Richmond (and the novel) is best when dissecting Dr. Walker's marriage with an alt-rock DJ, Tom. The book stumbles a bit, in Picoultian fashion, when Ms. Richmond takes two plot threads (one good: Dr. Walker's relationship with her wayward younger sister; and one somewhat befuddling: Dr. Walker's relationship with a ex-GI who goes off the deep end) and wrings them for every ounce of drama she possibly can.

Overall, this was a solid read. The premise was interesting; the execution: a wee bit over-wrought for my liking. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Ms. Richmond writing something great one day, though.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michelle Richmond has been a favorite writer since THE YEAR OF FOG. Her writing is smart, literary and articulate but is also amazingly dreamy. Her love for San Francisco, the setting of THE YEAR OF FOG and GOLDEN STATE: A NOVEL, is also beautiful thing.

In GOLDEN STATE, Dr. Julie Walker has just finalized her divorce from a husband she still loves when her sister, Heather, goes into labor, a sister who has caused her a lot of heartache in the past. En route to deliver Heather's infant, San Francisco is in chaos. When Julie arrives to deliver the baby, she is confronted by further desperate chaos... This novel moves back and forth from Julie's past to present, through her escape from a poor childhood to medical school, marriage and divorce from a very decent man, the loss of a beloved child and finally, to realizations and a life she wants to reclaim. It is a lovely haunting story, exactly what I have grown to expect from Michelle Richmond.

This ARC was provided to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review. And I honestly recommend this fine novel.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

this novel is very didactic with a clearly stated lesson to be learned at the end. This is not a genre I'm very fond of.

I also found the paralleling of the narrative and the voting on having California secede from the union didn't work for me. It seemed just kind of thrown in there to add some sensational value maybe?

Finally, half the story is taken up with the main character trying to cross the city in the midst of kind-of riots around the voting, and that part just was really boring to me.

There are some potentially interesting people in the story: the estranged husband, the pregnant ex-soldier sister that sparked my interest but because most of the story is focused on the narrator, who I found rather self-absorbed and whiny and tightly wound and boring, the other people's stories do not get developed fully. This may have been part of the story--to show how she changes--but who wants to hang with this women for an entire 268 pages. . .

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate giving this book a two. I loved Michelle Richmond's other books. I was so excited to read this but ended up disappointed. I didn't hate the whole book. I think the whole part of state secession could have been left out, it didn't seem signifigant to the plot for me. At times I felt the book was confusing. I did love the parts that dealt with Julie and her family. The book is closer to a 3 than a two.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie Walker is a doctor who is going through a divorce and is on her way to help her sister deliver her baby. Flashbacks show there was something that made the girls go from being close friends to complete strangers. The streets are filled with protestors and a lot of commotion due to political reasons. Julie finds herself in the middle of a standoff which has her realizing what is important in this world. This one day makes Julie think over what the past has led her to and she is wondering if she is able to change.

This book was beautifully written. I love how the book takes place in one day, and how the author gives the reader flashbacks that all come together in the end, leading you to where Julie is now. Julie is a very strong and independent woman who tends to rely on herself, but as the book progresses, she begins to learn that she needs the people who she has pushed away in the past. Julie is on a path to self discovery, all while learning the meaning of loss, and love. The author made it easy to connect with the main character. I was glued pages for the last third of the book. Everything comes together and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen! I really enjoyed this book!

I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Cheryle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won an advance uncorrected proof copy from The Early Reviewers give-away through LibraryThing. Overall this was a very good book, but several things seemed unnecessary to the story. One being the vote for California succession and the other being the scenes with Dennis who is holding co-workers hostage. The story did not flow easily as there were too many disconnections.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book to read! Compelling, smart, and a definite page-turner..and I just love the beautiful (and oh-so-accurate) portrayal of the San Francisco setting..an extra bonus for a city girl like me! Thanks for such a great read, Michelle!

[Ayelet Waldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novel. I love the high concept conceit (California seceding!) but more than that I loved the characters.

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the echoes one hears by the age of forty. When you’re young, everything seems new. When you’re in your mid-twenties, it begins to dawn on you that the world is full of surprise repetitions, a face recalls some other face, a novel some other novel, a song an entire summer or an old relationship. By your late thirties, it seems the world is made of these echoes. A patient in his late eighties once told me that old age is like living inside a déjà vu.

Every book should come with its own playlist. This book has a wonderful one that created many echoes for me too. In this prescient vision of dystopia that doesn’t sound different from the US today, a newly divorced and freshly injured woman is walking, limping, dragging herself across San Francisco to deliver her younger sister’s baby. Her memories as she travels upward are a not particularly linear collage of many elements - time, history, fear, grief and sadness, music, especially music. All these memories are stories she tells herself to block out the pain and anxiety, as we all do: telling stories, and living with the stories we’ve told, helps us find our balance, peeling the layers off, knowing that what’s in the centre will make us cry but bring things more clearly into focus. I struggled with the whiplash timelines here until I let go of the need to have everything in order. There are just so many things going on here but all these many directions seem to make the book more than the sum of its parts. I had to spend extra time to read carefully but was rewarded with some little hidden elements, one in particular near the end, that lifted this book way up for me. Recommended, and don’t miss that playlist.

An important part of creating an old identity was gradually erasing the old one. You plant new stories like seeds, water them, tend them, until they take root.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 4 out of 5]

California is on the verge of seceding from the USA.
People all over the country are rioting.
Dr Julie Walker rushes across town to deliver her sister Heather's baby on the eve of her fortieth birthday, divorce looming.
Dennis, Julie's former friend now-stalker holds hostages at the hospital, demanding to speak with her.
Over the course of several hours shots will be fired.
Not everyone will survive.

Michelle Richmond wrote GOLDEN STATE before the 2016 presidential election, probably never realizing how topical her novel would be. The politics of secession serve merely as a backdrop for a town in chaos, setting up Julie's long trek to the hospital due to chaos in the streets. GOLDEN STATE focuses on Julie and her relationships to her hapless mother, her unreliable sister who took away the most important person in Julie's life, her husband whom she still loves dearly.

Richmond skipped around from past to present to earlier in the day, sometimes confusing me. Some of the backstory felt unnecessary, although the pace remained steady. GOLDEN STATE is very readable, I devoured it in one sitting with a food break. The ending felt more open ended than satisfactory. I would have loved an epilogue.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with Richmond's latest book ("The Marriage Pact"), "Golden State" has family relationships at its core, specifically a husband and wife and two sisters. Richmond masterfully draws these characters and their relationships and sets them in an imagined future (the book was published in 2014) when California is voting on whether to break away from the U.S. Against this dramatic political backdrop--the book actually takes place mostly on a single day during which opposing factions are out on the streets--Dr. Julie Walker must cross San Francisco on foot to help deliver her sister's baby.

Richmond is a master at creating a vivid sense of place, whether it's San Francisco or Dr. Walker's native Mississippi. I liked the way Richmond unfolded the story through the events of the day interspersed with memories of Dr. Walker's childhood, early life with her sister, and her marriage. The plot pieces all fit together--not in a predictable way, but in a way that felt inevitable and tied to the characters' motivations. And she dives into current events and larger cultural issues without losing sight of the individual stories.

There were a few spots, notably the end, where I would have preferred less wrapping up, but overall the book was a compelling, fast read with a situation that will leave you thinking about it long after your done.

[Ann Waimiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

...I kept googling about the state of government in California because for a moment i thought they had seceded right under my nose :D :D that's how dramatic the novel is.

Best Quote: Always end on an up note!

[Madeleine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life is too short for books you don’t really love deeply through all stages, whether normal (flashbacks) or apocalyptic (the present day storyline!) Did not finish

And goodbye to my streak of five-star books!

[Natasha du Plessis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes place all in one day. I did not like this book as much as some of the others but it was still a good read.