I was left quite speechless by this little gem of a book. It really did take me by surprise. From the opening paragraph, right through to the very last line

I am currently buying books for the library at school and I greatly enjoyed this title. I like to buy a good spread of books from YA to non-fiction so that the young people read as diverse a group of books as possible. I feel like this book would be a challenging, interesting and unusual pick, that would certainly give the young people at my school a great deal to talk about at our next Book Speed Dating events. I will certainly be recommending it to our school librarian and can't wait to hear what the kids think of it too!

A tender and touching book, well written and heart breaking in that achy way we all feel during our youth. I enjoyed this book but I think other readers may enjoy it much more than I did.

3.5★
”She was something other than herself when herself was simply too hard to be.”

An oddly uncomfortable read, for many reasons. There are a few threads to the story about Little Gold, a young girl in England who prefers overalls and sitting up high in the tree in the backyard to being girly. She wishes she’d been named Alex or something that could also be a boy’s name, and to escape the misery of her life, she either sits literally up in her tree or she shifts mentally to a high spot in a room full of people and removes herself from the conversation.

She’s learned how to tune out, and no wonder. Dad’s left home and taken up with a new family. Mum’s lost her job and drinks to disgusting oblivion like a smelly sloth in her bed. Older sister Ali is finishing high school, trying to work part-time to get a bit of food for the other kids – she’s anorexic, it seems, and a wreck. Again, no wonder.

Middle child is Malcom, Malcy, which I found a dreadful nickname because it reads like a soft C, like Malsie, but I assume it’s pronounced Mal-key. Anyhow, he’s as grubby as any young teen boy, plays football, fills his room with filthy clothes, etc.

Everything is filthy, and they’re run out of soap. All of Little Gold's clothes stink.

“Little Gold’s eyes flick around the room. The dirty pans have overwhelmed the hob and are stacked on the floor next to the back door. The floor itself is tacky with every step and littered with screwed-up tissues, the papery peel of onions and a dense scurf of crumbs around the edge. The doors of the lower cupboards are streaked with long drips of dark liquid, the weeping of tea bags on their way from mug to bin. And it stinks wildly today.”

To escape an ominous pronouncement to the family from her mother, LG (as she is often called) has “flown” upwards to a high perch until her mother leaves the room.

“Little Gold, still a bird, blinking from the top of the kitchen cupboard, watches her go. Then she plummets, folds her wings and becomes human again, human and determined, suddenly, to do something.”

An older lady, Peggy Baxter, lives down the road and strikes up a conversation with Little Gold as the girl is hop-scotching her way home one day. They become friends, as Peggy sees herself in this young girl struggling with things beyond her control. Peggy doesn’t know LG’s situation at home, and LG (as she is often called) always says that Mum is in bed with a headache.

Peggy has had her share of heartache and is now often in severe physical pain. She, too, escapes by moving outside of herself. During one severe episode, she remembers another time in her youth:

“Each moment is stitched to the next – day becoming night becoming day again and still she is lying here, her body transforming into something hollow, a broken dog-whelk shell, perhaps, exposed on the peak of a pebble bank. The wind whistles through the shiny, calcified structures of her. . . that perception of herself as a broken shell, that was real, that happened. And somehow it was that, turning herself into a metaphor, that had enabled survival. She was something other than herself when herself was simply too hard to be.”

She can see something of this in LG, so she invites her over to help with yard work and dusting, and she makes sure to have plenty of biscuits and snacks for her. Then she invites her to help pack up some of her belongings. LG discovers many photos of pairs of women, obviously close friends, and we gradually see another side of Peggy.

Meanwhile, Malcy is being bullied by some boys he plays football with in the park across the road (he pretty much lives in the park). One of his mates has a father who often comes and picks them up and takes them in his big car to their fancy home. He always says hello “young lady” to LG, which she loathes, and keep offering to take her with them. She senses something false, distrusts the parents and tries to convince Malcy not to visit them.

And as the father gets more persistent, Malcy begins behaving more strangely and spending more time with that family. She finally goes along for a pool party one day, and let’s just say it’s not a pretty picture.

There are some pleasant scenes when Peggy is visited by her old friend Vi and they go on picnics, but all in all, this is a pretty grim picture of a family living in squalor, as plenty of families do. I often wonder how many children are pretty much raising themselves. Teachers can tell you the horror stories they’re aware of but can’t do anything about.

There was a bit too much focus on budding, or latent, or former sexuality for me, some of which was appropriate but some of which seemed unnecessary. There’s nothing particularly graphic, but some of it seemed gratuitous, and I'm not sure exactly what the point was.

Thanks to NetGalley and Legend Press for the copy for review from which I’ve quoted.

WOW! This was brutal but amazing. Didn't fall into the same problems other coming of age stories tend to share.

I'm frequently drawn to stories that feature the perspective of young children who many times are wiser and more in tune with what is happening around them than the adults. Most of these stories depict the coming of age of the young person as they face some stark realities, some times too soon in their young lives . Eleven year Little Gold is from a family in crisis. Her father leaves for another woman and her children and her mother can't cope seeking relief in pills and alcohol. This leaves LG and her older siblings Ali and Malcy to manage on their own and so they take care of each other as best they know how. It's endearing how Little Gold watches out for her older asthmatic brother, always trying to find his inhaler when he needs it . It will tighten your gut as LG discovers the danger that Malcy in as he gets closer to the parents of his friend. At times this is hard to read and it's quite disturbing towards the end and you'll be afraid that LG is being drawn into this dangerous situation too.

However, amid the sadness and some awful things befalling this family, there is love and caring and there are bright spots of hope. Among the bright spots is Peggy Baxter a character who makes this is more than a coming of age story. It's also what I'd call a coming to terms story manifested in Peggy, a neighbor who is terminally ill and befriends LG when she is in desperate need of a friend. Peggy connects with LG , sees that she is hungry and alone, as she is evaluating the the decisions she had made earlier in her life, and the relationship with her partner Vi that ended years before. Sad, haunting, scary yet hopeful as Peggy Baxter saves this broken family. I was taken by the writing from the first page and by Little Gold and Peggy, characters not soon forgotten . Definitely recommended.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Legend Press through NetGalley.

Little Gold was an ok read for me. I felt sorry for the main character at times and was happy when Peggy entered the story. Some parts of the book was slower paced, my attention was lost for a minute but this did not happen a lot. This was my first time reading this author and I would read another book from this author. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book in return for my honest review.

What a surprising read. I'm always thrilled to find a book that contains a story that I've never read before. I felt connected to every character; they were very well developed. It's a hard story to read yet has moments of intense beauty. I found myself rooting for Little Gold and her siblings from the beginning. There are a number of turns and twists; most are not huge surprises yet somehow that doesn't make the story any less compelling. At one point I thought perhaps the author incorporated too much but it all comes together and makes perfect sense by the end. I definitely recommend this book.

Thanks you to netgalley for providing me an early release.

A coming of age novel full of depth and emotion and a really strong resonance of the 1980's The author held my attention throughout with her strong characters and superbly evocative language. Little Gold's story was beautifully told and will stay with me for a very long time.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! This coming-of-age debut novel didn't grab me right away, but it turned out to be one of the strongest novels I've read this year, and will undoubtedly be in my top 10. Little Gold is one of those books that burrows into your mind and soul and stays there for a good long time. It's the early 80's in Brighton, England and 12 year old Little Gold (LG) lives with her older sister Aly, her older brother Malcy, and a mother they can't rely on. LG is closet to Malcy, who is the only source of friendship she seems to have. One day LG meets an elderly neighbor, Peggy Baxter, and the two begin an unlikely friendship. They share stories, comfort one another, and ultimately rely on each other during a very difficult crisis. A coming-of-age story unlike any other, there are important issues addressed in this novel, which set it apart from many others in my mind. The author is not afraid to be real, and while often times very sad and depressing, the novel is also sweet and hopeful. I can't wait to see what else this debut author shows us in the future.

I've never read a book that started so slow and finished so strong. I'm not someone who abandons books typically, and I needed to read this one before it is released this week, but in the beginning, it was dense with description, depressing and heavily British, and I found it a heavy slog. But I kept going until suddenly I found myself in the midst of a real story, with engaging characters and dramatic tension, and I couldn't wait to find out what happens next. It's poignant and sweet, and while it doesn't completely stop being depressing, it does offer hope. Little Gold is a special character who will stick with me for a while.

--I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are purely my own and not influenced in any way.--
This book takes a little time to get going, but once it does, it REALLY gets going. This is a coming of age story about a charming little girl on the cusp of puberty who explores her sexuality and tries to survive her dysfunctional family. Little Gold is aided by Peggy, an elderly woman on her last legs coming to terms with her own life and regrets. Their friendship is very sweet, but I'm not entirely sure if we needed Peggy's perspective for the story. It didn't really add to the story (and I found Little Gold's perspective to be more interesting), but it was well written.
The whole book is very well written and our main characters are incredibly realistic and Malcy's story is pretty good and unfortunately realistically written, though I was annoyed that his story didn't end the way I was hoping (and that Ani's story wasn't really addressed). That said, our perspective is that of a 12 year old with a pretty dysfunctional family, so I'll let it slide.
Very good book, I would recommend it for anyone who likes slice of life, dysfunctional family books!

Little Gold is a moving and tense novel about growing up, facing difficulties, and finding the words for problems. Set in Brighton in 1982, it shows a tough summer for Little Gold - who has cast off her too girlish name and is teased by other kids for being weird. She has left middle school, her dad is gone, and her mum will barely get out of bed. Her older brother and sister are caught in their own problems, but when she becomes friends with Peggy Baxter, the old woman from down the road, she finds a place to escape to. When things get even worse, Little Gold has to find a way to tell somebody what is going on before it is too late, but she might not have words to say it.

In Little Gold, Rogers has created a fantastic character, a girl on the brink of adolescence and trying to deal with being different. Much of the narrative is from her point of view and the style gets inside her head, leaving the reader tensely hoping that better will come for her. Peggy’s chapters are slower to get into, but as soon as her backstory starts to be revealed they become more gripping, with the visit of her former lover Vi a particularly touching part, especially when Little Gold joins them. The dark, abusive threat at the heart of the novel is carefully written, not for shock effect, but as part of a narrative showing how those in need of protection can be exploited and how problems can all become entangled.

This is a novel that touches upon a lot of issues, held together by an enchanting main character whose struggles with knowing who she is as she grows up are moving and relatable. Rogers creates an oppressive atmosphere showing the limits of being both young and old, a world where it is the middle aged adults who are the threat or let down, but also a positive novel that affirms that being different is okay and that friend and family connections can help even at the darkest times.

Loved it on several levels. It manages to explore sensitive areas in an indirect but powerful way. Well done!

A moving, gritty coming of age novel set in the 80's. I really liked the main two characters, found them very realistic and you cared what happened to them.
A very good read that stayed with me afterwards, when that happens it's a 5 star book

How far back should fiction take us for it to be labelled "historical"? Allie Rogers' assured début novel "Little Gold" is set in Brighton in the early 1980's. It's a fairly recent past, but it already feels like a foreign country, a place where they do things differently. Pop culture references, news about the Falklands War, Ian Rush on TV - these details convincingly take us back thirty-five years and straight into the atmosphere of this book.

According to the author, the novel is based on her childhood memories of Brighton. But don't run away with the idea that this is some sort of glowing, nostalgic tale. On the contrary, "Little Gold" is a gritty, realist novel which brings us face to face with the social problems of Brighton's local community, those left to clear the debris after the holidayers leave. And the protagonists certainly have some personal debris to get rid of...

The main characters of the novel are two strong female figures. There's Margaret "Peggy" Baxter - a 63-year old lesbian, whose long-time partner has left her and moved away. Peggy Baxter is a fiercely independent character but, faced with illness and pain , and prone to uncomfortable recollections, she feels increasingly in need of companionship. Unlikely as it seems at first sight, she also appears to crave a child-figure in her life, somebody she can care for and protect. And then there's one of her neighbours, the girl known as "Little Gold". At the cusp of adolescence, she's awkward and tomboyish and has long been marked as an outsider. To make matters worse, besides having to come to terms with her changing body and emotional upheavals, she must somehow survive the breakup of her parents' marriage. Her father - the breadwinner of the family - has just left home and her mother is not coping, leaving Little Gold and her older siblings Ali and Malcy to their own devices, living on a miserly allowance. Little Gold must also somehow save Malcy and herself from the clutches of a sleazy couple with dubious intentions in their regard. Unsurprisingly, Peggy Baxter and Little Gold team up and their warm friendship is the basis of this book.

As in a Ken Loach movie, the novel proclaims its message in unsubtle terms. The collapse of Little Gold's family is evoked through insistent descriptions of filth, foul smells and constant hunger which are certainly effective but somewhat offputting. Ali has an eating disorder, Malcy and Little Gold are bullied practically on a daily basis. The "bad guys" are almost cartoonish in their nefariousness and Little Gold's father - in a way the catalyst for all this mess - is absent and (implicitly) cowardly.

To compensate for this, both Little Gold and Peggy Baxter are lovingly drawn and Baxter, in particular, is given a detailed and involving backstory. Also, the novel is undeniably gripping and very moving, the dialogue convincing and the setting effectively portrayed.

"Little Gold" will appeal to readers who enjoy LGBTQIA themes, who will certainly find in Rogers an intriguing new voice. But, being an enthralling novel with a big heart, it also deservers a wider readership.