Golden Days

Golden Days follows Edith Langley, a 38-year-old divorced mother who relocates to Los Angeles with her two daughters in 1980, seeking reinvention in Southern California. She establishes herself as a financial advisor and gem dealer while navigating new relationships and opportunities in the affluent culture of 1980s Los Angeles. The narrative moves between two time periods: the early 1980s and flashbacks to 1962, when Edith first meets her friend Lorna McAvey. The story tracks their evolving friendship against the backdrop of economic prosperity and mounting nuclear tensions during the Reagan era. Set primarily in Los Angeles and Topanga Canyon, the novel captures the optimistic spirit and material excesses of 1980s California while maintaining awareness of darker possibilities. The work combines elements of contemporary realism with speculative fiction to explore themes of survival, reinvention, and the human capacity for hope in the face of potential catastrophe.

Readers describe Golden Days as a unique blend of Los Angeles culture and post-apocalyptic themes. Many note it reads like two different books merged together, with the first half focused on 1980s California life and relationships before shifting dramatically. Readers appreciated: - The vivid depiction of 1980s Los Angeles - The narrator's raw, honest voice - The unconventional structure and bold narrative choices - The exploration of female friendship and resilience Common criticisms: - Abrupt tonal shift between the two parts - Some found the apocalyptic section jarring and less engaging - Characters' optimistic outlook felt unrealistic to some - Narrative can feel scattered and unfocused Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (300+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (40+ ratings) "The book's structure mirrors its themes of disruption and reinvention," noted one Goodreads reviewer. Another called it "a fever dream of LA optimism meets nuclear nightmare."

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🌟 The novel perfectly captures the "California consciousness movement" of the 1980s, which blended New Age spirituality with wealth-seeking seminars and self-help philosophies. 🌟 Author Carolyn See was herself a longtime Los Angeles resident who taught at UCLA and wrote book reviews for major publications including The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post. 🌟 Topanga Canyon, where much of the novel is set, was a famous counter-culture hub in the 1960s-80s that attracted artists, musicians, and spiritual seekers looking to escape mainstream LA life. 🌟 The book was published in 1987 and received the Robert Kirsch Award for its contribution to western American literature. 🌟 Despite being set in the prosperous early 1980s, the novel was one of the first works of fiction to incorporate the possibility of nuclear apocalypse into its contemporary narrative.