Glen David Gold – Sunnyside

The New Yorker“A thoughtful commentary on the creation of celebrity in modern America...” While the novel lacks the mystery of its predecessor, Gold’s handling of the period is ingenious: the events of the Allied intervention serve as backdrop to an apparently fluffy story about the early days of Hollywood...

The New York Times“Protean, smart and appropriately Chaplinesque writing...” “Sunnyside” teems with brilliant and inconclusive raw footage seemingly gleaned from the cutting-room floor. You can almost picture the light bulb clicking on in Gold’s mind when he realizes he can organize his material as — yes! — a movie.

The Telegraph“A sprawling, sumptuous novel...” As a purely technical achievement, cranking up the narrative tension while throwing in twist after twist, this is superb stuff. But it is in the tiny, suggestive details that Gold excels. A gloriously enjoyable read...

The Times“Gold’s ambitious novel blossoms into several interwoven storylines...” Eventually, this prodigious research saps the novel’s dramatic urgency. It is a mistake Chaplin, who at his best could cram all human life into a few silent reels, would not have made...

The Independent“A cane-twirling, bowler-doffing triumph...” Gold has the ability to create unwavering sympathy for complicated characters. Chaplin emerges as an insecure, witty, likeable autocrat while Leland is conflicted by his celluloid dreams and familial duties...

Scotsman“A vast and varied tapestry...” Sunnyside interweaves the birth of modern celebrity with the fate of nations and the terrible, enduring, fragile thing that is human hope. An astonishing novel...

Publishers Weekly“An elegant blend of reality and fiction, war drama and Hollywood glamour...” A dramatic narrative of chance and coincidence, and also a serious reconstruction of an evolving social landscape. It is wholly exhausting and entirely satisfying: a work as good as Gold...

Guardian“The Chaplin strand is superb, a close-up examination of genius...” He can be both immensely charming and wildly imaginative, but Sunnyside is finally too obsessive to be an entirely comfortable read. This is a novel that inspires impatience...

Financial Times“This is an insanely ambitious novel...” Sunnyside’s merit as serious literature rests on our judgment of the one figure whom Gold ensures we care about: Chaplin. It is an entertaining and thought-provoking novel – but you leave it with the feeling of having been manipulated...

Book Bag“Not yet reviewed.”