SuitabookGravity
Julian Rich
- Reading
- Discuss the changing opportunities for women in sport, then invite reflection on whether Ellie’s goals belong chiefly to her, her father, or both. Let the reader explain the ending’s significance.
- Themes
- Women claiming space in sport: Ellie pursues Olympic gold after women’s ski jumping is included in the Games, following a period presented as male-only. The premise foregrounds changed opportunity, but does not establish whether the book mainly celebrates, critiques or complicates that change.
- Inherited hopes and personal ambition: Ellie wants to bring home gold for her father, a former Olympic competitor whose dreams ended after a knee injury. The situation invites questions about support and pressure within family ambition, without showing whether Ellie feels burdened or encouraged.
- Feelings within competition: The book addresses feelings within competition; the detail of how it is developed remains unclear. The premise places romantic feeling alongside rivalry, but does not establish how the relationship develops or is treated.
- Worth knowing
- Sporting risk, disappointment connected with a parent’s injury, competitive pressure and same-sex romantic feelings may deserve attention. The extent and emotional intensity of these elements are not clear.