The Test

I do not pretend to be some affluent reading Guru...I am just a middle aged chick that reads for entertainment. I thought this book was mildly interesting from the beginning~~~and somewhere along the way the plot became very engaging and I was hooked. I would certainly read another novel by Patricia Gussin.

I started reading this book not expecting to like it...but within a few pages I was hooked and couldn't put it down till I finished it in kthe wee hours. It is all about the unexpected healing of family relationships and the benefits of harmonious living. Many suspenseful moments! Great read!

This book was really good! Yes, there were a lot of characters to keep up with but the book itself was a good read. This is the first book I've read by this author but I'm looking forward to reading some more.

The TestI ordered the book but got only a review or preview & never got the whole book! How do I get the rest of the book? the THE TEST. ??? [email protected]

The story had me constantly testing for the bad guys. It led me astray but brought everything together at the end. Feel good novel but felt bad for those who were disposed of, it would have been interesting to see what they might accomplish.

Even at .99 it was too much to pay for the book. The review was intriguing which is why I purchased it. The foul language, sex theme's and weird medical stuff including descriptions that needn't be included in the novel were bizarre. The dialog between characters was just plain annoying. When I saw that the author was a physician, I really raised my eyebrows! Don't bother with this one.

Families are complex; large families are very complex. Rich families have problems just like all families--sometime even more. In The Test Patricia Gussin traces out the complicated year of the super-rich and super-complicated Parnell clan.

When Paul Parnell, the family patriarch, dies he leaves an estate of nearly two billion dollars. The fortune does not go in nice bundles to each of the six children or the various grandchildren. Twice-married Parnell sets up a trust and, through his attorney and estate executor Carl Shiller, informs the gathered family that they will be individually tested. At the end of the coming year, 2001, they will each be evaluated to see if the have earned their inheritance. There is a letter for each with suggestions about his or her individual issues, but all stress religion, family, community, and profession. No one is happy.

The six children don't know each other well. Parnell married twice. The oldest children, two sons, were leaving the nest just as the new wife and her daughter, whom Parnell considered his own, arrived on the scene. Then there's the glamorous, sexy Monica Monroe whose mother put her up for adoption following a dalliance with Parnell. Now Parnell wants her back in the family. The year begins and so does the drama.

Gussin includes a family tree in the front of the book. It's helpful because it's hard to keep up with the Senator from Pennsylvania, the reclusive tree-grower in Florida, the super model, the freshly minted doctor, the rock star, and the ailing mother of eight. That's just the kids; there's another generation coming along and they get in on the act.

Gussin does a skillful job of juggling the stories and describing the year as George W. Bush begins his presidency and the world slides toward September 11, a pivotal day in the story.

At year's end, each life has been changed and a few have ended. The family has new understanding, attitudes and a whole lot of money.

This is a story of how-the-other-half-lives--with private jets, multiple homes and unlimited budgets. The Test is fun, fast and paints a good picture of the times.

by Patricia Nordyke Pando
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

In Philadelphia, the family of the late famous billionaire philanthropist Paul Parnell gathers for the reading of his will. He had outlived the three women in his life before dying at seventy-five. His first spouse Katherine died in 1963 giving him his two oldest children Daniel and Francis. His second significant other Monica expired in 1995 but they divorced two decades after one offspring, Monica. Finally his last marriage was to Vivian who past away three years earlier after leaving him with three kids (Rory, Ashley and Carla).

The estate is enormous, but his adult children and those with spouses are stunned by what the executor explains to them. Paul felt he neglected his family and decided to "test" them. His five legitimate heirs are further disturbed to lean of his illegitimate offspring Monica. The angriest is Frank and his wife Meredith as they planned on his presidential run funded somewhat by the inheritance. The stipulation is simple: each must give back to society over the next year in order to deserve a share of the billions. Taking advantage of the confusion is avaricious psychiatrist Dr. Conrad Welton who plots to marry Ashley. Let the fun begin.

THE TEST is Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None in a sort of Dynasty Survival contest in the first two years of this century. The story line is driven by the ensemble cast who by their varying behavior seem genuine though most of them spoiled as they cause twists to the plot compounded by a serpent in the battle to own Eden. Readers will enjoy Patricia Gussin's entertaining tale as Paul wanted to just get his children to give back and not just take, but he could not have known how deadly his test would prove to some of his children and their spouses.

Harriet Klausner

Paul Parnell is a billionaire who has just died. He made his money but near the end of his life he began to think about if it was too late for his grown children to learn life lessons. So he devised a test - if they wanted their money they could have it. After a year. If they pass the test.

The problem? None of the children even deal with each other. They don't really like each other. And there's a surprise sixth child. That goes over as well as one would expect. Some children want the money, others want nothing to do with it, and maybe one misses Paul Parnell.

Rory is a wifely type looked down upon by her siblings because she is a child of one of Paul's ex-wives and not of blood. Frank is a senator whose only goal is his political future. Dan is the black sheep, wanting nothing to do with the family name or the family money. Monica is the surprise sixth child, a famous singer whose parentage was known only to Paul. Carla is a model with a more than serious drug problem. And Ashley is the child who was still at home. Working on her medical degree and doting on Paul.
What will they learn? What secrets lie in wait to be discovered? Who will crack? Will they pass the test?

I loved, loved, LOVED this book. I found some of the characters extremely unlikeable but after the introduction of the test I raced through the book to find out what happened. There were surprising agendas, unforeseen plot twists, betrayals, and even death. Sometimes I was shocked, sometimes appalled, and sometimes just amused. You will truly follow the pages of this book to learn what the children are up to. In the process they will discover what they are truly made of. And in the end, we find out who passed the test. And who may not have.

When billionaire Paul Parnell died, his children expected the usual division of assets. To their shock and displeasure, Parnell worked with his lawyers to set up a test for his six children to help them develop a code of values rather than just taking the money and squandering their riches. With the test administered by the executor of the estate, and few instructions as to what type of test they were to face, the squabbling siblings set out to see who would pass the test and inherit what each believed was his or her share of the estate.

The story is set in 2001 with the bombing of the World Trade Center as a backdrop. The story moves swiftly, and thankfully does not get bogged down in unnecessary conversations and detail. Although there was not a great depth to any one character, the author provided enough information about each so that the reader could see their motives and true nature. Part psychological thriller and part difficult family relationship story, The Test reveals how one family can change in just one year when the stakes are set high enough, and what devastation can take place when greed and distrust are allowed to control ones' life.

The Test: A Novel

I hated everything about it- overly long,too many characters, boring.I began skimming after page 60 and wondered why I had wasted that much time. Hated it enough to never read another book by this author

"The Test" is an ARC sent to me by Patricia Gussin. It was due in stores October 5, 2009.

Billionaire Paul Parnell, retired CEO of Keystone Pharmaceutical, has died. The disjointed family members (and others) start calculating how much they will get, who deserves more, and who less. As they gather for the reading of the will the tension rises as Paul's longtime friend, associate and, now, executor of the will, Carl Schiller, starts the process.

Before we start, lets meet some of the characters (thankfully there is a family tree at the start of the book):

Paul's brother is Cardinal Sean Parnell, no family. Cardinal Sean is in his 70's as was Paul.

Paul's sons from his first marriage are Frank and Daniel. Frank Parnell is a U.S. Senator married to Meredith. Meridith, as it turns out, is the brains behind Franks success and will lead the charge for Franks run for President. They have one child, Elise, who is about 10. Dan Parnell left the family many years ago and is now a palm tree farmer in Florida. He and his wife, Gina are divorced and their kids, Terry and Carissa are in their early twenties.

From Paul's second marriage there are three daughters: Rory, Ashley, and Carla. Rory is married to Dr. Chandler Stevens and they have eight kids. Ashley is attending Med School, and Carla is a model. Rory is about 14 years older than Ashley and Carla, and is not Paul's natural child but, his second wife's.

Oh yeah...Paul fooled around a bit in his younger days and Monica Monroe is his child from a fling. Monica is a famous singer who has just found out who her biological father was.

Whew....

As "The Test" opens Ashley is handing in her intern report to the Head of Psychiatry, Dr. Conrad Welton (who looks remarkably like Paul did) so she can leave to attend Paul's funeral. Dr. Welton realizes who Ashley is and is determined to become her lover (with $ signs clicking in his head). Carla is heavy into drugs....and getting worse.

Back to the will:

During the reading, Carl lets everyone know that Paul was feeling pretty bad about ignoring the kids as they were growing up and decides to instill proper values in them after his death. "The Test". If they follow the rules, one year from the reading, they get the money. If not...they don't.

Not happy with the will they, nonetheless, move on with their lives and try to live so that they can pass "The Test".

One glitch: Someone decides that the safest way to get the money is to eliminate the other contenders.

It is a bit difficult to follow all the characters in "The Test". The family tree at the front of the book is very helpful, but, still, it is not until the middle of the book that you start to understand who is who, and by that time some of them are dead. From that point on though, the book cannot be put down as the action intensifies and the killer closes in on his / her prey.

Who dies? Who lives? Who gets the money and who does not? Who is the killer? Are the Parnells better or worse as a family after the year? Are they still a family?

You will have to read "The Test" to find out. :-)

By TracyReaderDad

Wish I could give this 3 1/2 stars. It's much better than an average 3 star rating, but lacks the "polish" that a good 4 star story deserves. It kept my interest throughout and is a book that I can easily recommend, so I am going with 4 stars. Keeping all the extended family members straight was a bit difficult in the beginning, but was no problem after the first few chapters. Overall, a pretty good reading experience!

Billionaire Paul Parnell was a typical tycoon. He spent all his time making money any way he could and it was only in his last days that he realized the cost to him and his family. His six children had little or no relationship with each other, and most expected his money to always be there. So before he died he devised a test to try to bring his family back together and teach them the life lessons he failed to teach them when he had the chance. The only way they could claim their inheritance was to pass this test within a year.

Even though the book is advertised as being about "The Test" and the synopsis is mostly about the test, the book only starts out being about the test and quickly looses that thread to become a murder mystery as someone targets the family members and the year counts down. Frank is the matriarch son and as such wants control of all the money. Dan is the rebel who left the family years ago. Ashley and Carla are the youngest sisters of Paul's second wife Vivian. Rory is Vivian's daughter. And then there is Monica.

I found this to be an enjoyable easy read with a somewhat predictable story line. The book had quite a few story lines going at once that seemed a little disconnected or unnecessary, and the ending never did completely explain the outcome of the test to my satisfaction, but overall I would recommend the book.

The book The Test by Patricia Gussin was a intriguing idea that was poorly conceived. The Test is a story of the patriarch of the Parnell family, the vastly wealthy Peter Parnell`s, last dying wish for his successors. This wish is to not to make the same mistakes he did, focusing on business and wealth instead of what really matters. So enters "The Test."

The problem with this book is not the premise itself, but the introduction of so many characters within the first two chapters. By giving us an in-depth ancestral chart Gussin tries to make the introduction of these main characters easier on the reader. What happens however is that we are left with more confusion and the inability to connect with any one person.

Throughout the story, we are made to follow the Parnell family as they each traverse their own personal "Test" that has been personally crafted by Peter before his death. Each lesson is to be administered over the course of a year to find out if his heirs are worthy of such a vast amount of money.

The story moved, however you find yourself needing to retreat back to the family tree to keep each character and where they belonged straight. By having so many main characters, each having their own personal journey, one has to relearn who the person is before you read what they are doing.

The idea of The Test was ingenious, a wealthy father, in his last hours of life realizing what is truly important; tries to pass on wisdom he never could while alive. The Test was a great idea, with a grand moral lesson and a feel good ending. But with this many characters that you never are able to fully connect with, it falls flat in the end.

Billionare Paull Parnel is dead. For many families, the death of the patriarch is a time of loss and reflection. For Parnell's brood, it is a time of strained connections and plans for potential monetary compensation.
However, Paul Parnell had time to do his own reflecting before his death and decided that his family would learn from his mistakes. Instead of an immediate payout for those fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to be his children, Paul created a year-long test of worth. If the grown children pass the test, one deemed unwavering by several lawyers, they will receive their share of the inheritance. The test of their self-discovery is not one that can be easily completed; Parnell's family members must face their own mistakes and areas for improvement.

I am not much of a reader so when I got my new Kindle I was excited to get some new books to test it out. I read this book in a few days and was thoroughly disappointed. Stupid ending, not much in the middle.. a bit confusing at the start.. not good at all for me. I hope I can find something better!

A Creative, thought-provoking story that offers hope in times of cynicism

This is a story that is at times a bit far-fetched and yet one that in the reading becomes a story of potential and "it could happen."

A billionaire and philanthropist has accomplished much in his life,but at a cost. As in many stories we have read and perhaps in personal reflections, this character wants to leave a personal legacy that involves more than a name on a building. In a most unusual will, he challenges his six adult children to find ways to embrace a code of moral values and to measurably contribute to society.

The six children include a wide range of personalities, with failures and successes in their own lives. Some are publicly known, while others are clearly private and almost in hiding. There is a vast fortune at stake and the heirs who meet the goals and intentions of the will after a one year period will inherit.

This is the 1st novel I have read by Patricia Gussin and I compliment her story-telling ability. Her characters have believable flaws and strengths and there are a number of unexpected twists. She provides solid insights to the strengths and weaknesses of the extended families and those looking to advance their own agendas. One could comment on the details, but it is better to read the actual story as it unfolds, rather than to try to provide too much in the introduction.

There are antagonists, "do-gooders" and nay-Sayers as in real life, but the conclusion leaves the reader with a sense of optimism in these days of increasing cynicism and self-centered greed. After reading this book, one should stop and think about values and ethics.

Dr. John Hogan CHA CHE
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