The Test

In spite of the negative reviews I read, I purchased this book and am glad I did. Although the title is "The Test" and the gimmick is the test the father gave each of his children in order to inherit his money, the real story is about the growth of the individual children throughout the year following their father's death. (BTW, though there is a test, and the children know there is, nobody knows exactly what the test is until the end of the book.)Parnell, the billionaire father, had children by two wives, a never-adopted stepchild, and another child the result of a short fling. This made for family jealousies. Money is often the great divider for families and this was no exception. There were friendships and rivalries. Patricia Gussin threw in a truly bad guy to complicate the mix.What I liked was how the characters grew throughout the book. By the time of the test, people I'd disliked in the beginning had become admirable. Without the bad guy, the family may have disintegrated. With him, they grew up. I wish there'd been a way Ms. Gussin could have kept the villain hidden from us - he was identified almost as soon as he appeared - it would have made for more suspense.One of the reviewers had warned it would be hard to keep track of the characters. I truly had no trouble with that since each was a unique individual. The family tree was useful only in the beginning, to let me know who was full sibling to whom. After that, I didn't refer to it.I finished the book in one day - too good to set down - and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good read.

I almost gave the book 5 stars, but it started slow and I had to force myself to pick it up a second time. I 'm glad I did. The action picked up and the story took some unexpected turns -- even in the last couple of chapters. There were good guys and bad guys and there were a couple of characters who were both good and bad. The story was somewhat predictable. I knew it was going to be a happy ever after ending, but it is a good escape from reality. It doesn't take long to read. So, yes I can recommend that you read it.

When I began the book I really enjoyed it. A wealthy patriarch who ignores his family hopes that through his last will and testament he can provide them with the a moral code of honor that he failed to instill in them when he was alive. The "test" he explains will determine the distribution of his vast wealth after one year elapses. The test ultimately changes everyone in the large family. I had no trouble with the large cast of characters. And I enjoyed seeing what the test brought out in each of the descendants who all had very different personalities. It was the ending that turned me off to this book. Authors usually throw in plot twists and tie up loose ends at the ending of a book. This author did this to the extreme. A totally unnecessary Plot twist at the end regarding the college professor made a good story totally unbelievable. The author pushed too far. But the final exposure with the professor turned what I was initially deeming a great read into amateurish attempt at an ending. The book "jumped the shark" with that plot twist and I was very disappointed. The author tried too hard and ultimately made the book unbelievable.

The Test was an enjoyable read and a book hard to put down. It follows the Parnell siblings and how they each face and try to pass the test set forth in the will of their billionaire father, Paul Parnell. There are the good, the bad, and the criminal aspects of the Parnell clan and their spouses or significant others to be considered. Murders, past and present, come to light as the story unfolds.One reviewer mentioned that they thought it was hard to keep up with the many characters. I have to say that I did not have that problem. I felt the author did a superb job presenting the characters throughout the book. After reading that review, I did make an extra special effort to keep the characters straight in my mind.I loved this book. I, highly, recommend it.

This author did a good job putting together a story of family struggles, past histories that carried severe future consequences, the intrigue of mind control, political insights snd national tragedy. I enjoyed reading the book as much as possible while having to sort through misused words, grammar and punctuation errors to glean the meaning of some portions. It is because of this sloppiness that I could give only 3 stars. I fail to comprehend how any writer can care so little for his/her work that he/she does not demand better proofing/editing from the publishers. This has become rampant in literary works, and I can only see it worsening unless and until more home-schooled kids reach adulthood and insist on correctness. Mediocrity may be accepetaable to our current educational system, but it is NOT acceptable to past generations!

It was a good read that kept me interested throughout. I came to care what happened to the characters and of course despise the villian. The ending did disappoint me a little though. The bit (I won't say what so as not to include spoilers) about the villian, Conrad, was a little contrived. Kind of like a soap opera plot device that I think added nothing to the story. If it had been left out, I would've added that last star. I do recommend it for a fast, entertaining read.

The story begins at the funeral of Paul Parnell, billionaire. His heirs are brought together and told that rather than simply inheriting the millions they either expected or despised, and they had to earn them by passing a vague test. The test remains vague ad the story progresses over the next year.Overall, the this book seemed less about a test and more about how a rich family struggled with various losses, and deceptions, and even 9/11. The passing of the patriarch and the wealth distribution was just a nice way to tie them altogether. The story was good and it definitely kept me interested. My biggest complaint was the # of characters.. Even when I was almost finished with the book, and I still had a hard time remembering who was who.

Different! A few too many characters to allow for much development, but an enjoyable story nonetheless. The premise of the tale, a man attempting to provide a good influence for his family after his death, is not new, but this rendition has a nice freshness about it. Easy to read escapism!

I was hooked after the first paragraph. I thought this book very cleverly written, entwining riches politics and morals into one and all governed by a dead man's will. Very well written; a shame that the author has not written more.

Not my normal kind of book but i thoroughly enjoyed it. Going to give another by this author a go.

very easy reading mystery, lots of twists and turns which had me guessing right up to the end

Good read