Customer Reviews

The Test

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

When Paul Parnell died, he left behind a fortune in the billions, adult children by three different mothers, and a number of grandchildren and in-laws. Prior to his death, Paul realized that one of the regrets of his life was not being active and available in the lives of his children. His trusted lawyer is instructed to create an iron-clad will that requires his 6 surviving children to examine their lifestyles, morals, and values, and make decisions on what is important to each. The final disposition of family fortune will depend on the decisions made by the children over the next year.

The family dynamics are interesting and somewhat convulted here, much like they are in any family of step children, half siblings, etc. It's interesting to watch the interplay between the sons and daughters, and the way they view themselves and each other. The author uses recent political and international events to weave throughout the story, adding an additional level of realism. The novel chronicles the next year in the family, and marks numerous ups, downs, sadness and happy events.

In some cases, there is almost too much going on, and I found myself having to backtrack once or twice, just to check out familial relationships. In a novel with this many characters, plot twists and subplots, that's to be expected. Some of the twists the book used were easy to see coming, some were not. It definitely held my interest thoughout.

If you enjoy suspense and family intrigue, you will enjoy this book. I plan to read more of this author's work in the future.

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.

My copy is the Reviewer's proof but I'm sure the final copy will be just as thrilling, incredibly well structured and intensely fast-paced with an equally 'moving' finale, fit for an 'Encore', if it came to that.

Patricia Gussin's novel is beautifully structured:
From the father's will to the September 11 event, to the missing Ashley, pregnant and despondent in discovering her fiance's shocking past, to re-uniting with her family and the scheduled Test, one year and a day after reading out the father's, Paul Parnell's, will.

The author chooses a modern day tragic 'crime' (September 11), to bring into focus, the reality of the character, Ashley's predicaments, of escaping a marriage that would have left her bewildered and more than likely, 'cent-less' - and we see how the intensity of her situation is acccentuated by what occurs to her after the 9/11 Twin Tower attack.

It almost feels like the reader experiences the September trauma again through this character, Ashley, who finally comes to her senses and returns home to find a demonic 'fiance' offering her flowers and in return her petrified screams sending frisson throughout this ordeal.

'The Test earns novelist Patricia Gussin a solid A+ for smart plotting, top-notch characters, and intense action. What more could a reader want?' - Debby Stowell, Circle Books

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.

I just could not stop reading this book. Every time I thought nothing else could happen, something else happened. I began to feel for these characters.

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
HospitalityEducators
HoganHospitality

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

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

The best of intentions can go south quickly. "The Test" tells of father Paul Parnell who leaves his children with an unorthodox will. Challenging them to be better people and members of society in order to receive his massive fortune, it seems his money may have the exact opposite effect as the family is torn apart over the money. But through it all, can they remember what their father really wanted, true family values? "The Test" is an intriguing read of the human spirit and the power of family.