Elizabeth Noble has come a long way in a short time, as a writer. I say that because, having read her later books first, this one does not stack up nearly as well. Had I read this book first, I probably would not have kept seeking out Noble's books.The core of the book is about Freddie, who's stuck in an unhappy marriage to a selfish prick. Supposedly, the book is about a foursome's friendship through the years, but the bulk of the book focuses on Freddie finding love with a near and dear friend.I had a really hard time keeping everyone apart in my mind. They all sounded the same in dialogue (and there are pages and pages of expositionary dialogue), and the perspectives shifted almost constantly, usually without warning. A passage would start out from Freddie's perspective, shift to Tamsin's, then wind up in Matt's head. It was discombobulating, which, while fun to say, is not a selling point in a novel.Part of the book was set on Cape Cod, which I am resolved to not hold against Noble. I grew up on the Cape, you see, and I experienced a very different Cape Cod than what Noble writes about. But then, I experienced a very different Cape Cod from that of my current friends and neighbors here in upstate NY when they visit. Still, there were some details that struck me as rather odd. I enjoyed the book a lot more when I pretended the book was set in an alternative universe where Cape Cod has no wind in the fall, and no one walks the beaches at sunset.On top of all that, the narrative was choppy and uneven, the romance too dramatic (and they hopped into bed together way too quick - I wanted more romantic tension), and the one character who most interested me is shuffled off to the side. I really, really wanted to get into Reagan's head, to explore what was missing in her life to make her so prickly and quick to lie to, then dismiss her lovers. I wanted there to be something she could find that was wanting, and patch that up. Instead, as near as I can tell, she fixes it with antidepressants. *sigh*It's a decent enough story, and there's the framework of something really good here. You can see the beginning seeds of what I like about the later Noble books I've read.So, if you read this and were disappointed, I would recommend picking up her later books. This is not the best book Noble has written; far from it. She's shown a vast improvement since this book came out.
Four girls become the closest of friends at school and make a pact to be there for each other, no matter what. Thing is, life gets in the way. With children, husbands, affairs, divorces and many more emotional things happening, their pact is put through the ringer.I didn’t feel like this was particularly original and there were a few predictable moments throughout the book. The reactions of the characters were all signposted from quite a long way away, and it made them less interesting and not very engaging. Standard and stereotypical characters with no one I could specifically relate to. Having said that, they weren’t so bad that I stopped reading, and I did care enough to keep turning the pages. I suspect it may have been more from curiosity than a desire for them all to get a happy ending.This is another book that managed to shift from the inside thoughts of one character to another without rhyme or reason. I’ve struggled with this before so I think perhaps it is a “chick lit” format that I am just not comfortable with. I did like the way it was written, but with little love for the characters, it didn’t grab my attention as it should have done.
What do You think about The Friendship Test (2005)?
I'm going through all of my old books to sort them out and give some away to my local library and I found this one in my basement. I remembered that I loved it the first time around so I decided that I would give it a second go around before I gave it away and I liked it just as much. I have read all of Noble's books ( I think ) and she is a wonderful writer of the "chick lit" genre. Her books aren't too fluffy and her material is real world stuff. I highly enjoyed it the second time around and recommend it to anyone looking for a good contemporary novel! 4 stars!
—Gina
I enjoyed this - typical chicklit but an easy read with interesting fun characters.this is not a deep intellectual book whatever way you look at it.Four very different girls meet at university and become very good friends. One marries and has several children, very warm and mumsy. Another American girl marries a posh Englishman , has a son she dotes on but he is sent away to boarding school against her best wishes. A third marries and sadly dies young, a fourth becomes a rather tense career person.They stay friends and the story mainly follows the girl from America, Freddie but the others all contribute to the activity.It is a bit of a romance, a bit of a mystery and lots of chick lit,feel good reading.
—Susan
I wasn't sure how I would like this book since most of the characters are from the U.K. But I really go into it. I liked the friendship between the 4 women and their families. All the characters had flaws and that's what made them real. There's romance, family drama, some humor and a little bit of mystery so ther'es something for everyone. I recommend it if you like "chick lit" I read it in about a week so its a fairly quick read. It did drag a bit towards the end and that's what stopped me from giving it 5 stars
—Erica Hollinger
