From Publishers Weekly
Perfect indulgence for the eponymous set—or pandering to an anticipated audience? Or maybe both? As the London Evening Standard put it, "The blurb has [the author] down as a simple Surrey housewife who knocked this out between the Hoovering and the hot sex, but further investigation reveals her to be a veteran of book marketing married to the head of Time Warner UK." Go figure! Well, either way, this U.K. bestseller is a frothy page-turner that dissects the relationships, desires and discoveries of five English women, all members of a book club. Over the course of a year, the women read 12 novels (including Atonement, Rebecca and The Alchemist) and, through their playful but intimate discussions (few of which revolve around the books), they bond closely while coping with such matters as a philandering husband, a mother with dementia, a pregnant but unmarried daughter, an infertility crisis, a wedding and a funeral. It's a testament to Noble's characterizations and plotting that the novel is not overwhelming, despite its numerous (perhaps too many) points of view, complicated backstories and interweaving contemporary crises. Light but never flip, this is funny, contemplative and touching reading, and the group's familiar book choices allow readers to feel as if they're part of the gang, too, as they race to the end, eager to find out what happens, why it does and what it all means. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Women's reading groups form, dissolve, reform. Some have the lives of mayflies, while others boast many years' existence. Nicole and Harriet, with lives and husbands that are very different (Nicole's is a womanizer), are cofounders of their group, which includes single-mom Polly, Polly's pal Susan, and Clare, a midwife. These Englishwomen come together for literary discussions but, as bonds form over the years, stay for friendship. Once-bitten Polly is still ambivalent about Jack's marriage proposal, despite Susan's reminder that, at 15 years, it has endured three times longer than Polly's erstwhile marriage. Though married to rock-solid Roger, Susan has her hands full because her mom seems to be suffering memory lapses. And certainly Harriet loves her husband, Tim, but now the love of her life, Charles, is marrying another. Meanwhile, infertile Clare bathes and rocks newborns, only to have their rightful mothers claim them. Noble keeps engagement high as her characters connect and interconnect. Since the Briticisms are usually decipherable in context, this entertaining read is very accessible for Americans. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Carole Matthews, author of For Better, for Worse
"A thoroughly accomplished debut novel which embraces a wide range of contemporary issues. Fresh and sharp. Funny and sad."

Publishers Weekly
"...this is funny, contemplative and touching reading..."

Library Journal
"Fast paced and funny, this is women’s fiction is worth staying up past your bedtime."

Booklist
"Noble keeps engagement high as her characters connect and interconnect...this entertaining read is very accessible."

Entertainment Weekly
"A hot, soapy bubble bath of a novel. Go ahead and sink in."

St. Paul Pioneer Press
"[Elizabeth Noble is a] reading club goddess."

Book Description

The Reading Group follows the trials and tribulations of a group of women who meet regularly to read and discuss books.Over the course of a year, each of these women become intertwined, both in the books they read and within each other's lives.

Inspired by a shared desire for conversation, a good book and a glass of wine-Clare, Harriet, Nicole, Polly, and Susan undergo startling revelations and transformations despite their differences in background, age and respective dilemmas.

What starts as a reading group gradually evolves into a forum where the women may express their views through the books they read and grow to become increasingly more open as the bonds of friendship cement.

In The Reading Group, Noble reveals the many complicated paths in life we all face as well as the power and importance of friendship.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A bestseller in the UK, THE READING GROUP is about a group of women who meet regularly to read and discuss books, and how their lives become intertwined, both with the books they read and with each other's lives.

What starts out as a good idea born from a glass of wine and the need to socialize, turns into much more. Over the span of a year, Clare, Harriet, Nicole, Polly and Susan -- five women of different ages, backgrounds and contrasting dilemmas -- transform themselves through the shared community of a book group.

Their reading group becomes a forum for each of the women's views, expressed initially by the book they're reading and increasingly openly as the bonds of friendship cement. As the months pass, these women's lives become more and more intertwined.

In the THE READING GROUP, Nobel reveals the many complicated paths in life we all face as well as the power and importance of friendship.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Perfect indulgence for the eponymous set-or pandering to an anticipated audience? Or maybe both? As the London Evening Standard put it, "The blurb has [the author] down as a simple Surrey housewife who knocked this out between the Hoovering and the hot sex, but further investigation reveals her to be a veteran of book marketing married to the head of Time Warner UK." Go figure! Well, either way, this U.K. bestseller is a frothy page-turner that dissects the relationships, desires and discoveries of five English women, all members of a book club. Over the course of a year, the women read 12 novels (including Atonement, Rebecca and The Alchemist) and, through their playful but intimate discussions (few of which revolve around the books), they bond closely while coping with such matters as a philandering husband, a mother with dementia, a pregnant but unmarried daughter, an infertility crisis, a wedding and a funeral. It's a testament to Noble's characterizations and plotting that the novel is not overwhelming, despite its numerous (perhaps too many) points of view, complicated backstories and interweaving contemporary crises. Light but never flip, this is funny, contemplative and touching reading, and the group's familiar book choices allow readers to feel as if they're part of the gang, too, as they race to the end, eager to find out what happens, why it does and what it all means. Agent, Stephanie Cabot. (Jan.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

When five women get together to start a book group, they never envision how their lives will change, become intertwined, and be reflected in their books of choice. Their meetings draw them into a surprising sisterhood as they work through a year of caring for an aging parent, unexpectedly becoming a grandmother, marital infidelity, a marriage gone stale, and infertility. Each chapter opens with the group's reading pick and uses it to frame the chapter, mirroring the plot and character development along a particular theme. Fast paced and funny, this is women's fiction worth staying up past your bedtime for. Noble's portrayal of each character remains steady throughout, and readers will readily relate to these women. Highly recommended for all public libraries.-Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews