The Reading Group

by Elizabeth Noble

published byHarperCollins

2003

I bought this book at my local library during their semi annual Book Sale!

This was the first time I actually went to the book sale at my library and man was I impressed.  We got there about 45 minutes after it opened and it was packed.  One of the lovely ladies running the sale told me there was a line out the door when they first opened.  And the books!  Oh my goodness it was like Christmas in April!  I walked out of there with a dozen books- only because that was all I could hold in my arms and I really needed the bathroom, otherwise I might still be there.  The Reading Group was one of the books I walked away with, thinking that it would be a fun read in between some of the heavier books I had also picked up, like Schindler’s List and The Count of Monte Cristo.  Well, it was a light read, but I really liked it a lot more than I thought I would.  I loved that the characters were very real, faults and all.  I actually really wanted to go to their monthly meetings, and talk about the books they were reading, and what was going on in their lives.  You should look for this book at your library, or the next time you are in the bookstore.  It was quick, fun , and well written.  I am going to try to pick up another from this author very soon.

Summary

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.