Noble, Elizabeth 1969(?)-

PERSONAL: Born c. 1969; married David Young (an executive); children: two daughters. Education: Attended St. Edmund Hall, Oxford.

ADDRESSES: Home—Guildford, Surrey, England. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Harper Collins, 10 East 53rd St.,7th Floor, New York, NY 10022.

CAREER: Writer. Worked in publishing for several years, including for Hodder & Stoughton, Scholastic, HarperCollins, and Reed Elsevier.

WRITINGS:

The Reading Group, Perennial (New York, NY), 2005.

The Tenko Club, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 2005.

The Alphabet Weekend, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Elizabeth Noble worked in publishing for several years before getting married, having children, and then deciding to try her hand at writing a novel. Her debut, The Reading Group, became a best seller in England. It is about five women who get together to start a book group. "Because of my background, I knew that I was writing into the most crowded genre, women's mass-market fiction, and that the book needed a hook," Noble said in an interview in Bookseller. "The idea of a reading group came like a light bulb over my head … and I couldn't believe no one else had done it."

The novel tells the story of the growing bond between the women and how the books they choose to read both reflect and affect their lives. Each chapter is told within the framework of the group's book choice and opens with the group meeting. The intertwining stories involve love, family, depression, adultery, and other aspects of the group members' lives. Writing in Booklist, Whitney Scott called the novel an "entertaining read" and "very accessible for Americans." She also noted, "Noble keeps engagement high as her characters connect and interconnect." A Publishers Weekly contributor commended the author for handling the many interlocking plots and points of view, adding: "Light but never flip, this is funny, contemplative and touching reading." Amy Brozio-Andrew similarly said in her Library Journal review, "Fast paced and funny, this is women's fiction worth staying up past your bedtime for."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2005, Whitney Scott, review of The Reading Group, p. 821.

Bookseller, January 30, 2004, "Noble Debut for Reading Group," p. 15; August 27, 2004, "Homing Instincts: Elizabeth Noble Reached Number One with Her Debut 'The Reading Group.'"

Entertainment Weekly, January 28, 2005, Clarissa Cruz and Leah Greenblatt, review of The Reading Group, p. 87.

Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2004, review of The Reading Group, p. 1064.

Library Journal, January 1, 2005, Amy Brozio-Andrew, review of The Reading Group, p. 99.

Publishers Weekly, March 29, 2004, p. 12; June 28, 2004, John F. Baker, "A New Novel by Elizabeth Nobel," p. 10; November 15, 2004, review of The Reading Group, p. 38.

ONLINE

HarperCollins Web site, http://www.harpercollins.com/ (March 8, 2005).

Romantic Novelists Association Web site, http://www.spreckley.co.uk/rna/ (March 8, 2005).