Mad Mabel
Mad Mabel ~ Sally Hepworth
Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is 81 and lives on a quiet street in Melbourne. She has lived there for decades, and is the type of person to speak her mind, often when she should probably keep her mouth shut. When she finds the body of her dead neighbor, a neighbor she never liked, her history as the youngest person ever convicted of murder comes to the forefront, and a media circus ensues.
From here we go back to her childhood, to the deaths that surrounded her – her sister, her mother, and others. How she was teased by her classmates for being tall and having red hair. To the time spent with her beloved aunt and her aunt’s companion. Then back to today. Eventually, a couple of YouTubers decide they want to tell the story, which gives us structure and fills in some gaps.
I liked this book fine, but I didn’t love it. I liked Mabel, and I disliked those who hurt her along the way. There was one surprise at the end that was obvious from pretty early on, and another that I did not see coming. Recommended.
14 Comments
NGS
Hm. I can’t tell if this would be my jam or not. Have you read Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead? It sounds similar and I really liked that one.
J
No, I’ve never heard of that one!
Nicole MacPherson
This is on my holds list!
J
I feel like it’s right up your alley!
K @ TS
This is on my holds list too, and given your review, I will likely lower my expectations a little bit. For me a 3/5 is not a bad review and I often have books where I like them but don’t LOVE them (or they don’t really WOW me) but I am okay with that. It sounds like this one is one of those!
J
That’s totally fair. I don’t need every book to be AMAZING either. I liked this one, didn’t love it, but I definitely enjoyed it.
Elisabeth
I gave this book 4 stars. It was the right book at the right time for me when I needed some distraction. I thought Hepworth did the dual timeline thing well, which is not always the case.
Agreed that some twists were predictable and others were not!
J
I’m glad you enjoyed it too!
Michelle G.
Ooooh, this one sounds interesting!
J
It was good, I think you’d like it!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
Mhm I am on the fence… I think I will not persue it but when it comes up again maybe.
J
So many books, so little time. Best to pass on one you’re not interested in!
Margaret
I didn’t love it but I did like it a lot. I read it on the plane to Ireland which probably bumped it up in my estimation.
J
It sounds like we’re on the same page, though sadly I didn’t have a triip to Ireland…welcome home!