What are good book club discussion questions for Mad Mabel?

Spoiler-free questions to get the conversation going: Where did you curl up to read this one, and did it become a book you looked forward to returning to?; What was the first feeling that washed over you when you met Mabel? Comfort, curiosity, protectiveness?; Mabel keeps her past tucked away like a keepsake in a drawer. Is there a small, harmless secret of your own you've never told anyone, and what does it mean to you to hold it close?; The book invites us to imagine an elderly neighbour with a whole hidden life. Has there been an older person in your world whose real story surprised you, in a way that made you soften toward them?; Which scene felt the most like a hug, the kind of moment you wanted to reread before turning the page?.

What food and drinks should I serve at a Mad Mabel book club?

Food: Classic Aussie lamingtons, Buttery scones with jam and cream, and Cozy chicken and vegetable pot pies. Drinks: A proper pot of English Breakfast tea, Spiced apple and cinnamon warmer, and Australian tawny port.

How do I host a Mad Mabel book club night?

A tender, secret-laden novel about an elderly woman guarding a past no one suspects, perfect for a night of warm conversation about how people carry their histories.

Mad Mabel Book Club Questions, Food & Host Guide

Warm-up questions

1 Where did you curl up to read this one, and did it become a book you looked forward to returning to?
2 What was the first feeling that washed over you when you met Mabel? Comfort, curiosity, protectiveness?

Digging in

1 Mabel keeps her past tucked away like a keepsake in a drawer. Is there a small, harmless secret of your own you've never told anyone, and what does it mean to you to hold it close?
2 The book invites us to imagine an elderly neighbour with a whole hidden life. Has there been an older person in your world whose real story surprised you, in a way that made you soften toward them?
3 Which scene felt the most like a hug, the kind of moment you wanted to reread before turning the page?
4 Hepworth writes ordinary Australian domestic life so warmly. What small, homey detail in the book made you feel like you were right there in the room?

Going deep

1 Without giving anything away, how did your feelings about Mabel shift by the end, and did the book leave you feeling forgiving, tender, unsettled, or something harder to name?
2 If you could sit across a kitchen table from Mabel with a pot of tea, what would you gently want to ask her, and what do you think she'd need you to hear?

On the table

Classic Aussie lamingtons

A homey nod to the Australian setting, sweet and nostalgic, easy to buy or bake

Buttery scones with jam and cream

Perfect afternoon-tea comfort for a book steeped in the rituals of an older woman's quiet life

Cozy chicken and vegetable pot pies

The kind of nurturing dinner Mabel herself might set on the table, warm and filling

To sip

A proper pot of English Breakfast tea No alcohol

Serve in mismatched china cups for maximum coziness and gentle nostalgia

Spiced apple and cinnamon warmer No alcohol

A soothing, non-alcoholic mug that fills the room with homey scent

Australian tawny port

A quiet, grown-up sipper for a story about a woman with a long life behind her

soft, acoustic, and quietly Australian, like late afternoon light through lace curtains

Tap a track to play it. Full songs play when you're signed into Spotify.