Cozy night
Mad MabelBook club questions, food & host guide
Sally Hepworth
#12 New York Times Fiction Bestseller
6 weeks on the list
A cozy book club night for Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth. Includes 8 spoiler-free discussion questions, food and drink pairings, a playlist, and a host guide, ready to print and share.
clubs who love character-driven Australian fiction and a good cry into a warm mug
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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.
Why it works for clubs
- Sally Hepworth writes characters that feel like family, easy to talk about over tea
- Themes of memory, regret, and reinvention invite personal storytelling
- A gentle mystery pulls readers in without being heavy or grim
- Short, accessible chapters make it welcoming for busy readers
Reading level
Easy
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.
Run of show
7:00
Slippers on, kettle on
Greet guests with a warm drink and let them settle into cushions before anything begins
7:15
Nibbles and warm-ups
Pass around scones and start with the two warm-up questions while people graze
7:35
Into the heart of it
Move through the theme questions gently, letting stories wander
8:10
Pot pie pause
Serve the mains, refill mugs, chat freely off-book for a bit
8:40
The deep questions
Lamingtons out, lights lower, tackle the two deep questions with kindness
9:10
Scorecards and send-offs
Fill in scorecards together, hand out bookmarks, pick next month's book
Host tips
- Keep the lighting soft, lamps only, and have a couple of throw blankets within reach
- Let silences breathe. Cozy nights aren't about filling every pause, they're about feeling safe in them
- If a question feels too tender for someone, offer a warm 'pass' option with no explanation needed
You're invited
Tea, blankets, and one very interesting old woman
Come cozy up for our chat about Sally Hepworth's Mad Mabel. Bring your softest jumper, we'll bring the scones and the kettle.
Trivia
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1
What country is Sally Hepworth from?Answer: Australia
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2
Hepworth is best known for novels centered on what kind of relationships?Answer: Family and domestic relationships, often between women
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3
Name another Sally Hepworth novel featuring an older woman with secrets.Answer: The Good Sister, The Younger Wife, or The Mother-in-Law are all accepted
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4
What broad genre does Hepworth's work usually fall into?Answer: Domestic suspense or book club fiction
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5
True or false: Hepworth's novels are frequently chosen for book clubs worldwide.Answer: True
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6
The story's setting draws on what country's suburban life?Answer: Australia
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7
What kind of narrator perspective does Hepworth often favour?Answer: Multiple first-person or close third-person points of view
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8
Hepworth lives and writes in which Australian city?Answer: Melbourne
Rate the book
Coziness of the read
Warmth of the characters
How much it moved you
How badly you wanted to hug Mabel
Would recommend to a friend
One word for how this book made me feel:
The scene I'll carry with me:
I'd read this again on a night that feels like:
Print pack
- Question cards printed on soft cream cardstock
- Tea-bag tags with the bookmark lines
- Little scorecards tucked into folded napkins
- Trivia slips for a low-key round between courses
- A 'pot of tea' place card for each seat
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