← Back to kit
Question cards Bookmarks Scorecards Download PDF
Want this emailed to you? or just download it above. We'll send a reminder before your meeting too.
Book Club Night Kit
Mad Mabel

Mad Mabel

Sally Hepworth
Cozy 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.

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.

Reading level: Easy

Best for: clubs who love character-driven Australian fiction and a good cry into a warm mug

Discussion

Warm-up

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

Digging in

  1. 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. 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. 3.Which scene felt the most like a hug, the kind of moment you wanted to reread before turning the page?
  4. 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. 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. 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 & to sip

To eat

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

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

Playlist

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

  1. 01 Throw Your Arms Around Me - Missy Higgins
  2. 02 The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice
  3. 03 Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
  4. 04 Skinny Love - Birdy
  5. 05 Comptine d'un autre été - Yann Tiersen
  6. 06 Down to the River to Pray - Alison Krauss
  7. 07 Home - Edith Whiskers
  8. 08 Scarborough Fair - Simon and Garfunkel

Trivia

  1. 1.What country is Sally Hepworth from? (Australia)
  2. 2.Hepworth is best known for novels centered on what kind of relationships? (Family and domestic relationships, often between women)
  3. 3.Name another Sally Hepworth novel featuring an older woman with secrets. (The Good Sister, The Younger Wife, or The Mother-in-Law are all accepted)
  4. 4.What broad genre does Hepworth's work usually fall into? (Domestic suspense or book club fiction)
  5. 5.True or false: Hepworth's novels are frequently chosen for book clubs worldwide. (True)
  6. 6.The story's setting draws on what country's suburban life? (Australia)
  7. 7.What kind of narrator perspective does Hepworth often favour? (Multiple first-person or close third-person points of view)
  8. 8.Hepworth lives and writes in which Australian city? (Melbourne)

Bookmarks

Print, cut, and tuck one at every seat, a small keepsake from the night.

Mad Mabel
Mad Mabel
Mad Mabel

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: ______________________
That's a wrap
Thank you for coming

We hope the company was good and the conversation even better. Until the next chapter.