Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went into Mad Mabel. The synopsis didn’t jump out at me as a novel I’d need to read with any sort of immediacy. However, it is from Sally Hepworth and she’s never let me down.
I was afraid this would be more literary than I tend to enjoy, or that the little kid mentioned in the synopsis would drive me nuts. Spoiler alert: I’m not big on kids.
Regardless, I had to find out for myself how Mad Mabel was going to play out, and I’m so glad that I did. I loved this, full stop. I was on the brink of tears for like the last 15%. I can’t believe how emotionally-connected I became with these characters and this story.
Elsie, aka. Mad Mabel, will definitely be in the running for my favorite character of the year!!
The audiobook, narrated by Hannah Fredericksen and Jenny Seedsman, is absolutely the way to go, IMO. Their voice work brought this story to life. I was swept away and couldn’t put it down once I started.
We get both a past and present perspective from Elsie. The past perspective is filled with fascinating details as we learn about her family, her upbringing, and how she earned her reputation as Mad Mabel. Happily, this is one of those cases where both perspectives are equally compelling.
I loved learning about Elsie’s past because it added so much context to her present character, but the present was so fun as well. Elsie is 81-years old in the present perspective and her delivery and the way she interacted with others had me cackling on more than one occasion.
Equally though, there were moments that broke my heart. I feel like this range of emotions that I felt while reading this is a testament to Hepworth’s talent. I was so invested, I felt like I was a part of the narrative.
I would recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed Hepworth’s work in the past, but also to anyone who just really loves endearing elder characters. If you enjoyed Too Old For This, or The Marigold Cottage Murder Collective, I think you’ll really enjoy this one as well.
Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This story grabbed me by the heart and never let go. This will definitely be on my Best Books list for 2026!