Mad Honey: The heart-pounding and heart-breaking number one international bestseller
£4.70£9.50 (-51%)
*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*
‘Emotional and enlightening’ WOMAN & HOME
‘The twist halfway through is a jaw-to-the-floor moment’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
‘A perfect choice for your book clubs’ PRIMA
Olivia fled her abusive marriage to return to her hometown and take over the family beekeeping business when her son Asher was six. Now, impossibly, her baby is six feet tall and in his last year of high school, a kind, good-looking, popular ice hockey star with a tiny sprite of a new girlfriend.
Lily also knows what it feels like to start over – when she and her mother relocated to New Hampshire it was all about a fresh start. She and Asher couldn’t help falling for each other, and Lily feels happy for the first time. But can she trust him completely?
Then Olivia gets a phone call – Lily is dead, and Asher is arrested on a charge of murder. As the case against him unfolds, she realises he has hidden more than he’s shared with her. And Olivia knows firsthand that the secrets we keep reflect the past we want to leave behind - and that we rarely know the people we love well as we think we do.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Hodder Paperbacks (31 Aug. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 464 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1473692482 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1473692480 |
| Dimensions | 12.8 x 3.6 x 19.6 cm |
by Flower
That’s about it,
by V. O’Regan
“Most People in Adams, New Hampshire, know me by name, and those who don’t, know to steer clear of my home. It’s often that way for beekeepers…. Honeybees are far less vindictive than their yellow jacket cousins, but people can’t often tell the difference, so anything that stings and buzzes comes to be seen as a potential hazard.” – ‘Mad Honey’ by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan.
First off, this is a novel that I really would recommend be read ‘cold’. As I have a long history of reading Jodi Picoult’s novels, this was not difficult as I trust her storytelling skills and prefer surprises to spoilers. In ‘Mad Honey’ Picoult has collaborated with Jennifer Finney Boylan, an author who previously was unknown to me.
This is a return to the courtroom style dramas that were prominent in Picoult’s early novels and features her recurring character criminal defence
lawyer, Jordan McAfee.
Indeed, McAfee’s younger sister and nephew are leading characters in ‘Mad Honey’. So a few plot details for context: following her divorce Olivia McAfee returned to her childhood home in Adams, New Hampshire and taken up her family’s beekeeping business. Details about bees and beekeeping are scattered throughout the narrative.
Her son, Asher Fields, is a high school senior and member of their hockey team. The novel opens in December 2018. For the past few months Asher has been dating Lily, who had recently moved to town with her mother, who works for the Forest Service.
Olivia’s world is forever changed when Asher calls her from the police station and tearfully tells her that Lily is dead. Not long after Asher is arrested and charged with her murder. Olivia turns to her older brother, Jordan, for help. He comes out of retirement to defend his nephew.
The story is told by Olivia and Lily in alternating chapters. Obviously as Lily is no longer alive in the present, her chapters focus upon the events leading up to her death. Olivia’s chapters cover the days, weeks, and months following Lily’s death including the dramatic murder trial.
I found ‘Mad Honey’ a powerful story that unflinchingly addresses timely social issues, including troubling aspects of the USA legal system. It is also a moving love story, made all the more poignant for an awareness of its loss.
Following the main text there are a number of recipes featuring honey and both author’s contribute insightful Notes about how they came to collaborate on ‘Mad Honey’, background on their writing process, as well as on its key themes.
Jodi Picoult has long been known for tackling difficult ethical and/or moral themes in her writing. I certainly appreciate that this novel is bound to provoke controversy, though hopefully it will also serve to encourage discourse.
I do expect that this thought provoking, compassionate novel will not only prove popular with individual readers but with reading groups as it provides plenty of material for discussion along with a well written and engaging story.
On a side note the golden hued cover art was very striking and within the novel the occasional bee decorates the pages.
Highly recommended.
by Therese Perry
Absolutely brilliant read,.very up to date content, felt like I was in the book at times with the descriptions, didn’t want the book to end ????????
by Jean
I liked the love of a mother who overcame terrible anxiety in a marriage to a wife beater and arrogant man. She showed strength against all the odds and her love for her bees and their beautiful honey was very beautiful too.
by TAH
A good book is one that has me guessing the outcome right to the very end. Mad Honey is more than just a good book.
by Chris R Devon
(My wife) good mix of fact and fiction, well written, nice twist at the end. Another great book from Jodi
by Mrs K Johnson
Enjoyed this book so much. Very thought provoking.
by S Payne
I am a big fan of Jodi Picoult and I am also a big fan of bees (but weirdly enough I don’t like honey) so I was hopeful that this would be another great book by Picoult. I was slightly apprehensive as she was a co-author but there was no way I was not going to read “Mad Honey”.
The story is told by two voices. Olivia McAfee, a single mother and survivor of domestic abuse. Olivia is raising her teenage son Asher by herself whilst running the beekeeping business she has inherited, and Lily Campanello. Lily is 18-years-old and is leaving her old life behind by moving to New Hampshire with her mother Ava and her dog Boris (excellent name for a dog) Ava is always at Lily’s side, doing everything she can to give her daughter a life she dreams. The book flicks between these characters POV’s and also moves back in time using their voices to tell us a gripping story.
This reminded me of Picoult of old. It felt like she was back to her earlier style and, for me, this was great. One of the things I have always liked about Picoult’s writing is that she teaches us about completely different subjects every time. This time we learnt about bees. I enjoyed the long depictions and elaborated information about beekeeping and the nature of bees and the magical healing power of honey and I love how Picoult weaves these subjects into her stories seemingly effortlessly.
This book started off well and I was soon swept into the character’s lives and the drama unfolding but I lost some of the love for this story when it started adding in all these controversial, hot topics including LGBTQ, abuse, suicide, abortion, gender equality, and interracial couples. I have nothing against covering any of these subjects but it did feel like it was rammed down my throat a little.
As usual, the subject matter is disturbing and passionate and the characters are highly believable and instantly relatable. We are left on the edge of our seat several times and there are the usual twists and jaw-dropping moments thrown in. I did find the ending a bit predictable as I had already guessed it but it was still interesting to see it played out.
Overall, I enjoyed this book although I actually felt like the lessons on bees were woven into the story better than the constant teachings on gender equality. It did remind me of some of the older Picoult books that I loved, it wasn’t quite as good but still a good read.