The Honey Well

by Gloria Mallette

Book Overview

Nothing will stand in the way of Esther's drive to make money - not even her only child, Arnell. Ensconced in a sixteen room Victorian mansion Esther is running a successful brothel and employing her daughter in the service. Despite promises that she can quit after college, Arnell will never overcome the shame and trauma her greedy mother has put her through. Engaged to a pillar of the community she has to face up to her mother whose latest 'favour'...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 075820468X
• ISBN13: 9780758204684
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Dafina Books
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A Powerful Read!

I truly was into this novel. I couldn't understand how a mother could put her young daughter through something like this. It was well written indeed!

Refreshing

The Honey Well was an unexpected treat. The story of a heartless mother, Queen Esther, who prostitutes her own daugther, Arnell, for the sake of the almighty dollar, is well-written and filled with unexpected twists, turns, and exceptional dialogue. Although there is a queen in this honey well, this book is no fairy tale. The Honey Well takes a serious look at the responsibilities a mother, a parent has in raising her child and how at times, it is better to be a motherless child. The Honey Well is far from the usual, "he done me wrong," "dope dealing," "street life," "sex till she drop" novels written by so many AA authors these days. The Honey Well is not sweet and at times stings like a bee (Queen bee that is). There is nothing predictable about this book. The author did a great job in not only writing this book, but in putting the issue of child prostitution on the table. I've told all my friends, and now I'm telling anyone who reads this review: READ THIS BOOK. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED. You will be talking about this book, long after the last page is read.

EXCELLENT, DRAMA-FILLED...LOVED IT!

I read Gloria Mallette's last book, Shades of Jade and it was off the chain and The Honey Well was also. This one started off with drama and ended with EXTRA Drama! This book was so good and different from anything I have ever read. Towards the end grab a box of tissue because the tears will flow.Reading this book, I kept asking myself how could a mother be so evil and selfish when it came to her OWN daughter. At the age of sixteen Arnell was asked by her MOTHER to sleep with the landlord because she could not afford to pay the rent. This book will have you turning the pages so fast....Get it today! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Have You No Shame?

No two Gloria Mallette novels are alike in terms of plot or style, but there is one common denominator and that is the examination of the human psyche. Mallette gives us primary and secondary characters facing a multitude of life challenges as we witness their resolve. The Honey Well is such a novel. Opening with an ironic scene, Arnell remembers a quote by her mother that sets the stage for the novel-"Sometimes you have to stick your hand in a bowl of _ _ _ _ to get what you want." Set in an upscale Brooklyn neighborhood, Arnell Rayford is tired of being her mother's pawn in her house of ill repute. For the life of Arnell, she cannot comprehend why she cannot say no to her mother when these requests come her way. It definitely is not for the money but Esther has a trump card. Esther Rayford, or Queen Esther as she is known in the trade, runs an upscale brothel in a large Victorian home that she acquired out of spite. Long before her business took off, Esther pimped Arnell to their Jewish landlord to keep a roof over their heads. Esther and Arnell have come a long way from poverty. Arnell managed to take her earnings and acquire a college degree and now freelances as an editor. She is also engaged to an up and coming politician and son of a preacher.The Honey Well is an outrageous, intense and bold look at a mother's mental and delusional hold on her child. While the plot may appear to be as old as the profession of prostitution, Mallette has turned it up a notch with an audacious mother and other shameful characters; with excellent one-liners that make you laugh out loud and shake your head and with dialogue that captures your attention begging you to continue reading. Read along and witness as Arnell comes to terms as to who her mother really is. Is she capable of loving another human being?An unpredictable read, The Honey Well is as good as it gets when it comes to nonstop action. The Honey Well opened with an ironic scene; examine how this same scene plays into the story by the end! Excellent!Reviewed by Dawn R. ReevesAPOOO BookClub

You Can Catch More Bees With Honey At This Well!!!

The Honey Well is a page turner. It captures you in the first chapter where Esther "asks" her teenage daughter, Arnell to prostitute herself so that she can pay rent. Arnell reluctantly goes along with her mother's wishes.Well Esther couldn't stop there. She reinvents herself as "Queen Esther" and goes so far as to open a brothel called The Honey Well where she browbeats Arnell into continuing a life of prostitution.You will not want to put this book down only for the fact that you can't wait to see what Queen Esther will do or say next. You think that she can't shock you anymore than she has on the very first page but she will take you on a ride until the very end. She is the ultimate, conniving Queen Bee that puts the "D" in dysfunctional. You'll hate her more and more especially when she reveals a surprise about how she can "really put it down" with a certain minister and another party that I won't name. You have to read this book to find out.Enjoy rooting for Arnell to escape the family business and see what she has to do in order to reclaim herself. Excellent book, I would highly recommend.

Gloria Mallette is a true writer.

The Honey Well is another fine example of the talents of Gloria Mallette, a prolific writer who gives a solid performance through her engaging novel about a scandalous mother that pushes her young daughter into prostitution. Queen Esther is one of the most fascinating mothers in contemporary fiction. She is the ultimate Mommie Dearest type - ruthless, calculating, and thrives on power, not stopping until she gets her way. In the prologue, Arnell, Esther's daughter, is a teen, but is an adult in the story. Arnell is now engaged and wants nothing more than to come from under her mother's rule. But Esther is a hard-head, she constantly makes up excuses for keeping her daughter a part of the brothel. Arnell is determined to fight Esther every step of the way and goes through much drama before the end. With fast paced plotting full of twists and turns, The Honey Well is a page-turner that shows a fascinating side of the mother/daughter relationship. All the characters are well-developed, and the writing voice of Mallette is top-notch. She takes the reader on a journey that is similar to riding a rollercoaster, dips, turns, shockers, and eye-openers, all of which makes for another great, and highly recommended read.