Customer Reviews

The Honey Well

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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!

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. Reeves
APOOO BookClub

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.

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.

The Honey Well by Gloria Mallette

How do you feel towards your mother who prostituted you at the sweet age of sixteen? How would you feel about yourself if seventeen years later you're still allowing the prostitution? Arnell Rayford's mother Esther; affectionately known at The Honey Well as "Queen Esther" manipulated her daughter Arnell into prostitution and kept her obedient by blackmailing her.

The book opens with a beautiful poem called Baby Girl, written by the author herself. The poem in its entirety was wonderful but for me this one sentence jumped right off the page and grabbed my heart. "For you, baby girl, are born with something more precious than the golden sweet honey made by the honey bees." That one piece was the basis of the book.

Gloria Mallette has done it again, another page turning success with a huge message. It wasn't until after reading the last 60 or so pages that I realized my body was tense. Ms. Mallette draws you so far into the story you will forget your surroundings and follow your emotions smack dead into the character lives. Kudos to you for such a strong and rich story.

Missy

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.

The HONEY WELL is a shocking tale with unbelievable revelations. Esther
Rayford has achieved her dream; she is quite prominent and now owns the
Victorian Mansion where her mother once worked as a housekeeper. The
mansion is reverently called The Honey Well by the frequent patrons who
visit Esther's 'ladies-of-charm'. But the road to her affluence was
paved on the back of her daughter, Arnell. Arnell hates the mansion with
a passion.

When Arnell was sixteen, naively thinking that her mother would protect
her, Esther rents her daughter out. Seventeen years later Arnell cannot
cut the umbilical cord to free herself from Queen Esther. She does
however physically move from the mansion, acquire a degree, and become
engaged to an up and coming politician. Although she is 33 years old, she
is still emotionally dependent on her mother, Esther blackmails her into
handling just one more client each time she tries to back away. Arnell
has very little self esteem, but she knows she cannot continue living
this life of shameful secrets. The love, hate relationship between mother
and daughter sometimes makes Arnell long to be motherless. Because Ester
is jealous of Arnell, this is not a situation where `mother knows best.'
When Esther introduces yet another sixteen year old to the business of
the mansion; when snippets of Esther's past start to unfold; and when an
unforgivable night of lust at the Honey Well, involving Arnell's fiancé
surfaces, Arnell has had enough. She accepts that Esther will never be
the mother she has always needed and she prepares for the battle of her
life.

This one charters new territory for Ms. Mallette. It is gritty,
melodramatic, and profane. Innuendo is out of place here; the action
is in your face. And as with all of Ms. Mallette's books, there is a
moral to this profound story, but your emotions will run the gamut before
you will be able to accept it. This is indeed a page turner, and each
turn ignites a fiery reaction.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

When reading an individual fiction or non-fiction novel, we rarely come across several characters that are forever seared like a hot brand into the deep recesses of our minds. Characters that refuse to be ignored, neglected, or easily forgotten. The Honey Well, by Gloria Mallette, has boasted such characters, giving elaborate meaning to the words misguided, selfish, demented, and just outright triflin'.

Pledging to take down anyone that gets in her way, Esther Rayford is a woman regarded by many as the "queen". "Queen Esther" claims to have a heart, but it is a cold, voided, useless organ when it comes to her and her money. Abuse stemming from her childhood to the nightmare involving her husband enables Esther to become the woman she is today. Starting out 16 years ago with continued persistence and seven rules, number one and seven being "Don't **** with my money", Esther is now the proud owner of "The Honey Well". "The Honey Well" is a brothel known for it's classy demeanor and top class clients. Her most treasured, senior employee is Arnell, her daughter, whom she turned out at the young age of sixteen.

Arnell is caught in the all too frequent dysfunctional realm, one that her mother has created and refuses to release her from. Whether it be prostitution, black mail, or revenge, Arnell can not seem to pull away from her mother's destructive claws. Vowing to rid herself of her mothers troubled life, Arnell manages to obtain her bachelor's degree and start a freelance editing company while stuck in the never-ending abyss of hell, the one the "Queen" has carved out for her. Hoping to get away from her past and never look back, Arnell has met James, her soon-to-be husband. James is unaware of Arnell's double life, something "Queen Esther" uses to her advantage.

James, a politician in the making, has chosen Arnell to be his wife. With a love that is sincere and strong, much like his personality, James is ready to marry Arnell and to live happily ever after. Realizing a little too late, that his soon-to be mother-in-law is as ruthless as Arnell has frequently told him, James gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but not until Esther has reached out and tainted his life too...

Trena, a promiscuous sixteen year old who has no reality of life's engulfing adversities, is currently being raised by her sister, Cheryl, due to her mother's demanding job schedule. Trena has had all that she is going to take and decides to runaway after an upsetting incident involving her sister and her mother, Maxine. Unaware that she is falling into a life that should not be subjected to a young girl, Trena runs right into the arms of "The Honey Well". Only to find out the hard way, a child should stay in a child's place.

The Honey Well, by Gloria Mallette is definitely an entertaining read. A true page turning experience due to the combination of such characters as Esther, the "Queen Bee", Arnell, the misguided daughter, James, a typical man surrounded by temptation, and Trena, a lost child caught in this warped circle. Gloria Mallette starts out with a bang in her prologue all the way to the last page, leaving readers open to find out what will happen to every last one of her characters. As we all know, no empire is untouchable, but who will be the chosen one to take the "Queen" down..

Monique Baldwin, Founder
Flavah Reviewers

The Honeywell was an excellent book. This was the first book I've read by this writer, but after reading this one; I'm in search of her other ones.

How can a mother do the things that Esther did? How could she prostitute her own child? She was scandelous. The book brings an entire new meaning to mother/daughter relationships.

The book grabs your attention from the beginning. This is a good discussion novel and a "must have" for your book collection.

Gloria continues to amaze me with each book that comes out. She has a way of taking a difficult subject and writing about it with ease. From the very beginning of the story, some women will be able to relate to the plight of the daughter. Many have been there and done that: had to use sexual favors to stay afloat. When you add the mother Esther, who has to be one of the most self-centered characters ever portrayed in books, into the mix, the novel becomes a real page-turner. This is definitely a good selection for anyone looking for something different. As always, her writing is excellent and flawless.