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Summary: Motherless or bad mother- which is worse?
Review: This is the story of a 30 something year old still in the gripes on prostitution at the insistence of her mother. Arnell started prostituting at 16 because her mother wanted to exchange her for the rent. Arnell continued to prostitute herself out of a sense of obligation to her mother.
My opinion of the book is that it should have been writter more from the perspective of a 16 year old to a 20 something year old. To come in at the tail end of the prostitution seemed to cheat the reader of the depth of Arnell's hate for her mother. Because we were not given much detail of what happened from 16-30's, it really was not clear WHY Esther still could make her daughter come to the Honey Well and prostitute herself.
Other reviewers state the book is excellent. I don't agree. It just does not make sense that a woman with $200K and a house and car paid for would go to a house of prostitution and make herself susceptible to be raped. The idea that she would run to her mother's beck and call was understandable as an only child with no other known family but to prostitute yourself out of "daughterly devotion" seemed way beyond realistic. The realism is that Arnell would have moved from the city after she had reached adulthood.
Anyway, the book was good book but not as good as the other reviewers claim.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book
Review: Well,let me just say that Esther was NO mother. Say what you will, she just wasn't. and she led her daughter(Arnell) down a road of lies, manipulation and degradation. Women need to know the influence they have on their kids. It can go to the good or the bad. And in this case, it went real bad. But despite of it, Arnell did her best to become a productive citizen by going to college, building up a nest egg from what she earned on her back and meeting a seemingly "nice" man she becomes engaged to. Check this book out and learn.
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Summary: Gloria Put On Your Crown Indeed You Are The Queen
Review: What can I say. This book was well written with tons of plot twists and turns. This does not surprise me because Mallette has proven herself over and over. This story written about the Honeywell at times made me feel like I was there being prostituted by Queen Esther. What a wonderful ending indeed. The only thing that bothered me was how evil Queen Esther was how could someone who is a mother be so ruthless and uncaring to her own child. Not that it is unbelievable because I have read in newspapers where some mothers sell their children for crack. This was a fast paced mystery that I was dying to get my hands on it was also well worth the wait. Gloria keep penning them novels for your #1 FAN. I love your work.
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Summary: This book is riveting!!!!!
Review: What do you do when you are so devoted to your mother it means losing your own dignity and self respect? Those are the questions that Arnell has to answer when her own mother makes her prostitute for money. Despite the desire to get out, her mother keeps finding ways to blackmail her and make her feel guilty for wanting her own life instead of the life her mother carved for her. Her mother is the mother you love to hate. She is greedy, selfish and just a terrible person. You want to reach into the pages and tell Arnell "run, run, run and don't look back". This book shows you how low self esteem will have you believe anything, and makes you question where does devotion to your own loved ones end? This book is a page turner!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Deserves 10 Stars!
Review: When I say that all I could say during and reading this book is DAMN...... I am not playing! First of all, I didn't know that this book was more than just a story about a mother prostituting her child. I was hesitant about picking up this book and, I looked at the ratings and didn't read the actual reviews of this book. So many people give to many details when reviewing the book and it ruins the surprises. I didn't know anything, so the book was just mind blowing! Obviously the book is about Queen Esther taking advantage of her daughter's innocence and prostituting her starting off as a teenager. Queen Esther is the worst kind, who is a lover of money and will get it at ANY cost. She plays on teenagers who has problems and makes them think she is a safe haven when she is a snake, actually destroying their lives. It's surprising what some people will do for a dollar, or should I say feel like they have to do. And Gloria also touches on the mental affect of females selling their bodies. All and all Arnell desperately wants to move on with her life, but Esther has a hold on her. A hold combined with past secrets that she holds over her head, and the confusing feeling of loving her mother in spite of. Queen Esther is a mess! You can't even imagine the things that will unfold in this book. Sometimes I thought Queen Esther was the devil himself. Gloria Mallette did a wonderful job of writing this novel. It is serious, entertaining, and surprisely funny. Queen Esther is such a [...], but some things will have you laughing like I can't beleive she did or said that. Scenes like the funeral, particular sex scenes, and the confrontation at the end of the book will leave your mouth wide open!! Gloria intertwines love, family ties, sex, life lessons, prostitution, humor, murder....you name it, it is in this book. I read Shades of Jade and it is good. But The Honey Well is on another level. Ms. Mallette definetely is da bomb. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know who enjoys reading good black fiction novels. The books description doesn't give you a clue as to what all is in store for you.
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Summary: Sweeter than Honey...
Review: 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
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Summary: Pages Readers Group Reviews "The Honey Well"
Review: Would you prostitute yourself for your mother's love? Would you continually seek your mother's love when it is apparent she is not capable of loving you? Well this is exactly what Arnell does over and over again. Throughout her life, Esther blackmails Arnell into shameful acts all for her insatiable appetite for material things. But when a new young girl enters The Honey Well, Arnell must finally put stop to her mother's abuse and break the cycle. How far will Esther go to get what she wants? This book was full of unbelievable twists and turns keeping the reader's attention to the end. This book was our book club selection for the month of March. The dynamics of the book prompted a lively discussion at our meeting with members having various thoughts on why Arnell stayed connected to her mother despite her treatment of her over the years. We also had the privilege of speaking with Gloria Mallette during our discussion and asking her why was it so hard for Arnell to break free from her mother's clutches. Our group thoroughly enjoyed the book and encouraged Gloria to write a sequel so we could find out how Arnell's life turned out after finally breaking free from her mother and finding true unconditional love.
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Summary: How far would you go to please your mother?
Review: You've heard of Mommy Dearest, well here's Madea Dearest. Gloria Mallette's The Honey Well, depicts the twisted mother-daugher bonds between Arnell and her mother, Esther. Esther entices her sixteen year-old daughter, Arnell, to prostitute herself to their landlord to pay the rent which is several months behind. This is the start of Queen Esther's lucrative career as the madam of the Honey Well, prostituting Arnell to her benefit. After establishing her business and hiring additional young ladies to meet the growing clientele, Esther promises Arnell that she can quit working at the Honey Well when she graduates college. Esther reneges on her promise to free Arnell from her duties as a prostitute even after she completes college. Years later, Esther is still calling and Arnell is still responding to the call to perform just one more "favor". The situation becomes sticky when Esther has ammunition to blackmail Arnell with to keep her in her clutches.
Arnell's character is truly perplexing. She clearly hates the lifestyle she has been pulled into and has a strong dislike for Esther, yet she stays and seemingly fails to fight back against her mother. Perhaps it is her deep longing for her mother's love and a desire for a normal relationship that keeps Arnell from totally escaping. Arnell knows her engagement to James Stanton, a politician and the son of one of the most prominent pastors in the area, is the stronghold that Esther has over her. She also realizes that revealing the truth about her past to James will eventually break the bond Esther has.
Esther's character is a complex ball of loneliness, envy, greed and perversion. How can a mother ask her daughter to perform such acts? Secrets from her past defines the person Esther came to be. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants - mainly money- without regard for how her decisions affect the lives of others. As cold-hearted as Esther is with Arnell, we see a sensitive and hurt side to her when she eventually loses the one person she may have truly cared about. When a blast from her past comes back threatening to reveal her secrets, the drama really jumps off at The Honey Well.
Gloria Mallette is truly a talented and skillful writer. She captivates the reader from the very first page and does not let go until the very end. I have enjoyed past novels by Mallette and she has never failed to shock as well as entertain her readers. I am sitting on the edge of my seat, awaiting her next novel. The rate she is going, she won't let her fans down.
Reviewed by Paula Henderson for Loose Leaves Book Review
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