The Mermaid Chair

The No. 1 New York Times bestseller

By: Sue Monk Kidd

Narrated by: Eliza Foss

Don't miss the extraordinary new novel from Sue Monk Kidd, The Book of Longings - published on 21st April 2020, and available to buy now.

Jessie Sullivan has been married half her life, and has become accustomed to her role. But when she returns to the isolated island where she grew up to establish why her mother has been behaving oddly, she is to find a lot more than she came looking for. A loving, exuberant character, who believes herself to be happy, she has forgotten a hidden part of her spirit - the part represented by the beautiful, vibrant and legendary mermaid carved on a chair in the island's monastery.

When Jessie falls passionately in love with a monk who is close to taking his final vows, she discovers a place in herself that she had never previously imagined could exist. THE MERMAID CHAIR is the story of a woman trying to save her outgrown life - the roles, identities, securities and illusions she had created for herself - before finally emerging as something far more alive and powerful.

(P)2005 Penguin Audio©2005 Sue Monk Kidd

Critic reviews

The novel has humour and a profound feeling for its primeval landscape of mud flats and salt creeks... [A] sensitively plotted emotional journey

A highly charged tale full of sexual and spiritual desire. Every bit as moving and convincing as The Secret Life of Bees

Enjoyed spending time in this world

This book just drew me in, not entirely sure, it was just very well written and I enjoyed the distinctly Southern flavor.