The Mermaid Chair

By: Sue Monk Kidd

Narrated by: Eliza Foss

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

A transcendent tale of a woman's self-discovery—the New York Times-bestselling second work of fiction by the author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Book of Longings

Inside the church of a Benedictine monastery on Egret Island, just off the coast of South Carolina, resides a beautiful and mysterious chair ornately carved with mermaids and dedicated to a saint who, legend claims, was a mermaid before her conversion.

When Jessie Sullivan is summoned home to the island to cope with her eccentric mother’s seemingly inexplicable behavior, she is living a conventional life with her husband, Hugh, a life “molded to the smallest space possible.” Jessie loves Hugh, but once on the island, she finds herself drawn to Brother Thomas, a monk about to take his final vows. Amid a rich community of unforgettable island women and the exotic beauty of marshlands, tidal creeks, and majestic egrets, Jessie grapples with the tension of desire and the struggle to deny it, with a freedom that feels overwhelmingly right, and with the immutable force of home and marriage.

Is the power of the mermaid chair only a myth? Or will it alter the course of Jessie’s life? What happens will unlock the roots of her mother’s tormented past, but most of all, it will allow Jessie to discover selfhood and a place of belonging as she explores the thin line between the spiritual and the erotic.

©2005 Sue Monk Kidd (P)2005 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Book clubs, start your engines. Sue Monk Kidd's first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, has sold 3 million copies since 2002.…Those are big shoes to fill, but Kidd acquits herself admirably with The Mermaid Chair….Both novels drip with vivid images of hot Southern afternoons, droning insects, swooping birds and oases in which nature is the fabric of life. It is a tapestry strengthened by bonds between women that bridge pain and loss. Most important, both have passages of beautiful writing… Kidd wrote two well-received memoirs before turning to fiction. But perhaps the answer ultimately given by The Mermaid Chair is that a storyteller also can change course and come of age in the middle of her life."—USA Today

"Her writing is so smart and sharp, she gives new life to old midlife crises, and she draws connections from the feminine to the divine to the erotic that a lesser writer wouldn't see, and might not have the guts to follow."—Time

"(A) rewarding second novel by the author of the bestselling Secret Life of Bees. Writing from the perspective of conflicted, discontented Jessie, Kidd achieves a bold intensity and complexity that wasn't possible in The Secret Life of Bees, narrated by teenage Lily. Jessie's efforts to cope with marital stagnation; Whit's crisisof faith; and Nelle's tormented reckoning with the past will resonate with many readers. This emotionally rich novel, full of sultry, magical descriptions of life in the South, is sure to be another hit for Kidd." —Publisher's Weekly, starred review

Falling in love with a Monk???

I definitely was caught off guard from that line in the beginning of the book. This was especially true after listening to two other novels by the same author that took place in the 1800’s. This book is really about yearning for the truth and loving yourself. A good read!

Absolutely wonderful!

Another intricately woven story by a phenomenal author! It is definitely worth your time to experience this book.


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Difference Between Loving and Being in Love

Beautiful Writing!
How does one write like this?
I've just finished listening for a second time, or is it the third time? This is truly a beautiful book. It feels like a work of art.
I'm taken to Egret Island with all it's creeks, birds, marshes, and complex relationships. My eyes well up as I again FEEL the deep connections between daughters and fathers/fathers and daughters. The family dynamics are so real and ring true. Friendships are loyal through time and tragedy.

What does Eliza Foss bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Her character voices, her southern accent. the characters are so distinct. This is the PERFECT pairing of story and reader.
This story has been around for a while, but if you haven't read/listened to it, it's a classic.

Better than they said it would be....

I was reluctant to get this book because of the terrible reviews here, but I love Sue Monk Kidd's nonfiction, so I gave it a shot anyway, and I have to wonder if the people writing the reviews actually read the book. Teri claims that the characters are without motivation, and neither the author nor the reader knows, for example, why the mother cut off her finger. Well, Teri must have been snoozing, because it was actually covered in detail. Or perhaps it passed her notice because it was SHOWN rather than TOLD. And as for the motivation of the other characters -- again, you have to be snoozing to miss that. The husband even supplies a Jungian analysis of it at one point.

Not to say that this is a perfectly wonderful book. I didn't like the narrator. She had an "old" voice, which I didn't think was necessary. And she suffered from that problem so many narrators suffer from, which is emphasizing the wrong words in the sentences. "We both feel it THEN" rather than "we BOTH feel it then." There were these odd musical interludes thrown in here and there which were unpleasant. And as far as the story goes, I think I was most put off by the middle aged woman's declarations that she was "falling in love with" a man she'd only seen a time or two. Come on, by the time you are middle aged you really should recognize the difference between attraction and love. That was kind of silly.

Sue Monk Kidd is an excellent writer, though. Her prose often borders on poetry, although that is far more obvious when the narration can evoke its charm (the narrator of The Secret Life of Bees was absolutely enchanting and brought the best out of Kidd's writing). It won't win an award, I don't think, but it wasn't as bad as many of these reviews make out.

It grew on me

I almost stopped listening to this book midway through, but I stayed with it. I found it worth the time, with a nice message at the end. Not important or classic, but an good read (or listen).

good for midlife

I enjoyed this! The pace is relaxed--there are a lot of flashbacks--but it's appropriate for the story. I suspect the reviewers who were bored were younger than 40. When you send your last child off to college and start wondering who you are, this is the perfect book to read. I became totally engrossed in the narrator's family relationships, sense of place, and forbidden romance.

I loved this book

This book and the reading was relaxing and interesting simultaneously. The story handled the issue of issues woman face as we mature and grow.

A Winner

I really enjoyed this book. It was rather strange, but it left me with tears in my eyes at the end. If a book can make me cry--it has to be good!

An Experience of Emptiness

Nomatter what reviewers will say, this book will unfortunately be a major pick in Book Clubs across the nation. Libraries and livingrooms will fill with people wanting to read and discuss Ms Kidd's latest. (Which is why I chose to listen to, not read it.) Oh, what a mistake the American reading public will make. Heaven knows what anyone in a book club will discuss. An empty headed book. All invention and little real substance.

Didn't anyone explain to the author that a good writer doesn't TELL but SHOWS? We should be feeling what the main character feels, not being told in a half sentence what she feels. Any sensible person would wonder why the main character does anything she does. There is simply NO motivation, except given in hindsight.

Of course she can't make sense out of the incident of her mother's finger. The answer's simple. The author can't make sense out of it herself. She came up with a half-way interesting concept but just couldn't pull it off. How could any woman be stupid enough to suddenly have the feelings and make the decisions she makes. I guess it would work if you were 19. The main character's a bigger basket case than her mother, and the author hasn't a clue why.

This reads like a budding student's second draft at a Writer's Program at a mediocre university. The editors no doubt did 100's hours of work to streamline the writing hoping to get another "Secret Life of Bees" to press.

This audiobook was a complete waste of a precious Audible book credit. And a waste of my listening time. (This is the very first time I've listened to a book at my iPod's fastest speed.) Goodness knows why I thought I'd get my Audible dollar's worth if I just forced myself to listen to every last word. Cardboard character after cardboard character. Each has a role: to advance the story, NOT to be a vital person him/herself.

Narrator: She tries hard, but she is not consistent in her characterizations. Quite the challenge in a muddled book.

Obnoxious main character and annoying reader....

I have never read any of Kidd's other works, but I have been aware of her. When I saw the title The Mermaid Chair, I was intrigued. The plot synopsis sounded promising, so I decided to take a chance...Now I wish I had my book credit back!

The main character is positively drowning in ennui. There isn't much I dislike more than a person with position, privelege, and love who is too self-absorbed to embrace their fortune and live beautifully. Listen to the audio clip, read an excerpt on amazon.com before you use your credit on this narcissistic tale.