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The Calamity Club: A Novel
20th Century, Genre Fiction, Historical
When three women with little left to lose decide to take control of their own lives, everything changes. Set during the Great Depression, The Calamity Club follows eleven-year-old Meg, an abandoned girl determined to survive, Birdie, an outspoken woman confronting the lies behind her sister’s privileged life, and Charlie, a woman with nothing to spare but plenty of nerve. As their lives collide, an audacious plan takes shape—one that could offer them a new beginning, but at a dangerous cost. A heartfelt story of friendship, resilience, and defiance.
- Release Date
- 2026
- Length
- 656 pages
- Publisher
- Spiegel & Grau
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Our Review
About the book
In Oxford, Mississippi, in 1933, eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur lives in a girls’ orphanage after her mother abandoned her. Meanwhile, Birdie Calhoun arrives in town hoping her wealthy sister will help save their family home, only to find a life built on secrets. Their paths cross with a group of unconventional women who defy the town’s rules during the Great Depression.
Our review
Kathryn Stockett’s long-awaited return to Mississippi trades the 1960s for the Depression, with another band of women refusing to stay in line.
Seventeen years after The Help, Stockett again builds a novel from alternating voices, and Meg’s narration is the standout: funny, observant and heartbreaking in the way of a child who sees more than adults realize. The Depression-era setting is richly textured, from the orphanage’s routines to the brittle social hierarchy of Oxford, and the friendships among the women give the story its warmth and its sense of defiance.
At more than 600 pages, the novel is long, and while it moves faster than its size suggests, some subplots could have been trimmed. Readers will also inevitably compare it with The Help, and some of the town’s villains are drawn in broad strokes. But Stockett’s gift for voice and her affection for her characters make it a satisfying, absorbing return.
What we loved
- Meg is a wonderful, wry child narrator
- Vivid Depression-era Mississippi atmosphere
- Warm, spirited female friendships
Keep in mind
- Very long, with subplots that could be cut
- Some antagonists feel one-dimensional
Read it if you like
The Help, Where the Crawdads Sing, readers who love Southern historical fiction
The verdict
An absorbing, big-hearted Southern saga that justifies the long wait, even if it could have been shorter.
