May 2026

There are books where the voices ring so true that they stay with you. This is what happened when I read Kathryn Stockett's debut novel, THE HELP. Now, with THE CALAMITY CLUB, I feel the same way about Meg, Birdie and the other women who populate this story.

The setting is Oxford, Mississippi, in the early 1930s. The Depression has brought challenges to people across the country. Birdie has come to town to ask her sister, Frances, who has married well, to give her money so they do not lose their family home in southern Mississippi. But she arrives to find that her sister’s life is not as brilliant as she thought it was. In fact, Frances has troubles of her own and somehow has not accepted her new reality.

The second voice comes from Meg, who was abandoned and is living in an orphanage. She is one of the “big” girls at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum --- the ones who are not as adoptable as the sweet babies. In fact, the director of the orphanage has plans for these girls to work at a canning factory as soon as they turn 12. Meg is smart and sharp, and there is a difference. She knows she has been fed a bad lot in life, but she is plucky and can bring herself joy in the smallest of ways. Readers will be cheering for her right from the start.

Birdie and a woman named Charlie, who we come to connect to Meg, cook up an idea to raise funds and quickly. The scenes that ensue as they put their plan in place are both well-written comedy and drama. They enlist women to help show the power that females can have even in the most challenging of times. One idea after another is built to ensure that their crazy plan will work and with no repercussions. But there are a lot of close calls.

I loved the details where the cost of things comes into the story, which got me thinking of life then and life now. Kathryn tackles many of the inequities that women faced, as well as the laws that put so many at risk.

I flew through the 600+ pages, so do not be intimidated by the size of the book. The storytelling is brisk and memorable.

I truly hope that we do not need to wait 17 more years before we see a new novel from Kathryn! I very much enjoyed interviewing her. You can watch the video here or listen to the podcast here.