The Calamity Club
A Novel
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4.6 • 4.3K Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
“So immersive, exciting, and downright fabulous, you never want it to end.”—Oprah Daily
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The multimillion-copy-selling author of The Help returns with a bold, big-hearted novel about a group of unbreakable women, fighting for what’s rightfully theirs—and the power of friendship to change everything.
“Pure, hell-raising entertainment.”—The New York Times Book Review
Oxford, Mississippi, 1933.
Abandoned by her mother one Christmas Eve, eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned the hard way to rely on no one. Now one of the unadoptable "big girls" at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, she fights each day to keep her spirit unbowed.
Birdie Calhoun, unmarried and outspoken, has come to Oxford to ask her socialite sister to help the struggling family she’s left behind. But as the Depression tightens its grip, Birdie discovers her sister’s seemingly charmed life is a tapestry of lies.
Then, Birdie encounters Charlie, a woman running low on luck with little left to lose. When their fates—and Meg’s—converge, Charlie comes up with an audacious plan for them to take control of their lives. But in a place and time where hypocrisy is rife and women’s freedom is fragile, even the smallest act of defiance can have dangerous consequences.
The Calamity Club will make you laugh, cry, and cheer—an epic testament to underestimated women who know that calamity can be the spark of new beginnings. This is Kathryn Stockett at her most confident, heartfelt, and hilarious—the triumphant return of one of the most beloved storytellers of our time.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This sweeping novel from Kathryn Stockett reflects all the bravery, ingenuity, and undeniable good that women are capable of, even under the hardest circumstances. The Great Depression is raging as 24-year-old “spinster” Birdie arrives in Oxford, Mississippi, to ask her well-married sister Frances for help with the family farm. Birdie accompanies Frances to the orphanage where she volunteers, where she meets 11-year-old Meg, whose indomitable spirit is being tested by terrible abuse. As the two of them bond, a sprawling story unfolds, brimming with unforgettable characters who end up as part of the pair’s clever, inspiring, and unapologetically shocking plan to improve their lives on their own terms. Dealing with dark realities through an optimistic and often humorous lens, Stockett has crafted a feel-good Southern epic that reads like William Faulkner crossed with Fannie Flagg. The Calamity Club is her first novel since 2009’s The Help, and this expansive, heartfelt tale is well worth the wait.
Customer Reviews
Sisterhood at her best
Beyond well-written…this story captured and enlightened me. Heartbreaking yet heartwarming, tragic yet funny…the characters now live within me as unexpected friends I’d help in a heartbeat. I will recommend this book to everyone! 💛
A story about grit and survival
I was hooked from the first chapter, literally could not put the book down. The fierce determination of all of the women drew me in, and the character development made me feel like I knew Meg and Birdie personally. I am sad that I am finished, I wish I could read it for the first time again!
Heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time
Great book! I loved the characters and their relationships. They seemed real and true. Loved the ending.