Bookseller Reviews
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What a Triumph!
Well we have had to wait a while for Kathryn Stockett’s second book, but gosh was it worth it! Epic in scale (at over 600 pages) and emotion, and all set a... READ MORE
Brilliant historical fiction.
Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah, this novel reclaims women’s history from the heart of the Mississippi.
Synopsis
“You give a girl a taste of fresh air and then you take it away—she’ll grow fierce and wild to get it back.”
Oxford, Mississippi, 1933.
Eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned the hard way to rely on no one.
Ever since her beloved mother failed to come home last Christmas Eve, she’s been one of the “unadoptable” big girls at the town’s orphanage where she fights each day to keep her wits sharp and her spirit unbowed.
When she meets Birdie, a young woman set on confronting the socialite sister who believes she’s left her impoverished family behind, for the first time in a long while it seems someone else might care about Meg’s future.
But as the Depression tightens its grip, Birdie discovers her sister’s charmed life is balanced precariously upon a tapestry of lies. Then, Birdie encounters Charlie, a woman haunted by loss who has been pushed to the brink with nothing left to lose.
Drawn together by circumstance, they find unexpected kinship among a disreputable, determined band of women. But in a town steeped in hypocrisy, even the smallest act of defiance can have dangerous consequences…
Bold, heartwarming, and riotously funny, The Calamity Club is an unforgettable story of resilience and friendship, and a sisterhood of underestimated women who risk everything to take back control of their fates.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- ISBN: 9780241796900
- Number of pages: 656
- Dimensions: 243 x 165 x 43 mm
- Weight: 858g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allIt was worth waiting for….. .
I absolutely fell in love with every character in this book. It is set in Oxford Mississippi, in 1933, at the height of the Great Depression. Stockett is s... READ MORE
A Must Read If You Love Historical Fiction
Set in 1930s Mississippi, this is an amazing story of a woman and an orphan girl who connect.
Birdie is often overlooked, the spinster sister from the b... READ MORE
A Compelling, Immersive Read. Loved it!
I loved this novel by Kathryn Stockett and was keen to read The Calamity Club after enjoying her previous book, The Help. The Calamity Club is a compellin... READ MORE
if you do one thing this year then read this
The Calamity Club is classic Kathryn Stockett immersive, character driven, and emotionally resonant. Fans of The Help will instantly recognise her signatur... READ MORE
Trouble down south
This was a whopper of a novel not only in the number of pages but also its contents. Set in 1933 Mississippi it centred around Birdie, a young woman workin... READ MORE
Wish I could give more than 5 stars
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett is a stunning, high-stakes triumph that proves why she is one of our generation's most beloved storytellers. Set in t... READ MORE
A compulsive read!
I was completely addicted to this novel, whilst reading. And for a fairly large book, weighing in at over 600 pages, it is an achievement to engage my flig... READ MORE
A wonderful read
It’s 1933 and the middle of depression. Birdie’s family have sent her to visit her recently married sister, Frances, in Oxford Mississippi to ask if she ca... READ MORE
Beautifully written
Well if this isn't a beautiful read!
I'm absolutely speechless and still trying to digest this book. I loved The Help so I knew I'd enjoy The Calamity C... READ MORE
Engaging from the first page to the last
I sometimes feel daunted by such a long book, but this novel held my attention from the first page to the last. Despite being full of hardship in the 1930s... READ MORE
Raw, sad, funny & honest
This is my book of 2026, unbeatable and just wonderful. It’s raw, sad, honest, funny and has a depth unequaled in any other book I’ve read recently. The ch... READ MORE
A great second novel!
Having really enjoyed reading “The Help”, I was dying to read another novel by Kathryn Stockett and I wasn’t disappointed. “The Calamity Club” is a long bo... READ MORE
An absorbing work of historical fiction
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett is an absorbing work of historical fiction that fully pulls you into 1930s Mississippi, a world shaped by the Great D... READ MORE
A fascinating story- one you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve read it!
This is an INCREDIBLE book. One of those ones that you can't stop thinking about while you're reading it, you stay up way too late reading it, and then eve... READ MORE
Outstandingly good
I loved this book and felt totally immersed in 1930's depression-era Mississippi. The characters are so vivid they leap off the page. The star for me was M... READ MORE
Enjoyable!
My second attempt at reading this book and this time I quite enjoyed it. Not as good as The Help but still enjoyable. I found it slow at times and couldn’t... READ MORE
Compelling read with loveable characters from the author of ‘The Help’
Firstly, I think this book absolutely has the potential to be 5 stars, with a bit of refinement and shortening during the final edits before publication, i... READ MORE
Life affirming
It is 1933. Meg's Mum did not come home one day and she ended up at 'The Orphan': a home for orphan girls. Birdie travels by train to visit her married sis... READ MORE
Brilliant!
After reading The Help, I was very excited to read this. The Calamity Club is a LOOOONG book for anyone who finds anything over 300 pages a lot to read. At... READ MORE
Well worth the wait - hugely entertaining
Kathryn Stockett’s hugely successful first novel, The Help, was published more than 15 years ago so it’s been a long wait for her second, but it certainly ... READ MORE
Characters to fall in love with
Kathryn Stockett takes her time writing novels and it shows when you read them. These are deeply thought through, fully rounded and well realised character... READ MORE
A good read.
Set in Mississippi in the 1930's this is a nice tale about the power of friendship. It has interesting characters, Meg being one, it flows well and is a ge... READ MORE
100% recommendation.
1933 Mississippi and the country is in full grip of the Great Depression.
Birdie Calhoun’s family are, like many others, having a tough time making ends... READ MORE
Absolutely wonderful
This book is wonderful. Set in the depression, it tells the story of how far women would go to survive. It is a lengthy book, taking time to build up the... READ MORE
Brilliant!
After reading The Help and enjoyed it , I couldn’t wait for the next book . It delivered and is even better . A treasure full of interesting characters a w... READ MORE
Verified Purchase
An absolutely brilliant book
This was brilliant. The plot, the characters, the writing. I couldn’t put it down. I was sceptical about the dual perspective at first, and thought the sto... READ MORE
A great story, optimistic but not mawkish!
This is a long, and wide-ranging, novel featuring Birdie Calhoun, a 24 year old sister living with her mother in relative poverty in the middle of the Grea... READ MORE
A fine book. I enjoyed it. As will anyone who enjoyed the author’s previous book, ’The Help’.
Over fifteen years ago, the author published her first book, ‘The Help’. A wonderful book (and later movie) based in the US South during the early 1960s. H... READ MORE
Fantastic historical fiction set during the Great Depression
Set in 1930s Mississippi during the Great Depression this is an emotional family drama, well three families to be more accurate. It’s a chunky read at over... READ MORE
The Calamity Club.
Set in Mississippi in the 1930’s we meet an eleven year old girl who has been left at an orphanage and she is waiting for her mother to come back and colle... READ MORE
Captivating read
The Calamity Club is a compelling read in the much anticipated novel by Kathryn Stockett.
The book takes place in the Mississpi in the 1930's during the... READ MORE
I fell into the world and wanted to stay there.
My favourite book of the year so far. I've left this review till the day after reading it, in the hope I won't just gush nonsense at you. But, I think that... READ MORE
Southern historical fiction at its best
Birdie lives with her Mama and Meemaw in Mississippi in the height of the Depression in 1933. Her father died of a heart attack and her sister ran off to m... READ MORE
Excellent
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
You read a book that stays in you for years , The Help was one such book and I've often looked to see if there are... READ MORE
Great story with every emotion know to man
I enjoyed this book although I found it slow going. I think because it has a lot of “local dialect” in it, I was reading some sentences two or three times ... READ MORE
A fantastic read
WOW, what a corker of a book. Thoroughly enjoyed this very lengthy novel. The writing flowed so well, a completely believable story with some fantastic cha... READ MORE
Another belting novel from Kathryn Stockett
Another belting novel by the author of The Help.
The Calamity Club follows the fortunes of Meg and Birdie as they struggle to survive during America's G... READ MORE
Another fabulous read
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett was an enjoyable read. The story pulled me in quickly, largely because of the well written characters who felt authen... READ MORE
Five stars!
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett follows Meg, an orphaned girl, and Birdie, a fiercely independent young woman, as their lives intersect in Depression... READ MORE
A wonderful book to lose yourself in
Kathryn Stockett has done it again. The Help was a wonderful book and The Calamity Club is just as good if not better. Set in the 1930s depression in Missi... READ MORE
Enjoyable, but lacks pace
'The Calamity Club' by Kathryn Stockett is set in Mississippi in 1933 during the Great Depression. Birdie Calhoun is sent to her sister Frances's in Oxford... READ MORE
Outstanding
I thoroughly enjoyed The Calamity Club a historical fiction novel by Kathryn Stockett. This is Kathryn's second novel after The Help, also set in Mississi... READ MORE
Historical fiction set in the great depression
3.5⭐️
Historical fiction set in the depression. It’s a long sprawling book!
The book starts at an orphanage in Mississippi in 1933
One storyteller... READ MORE
Historical fiction at its best.
Set in 1930's post depression Oxford, Mississippi 'The Calamity Club' is historical fiction at its best. Centring around the perspectives of Birdie and 11 ... READ MORE
Gripping characters
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but requested it as I remember enjoying The Help when it came out. At first I was slightly concerned by how lon... READ MORE
A rip-roading ride of a novel from the author of The Help!
I first read The Help on a sun lounger aged 14, so when I had the chance to discover this new novel from Kathryn Stockett, her first in many years, I jumpe... READ MORE
Worth the wait
I loved this! What a return from the author of The Help. Note: This review includes plot spoilers.
The Calamity Club is about the 1930s depression and t... READ MORE
The power of female friendship in 1930s Mississippi
Birdie Calhoun is in desperate need of money to save her family home. Hoping that the wealthy family her sister has married into will help, she travels to ... READ MORE
A well written gripping novel that immersed me completely
This was such a gripping and well-written book. Set in Mississippi in the 1930s during the Great Depression the two voices in the book are those of Meg and... READ MORE
Compelling
Oh my word, I can't believe I'm saying it but The Calamity Club is even better than The Help! This is one of the best books I've ever read. It draws you ri... READ MORE
Life affirming
It is 1933. Meg's Mum did not come home one day and she ended up at 'The Orphan': a home for orphan girls. Birdie travels by train to visit her married sis... READ MORE
Birdie saves the Day! A good read!
This is a long, and wide-ranging, novel featuring Birdie Calhoun, a 24 year old sister living with her mother in relative poverty in the middle of the Grea... READ MORE
Beautiful, fun and full of love.
Set in 1933 Mississippi, we follow Birdie, a woman fallen on hard times who travels to visit her sister, and Meg, a 11 year old orphan going through a roug... READ MORE
Fantastically written!
After reading The Help, I was very excited to read this. The Calamity Club is a LOOOONG book for anyone who finds anything over 300 pages a lot to read. At... READ MORE
Just Wonderful
The Help is one of my favourite books, so I was very excited to read Kathryn Stockett’s long awaited 2nd book.
Set in Oxford, Mississippi, 1933, the book ... READ MORE
A lengthy read
A lengthy read at over 600 pages. Set in the Deep South , Mississippi during the Depression. It brings together a diverse group of women with one common ai... READ MORE
Another brilliant story from the author of The Help
This story takes us back to the 1930s depression and the American south, where Birdie needs money to pay taxes to save her family home. She turns to her ri... READ MORE
17 years wait ...
This was one of my highly anticipated books of the year and, like many other ARC readers, I was delighted to be approved. Dear Reader, I am a little underw... READ MORE
Emotional and Humorous
It is many years since I read Kathryn Stockett's now classic novel 'The Help'. It was a 5* read and still an all-time favourite. So I was excited to have t... READ MORE
Simply wonderful
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for this ARC.
“You give a girl a taste of fresh air and then you take it away—she’ll grow fierce and wild ... READ MORE
Kathryn Stockett knows how to tell a story!
Kathryn Stockett knows how to tell a story. I loved The Help and The Calamity Club is equally as good.
This is a long book, the pace ebbs and flows. The ... READ MORE
A Slow Burn That Won Me Over
This was not love at first page for me. In fact, I nearly gave up on this book. At the beginning, I struggled to connect with the characters and the world ... READ MORE
Brilliant, just brilliant
If I had to pick a single favourite book I've read this year — and one of my favourite books in a very long time — The Calamity Club would be right up ther... READ MORE
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