Have you ever read a novel where every sentence played like a superbly composed hit song? That’s how I would describe this work of historical fiction, THE CALAMITY CLUB, by Kathryn Stockett.

When I picked up this 634-page hardback which had been selected for my next book club read, I was skeptical. It was heavy, over two pounds of weight in my hand, and quite honestly, gave me the shivers. Yet, to my delight, it turned out to be my number one book pick so far for 2025 and 2026 combined.

Set in Mississippi during the Great Depression, Stockett instantly hooked me with the depth and layered complexity of each character she artfully introduces.

At the opening of the story, we meet 11-year-old Meg LeFleur, an orphan whose struggling single parent mother leaves the house on Christmas Eve to pick up some things in town but never comes back. Devastated, yet tough, abandoned Meg is sent to an orphanage, to the Lafeyette County Orphan Asylum, where authoritarian Garnett Pittman, the equivalent of Cruella DeVille, runs the miserable day-to-day operation.

From the start, Pittman shows an extreme distaste for poor Meg, treating her with targeted disdain and an exaggerated degree of vengeance. Meg barely survives the wrath of her keeper, but because of the grit and inner strength she acquired from the mother who abandoned her, Meg is able to focus on visioning a better future. Later in the book, Pittman’s true motivation for the unusual cruelty she inflicts on 11-year-old Meg is exposed. And what a trail of secrets is revealed by this ingenious author, as we move along in this tale. As they say, the plot thickens!

Next, readers are introduced to 24-year-old Birdie Calhoun, a second female protagonist, who navigates a life where her beautiful sister, Frances Calhoun, always favored from childhood, marries young and rich, and moves to Oxford, Mississippi to live on a grand Southern plantation, complete with a large mansion and successful husband. Yet, as we later learn, Frances has also married foolishly. Birdie remains at home, living with her mother in Footely, a small town in the Mississippi Delta, where she makes a living as a part-time, low-paid bookkeeper. Being the plain, level-headed sister with brains, Birdie has no man in her life, is deemed unable to have children, and is expected to play the role of “rescuer” whenever a family member is in need of help.

When Birdie is called to duty, requested by her mother to make a trip across Mississippi to visit her wealthy sister Frances, and ask for the money to save the family’s house from being repossessed, Birdie is reluctant. But she is also dependable, and a pillar of survival for her fearful mother. And so, Birdie feels obligated to make the trip.

Charlie, the third female lead character enters the mix of THE CALAMITY CLUB. Strong-willed, wild and often fiery, Charlie is mother to 11-year-old Meg. She has many dark secrets and soon becomes a life-changing influence on the much more reserved, conservative Birdie. Charlie’s plan is to pursue getting her daughter back despite Garnett Pittman’s determination to keep Meg at the orphan asylum. Charlie and Birdie unite to pursue this battle.

From here, the plot heats up, with the author literally pulling me, the reader, into the most unexpected scenario I could possibly ever imagine. I won’t say more about this twist in the story as I don’t want to risk spoiling it for any potential reader.

I was mesmerized by Stockett’s casual yet artistic style of story-telling. I felt gifted with the delicious ride down one of the longest slides I think I’ve ever taken in historical fiction. Despite the book’s length at over 600 pages, the clear voices and sheer grit of each of the lead characters make the story flow like a river. Stockett hits us with surprising, often traumatic twists and turns as the story unfolds, and we glide downstream, engaged in the ride. There is not one boring page of print in this book.

Something I noted, which I am not quite sure was intended by the author, was the wisdom exhibited by the two older women in the story, Mrs. Victoria Tartt and Mrs. Isabelle Heidelberg, two of the secondary characters. Both characters are at first depicted as cranky matriarchs but in the end both use their charisma and inventive problem-solving skills to assist the three young female protagonists in working through the worst struggles of their lives. Age and experience matter in this tale!

What also struck me about this book is how people who were upper class before the Great Depression suddenly had the rug pulled out beneath their feet. Yet their perspective and expectations remained as privileged until they truly hit the harsh brick wall of poverty. I appreciated Stockett’s eye-opening portrayal of just how hard all levels of social and economic strata in America were hit from the years 1929-1939. This was an educational experience for me, particularly when reading about the eugenics boards and forced sterilization laws which were followed in several states, consisting of government-sanctioned programs that unequally targeted low-income, uneducated, and institutionalized women. Unfortunately, there are still many close parallels happening in the world today, and some of these in America.

In summary, I relished all 634 beautifully written pages of this novel! I did not want to leave these characters behind at the end. THE CALAMITY CLUB by Kathryn Stockett, come and get it! I highly recommend this book. What we have here is historical fiction at its finest. For me, it’s a 10 out of 10.

Linda S. Gunther is the author of six suspense novels: Her memoir was released in 2024. Her short stories and book reviews appear in a variety of literary journals. Linda’s short plays were performed in New York, Florida and California, and several other states. In September 2026, three of Linda’s other short plays were also produced and staged in Santa Cruz, California. www.lindasgunther.com