The Calamity Club: A Novel

By Kathryn Stockett

"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.

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Published May 5, 2026

Average rating: 8.83

2,186 RATINGS

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West Valley Women's Book Club

Reading together since 2009

Sit Down & Speak Up Book Club

The Sit Down & Speak Up Book Club meets in person in Eugene, Oregon. We’re progressive readers. Open-minded, kind humans ages 18+ are welcome.

Books&Booze

This group is for a virtual book club. It will be a space to connect and develop relationships with people of color who love a good book paired with a glass of wine, cocktail, or even a mocktail! We will meet once a month, more than likely on a Sunday. Participants will have an option to choose the book and drink of the month. Looking forward to the new literature and great conversation!

Blessed & Bookish - Dallas

An open genre bookclub for Christian / like minded women in Dallas, TX

Community Reviews

Kathyshields
6/10 stars
Contains a multitude of stories and colorful characters all competing to tell their own stories. Should’ve been three sister books or a proposal for a mini series.
PawshGardener 🐾🌿
9/10 stars
Y'all, this book! At some point it had me crackin' up, yelling at the characters, gasping in shock, tearing up, and wanting to throat punch someone - sometimes all within in the same chapter! 😅 Fabulous read
Annie.S
10/10 stars
I loved this book, the characters, the setting, everything!
Gradma6
9/10 stars
Our club loved the book! Stockett did a great job of bringing the characters to life and causing us to root for them even when they made decisions that we normally might judge as wrong.
Mrs Mayo
9/10 stars
I loved this story of surviving the troubles of the world in the 1930s. This book is filled with characters standing strong to support others even when it challenged them to reevaluate their own priorities and moral compass. Intertwined monnetary and moral delimmas fill the pages in a way that hold your attention and have you choosing sides and seeking justice and certain outcomes.

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