The Calamity Club
Fiction
Spiegel & Grau
May 5, 2026
Hardcover/Audio
656
Purchased/Libby
In 1933 Oxford, Mississippi, Prohibition is on the wane, and the Great Depression is tightening its grip. Poor and rich folks alike have fallen on hard times, even as the old social order remains. For women on the margins, the options are few and the price of dignity and self-determination is unbearably high.
Eleven-year-old Meg, one of the unadoptable “big girls” at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, fights each day to keep her spirit unbowed. Birdie, unmarried and outspoken, has come to Oxford on a mission to ask her social-climbing sister to help the struggling family she’s left behind. And Charlie is a woman with a past, running low on luck but driven by fire, fury, and grit. When their fates converge, they come up with an audacious plan to take back control of their lives. Together, they form an unlikely sisterhood—but in a place and time where hypocrisy is rife, women’s freedom is fragile, and making an enemy can have dire consequences, will the price they pay for their outrageous risk-taking be too high?
My review:
I had been waiting so long (17 years to be exact) since reading The Help, for another book by this author. I was rewarded over a year ago when I stumbled upon a listing, without even a cover, announcing publication in May of 2026. This is that book, and it did not disappoint. Not going to lie, I was a bit nervous over its length (29 hours on audio!), but I honestly don't feel that any part of this should have been cut out. These characters were so well crafted that you felt you could be in the room with them. Meg was just such a sassy little girl, but her ability to always persevere was the major theme of each of the women in this story. Each of them had to overcome great obstacles, and we follow them as they do just that. While Meg was clearly my favorite character (I wish that I had kept track of all her witty statements), I was clearly invested in them all. There were so many instances where I was giggling with laughter, but then just as many where I was saddened by the plight of the women (you are granted full access to just how bad women were treated back then). The writing was immersive and lovely, and there are many themes explored within the many pages, many of them I won't mention because of spoilers.
Don't be daunted by its length, this book will give you all the emotional feels. With an unforgettable cast, it will make a lasting impression, and leave you thinking about these characters long after closing the cover. It would make an incredible book club discussion if your club doesn't shy away from long books.