Kathryn Stockett, the acclaimed author of The Help, published her long-awaited second book, The Calamity Club, and we are here to gulp up everything.
It has been 17 years since The Help turned into a huge success, selling around 15 million copies, which also resulted in a film adaptation with a star-studded cast. While the book generated a lot of buzz, it also encountered a lot of criticism.
However, Stockett’s second book, The Calamity Club, is definitely worth the wait, and in reality, I think that this book is even better than The Help. The entire story is 656 pages, and I do feel that the start can be paced faster, but once the novel starts going, you will be sucked into the story and will not want it to end. And, personally, I have never felt this way about a novel that is almost 700 pages long.
The sense of space is so vivid and absorbing in The Calamity Club, and I felt like I was transported back in time to 1933 Mississippi, which was by no means an easy time. The Great Depression worked as a great backdrop for the novel, and the impacts were felt everywhere. No one is safe from the heartbreak.
The characters created by Kathryn are so real and wonderfully created that, even if it has an ensemble cast, you get to know each and every one on a personal level. Their journey is not only remarkable but also surprising to the readers, and a highlight of the novel is that you will also find plenty of humour in it.
This is a book where you do not want the spoilers ahead of time, and I promise that The Calamity Club book review will be spoiler-free, but I will tell you why this is an amazing book club pick. If your club enjoyed Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s historical novel about NASA in the 1980s, this one deserves the next slot.
Understanding what the story is about
We read The Calamity Club from the perspectives of two very different people: an 11-year-old girl living at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum – Meg. Although she was abandoned by her mother, all Meg remembers is the love and affection that she has, and she secretly hopes that one day her mother will be back for her.
On the other hand, we have Birdie, who comes to Oxford to meet her sister and ask her for money to help their financially struggling family back home. It appears her sister married a rich man and now lives a charming life, but we come to know that looks can definitely be deceiving.
Eventually, Birdie and Meg will cross paths and come across each other in the book and will leave a lasting impression on each other. Birdie will also come across Charlie, who is desperate for a change in life, and this interaction will impact all of their lives significantly.
A novel with a slow start
It is essential that I mention that The Calamity Club book review does have a little bit of a slow start. However, this is a book that you should start with as little prior knowledge as possible, because the book has the capability to take you in different kinds of directions. It is not a mystery novel, but it kept me guessing the way the best mystery books do, and I have not been surprised by a book as much as The Calamity Club in a long time, so I recommend not reading spoilers ahead of time.
It can take a little bit more time to get into the book, as the engaging aspects and sections of the novel do take time to come. However, I was immediately captured by the characters of Meg and Birdie, and I was constantly thinking about when the action would pick up.
But once you get Charlie in the mix, the story moves forward at full throttle.
The length of The Calamity Club book can be a deciding factor for some readers, and even I think that the initial portion of the book could have been shortened a bit, and the story would have remained the same. But I am here to tell you that if you are starting The Calamity Club, do give the book at least 100 pages, as I would hate for readers to miss out on such a wonderful journey that does take a little bit of time. Readers who loved the slow, small-town pace of the Theo of Golden book will settle into this one quickly.
An ensemble cast of interesting characters
The Calamity Club reviews can never be complete without a list of remarkable characters that this book has. We start the book with Birdie and Meg. Meg has been through so much in her life, but she still has spirit and dreams of a better life for herself.
Birdie is a character who is one of a kind; she is honest, and she does not back down from anything. I especially loved how strong and loyal she was. Even though her sister Frances is completely selfish and spoiled, Birdie is someone who is always there for her.
Then, we have Frances’ mother-in-law, Mrs. Tartt, who I thought would be someone different, and I was right, as she is full of surprises. She is well-off and has never struggled, but her character will definitely surprise you.
The book does have a lot of other characters, and you can be sure to enjoy everyone’s stories, as they all have different personalities and traits.
Is The Calamity Club worth it?
Now that you know what is The Calamity Club about, the main question is whether the book is worth your time or not, and I am pretty clear that you should give this book a little bit of your time. Even if the book is long, I highly recommend adding it to your list of must-read books of all time, as the journey is definitely worth it.
If you are someone who cannot start a book that is almost 700 pages, you can also opt for The Calamity Club audiobook, as that is also an interesting option with amazing narrators. The novel is definitely engaging with lots of twists, but most importantly, it has character and heart.
