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?

The Calamity Club will make you laugh, cry, and cheer—an epic testament to resilience, friendship, and the fierce, funny 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.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I can honestly say it delivered exactly what I was hoping for. The book clocks in at over 600 pages and took me almost four days to get through, but not once did it drag or lose my attention.

Set in 1933 Oxford, Mississippi, the story lands right as Prohibition is winding down and the Great Depression is squeezing everyone’s pocketbook. Eleven year old Meg is one of the older, harder to place girls at the local orphan asylum, fighting to keep her spirit intact despite the odds stacked against her. Birdie arrives in Oxford unmarried and outspoken, hoping to convince her social climbing sister to help the struggling family she left behind. And Charlie is a woman carrying a rough past, determined to right past wrongs and get her life on track. When Charlie and Birdie’s paths cross, they hatch a bold plan to take back control of their own lives, forming an unlikely bond in a time and place where women had almost no room to maneuver and stepping out of line could cost them everything.

I absolutely loved these characters. Choosing Birdie and Meg as the two narrators for the main story was a smart call on Stockett’s part. I related to Birdie a lot, and Meg was an absolute delight from start to finish. I have a real soft spot for precocious kid characters when they’re written well, and Meg’s voice felt completely authentic the whole way through, never veering into that overly cute or unrealistic territory that so many child characters fall into. Stockett has a gift for creating characters that stick with you long after you close the book, and this one is no exception. There’s a whole cast here that feels fully alive, not just the three main women but the people orbiting around them too.

What really elevated this book for me was the historical backdrop. Watching these women claw their way toward some measure of control and dignity, in a time when the laws and the social order were both actively working against them, gave the book an extra heft as far as weight and characterization goes. It’s a genuine look at what it took for women on the margins to survive and push back during a period that offered them almost nothing.

Pacing wise, for a book this long, it moves remarkably well. Stockett balances humor and heartache throughout, and the story never sits still long enough to feel bloated, even across 600 plus pages. Every character gets room to breathe without the plot losing momentum.

This is exactly the kind of historical fiction I love. I was touched deeply and found myself laughing out loud one page and then being gut punched a few later. If you’re looking for a big, immersive historical read with unforgettable characters and a story full of heart and humor, this absolutely belongs on your list.