If you’ve been thinking about reading The Calamity Club, here’s your sign. Kathryn Stockett’s second novel, released 17 years after The Help, is an intergenerational family saga set in Oxford, Mississippi, during The Great Depression at the very end of Prohibition. In case you’re wondering, not all books set during The Depression are depressing. If you enjoyed The Help, you can expect more of the same sassy Southern flair in this follow-up.
The main character Birdie Calhoun is compelled to travel to Oxford to seek financial help from her well-to-do younger sister Frances and her husband Rory, but when she arrives things aren’t what they seem. They don’t have money either, and things just get worse from there. Due to a sudden change in circumstances, Birdie’s sister and her mother-in-law open a brothel to solve their financial problems. This sudden turn of events introduces a colorful cast of well-developed supporting characters who propel the story along.
Although Stockett proclaimed in her Substack interview with Natasha Poliszczuk that she wrote a “doorstopper,” The Calamity Club is anything but. It’s funny, witty, sad, scandalous and more, with topics ranging from hidden homosexuality and conversion therapy to abandonment, found family and finding true love — all handled with Stockett’s distinctive sense of humor.
There’s a reason why this book has spent nearly three months on the New York Times bestseller list (and counting) and recently claimed the number one spot. Our readers give it 4.75 stars overall. As our Consumer Product Manager, Kate, shared, “I loved it!” We hope you love it too, as well as the food and drink pairing that she helped me select. You may also want to check out our exclusive interview with the author!
The Calamity Club
by Kathryn Stockett
"So immersive, exciting, and downright fabulous, you never want it to end." -- Oprah Daily
"Pure, hell-raising entertainment." -- The New York Times Book Review
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.
Oxford, Mississippi, 1933: Abandoned by her mother one Christmas Eve, 11-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.
Cookbook & Recipe Pairings for The Calamity Club
Cooking in the South after Prohibition and the Great Depression was an art that required a careful hand to stretch ingredients further. Growing and using produce from the garden wasn’t just a Southern tradition; it was a way for families to survive.
Country Ham Biscuits
Made with cured country ham added directly to the dough, this Depression-style biscuit recipe from Edwards Virginia Smokehouse is perfect for getting all the flavor of ham and biscuits without the calories. Birdie and Frances could have made biscuits like these to help the meat stretch further.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup minced country ham
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Sift flour and baking powder.
- Mix in the minced country ham.
- Cut in shortening with a pastry blender.
- Add milk, handling as little as possible.
- Pat out with hands, or roll on a sheet of waxed paper dusted with flour.
- Cut with a biscuit cutter, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes or until browned.
Source: Edwards Virginia Smokehouse
From Seed to Table: A Comprehensive Guide to Gardening, Preserving, and Cooking for Sustainable Living
by Diane Devereaux
Embrace Seasonal Living, Eat Healthier, and Live More Sustainably
You don't need to live off-grid to cultivate food security and embrace seasonal, sustainable living. In From Seed to Table, internationally recognized preservation expert Diane Devereaux equips you with practical tools and timeless techniques to reclaim control over your food supply and reconnect with the land. Learn how to:
- Start and maintain a productive seasonal garden
- Preserve your harvest through canning, dehydrating, freezing, and more
- Master heritage food crafts to reduce reliance on processed goods
- Create delicious, wholesome meals using preserved foods
- Support local farmers and markets for fresher, healthier ingredients
- Build rich, living soil through composting and crop rotation
- Practice companion planting to naturally boost yields
- Cook with the seasons to maximize flavor and nutrition
From Seed to Table is your essential guide to cultivating self-reliance, reducing waste, and building a healthier, more sustainable way of life--one seed at a time.
Drink Pairing for The Calamity Club
Emeril Lagasse’s Bourbon Spiked Sweet Tea
In post-Prohibition Mississippi, things may not have been flowing smoothly, but the alcohol definitely was. While you're reading or discussing the story with your book club, sip on a glass of Bourbon-spiked sweet tea that combines two Southern classics.
Ingredients:
- 3 quarts water
- 8 orange pekoe tea bags
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2-3 cups bourbon, to taste
Directions:
- Bring the water to a boil in a large pot, and remove from the heat.
- Add the tea bags, sugar and orange, lemon and lime juices.
- Allow the tea to steep for 10 minutes, remove the tea bags and cool the tea.
- Stir to be sure that the sugar is dissolved, and place in a large pitcher. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
- Just before serving, add the bourbon to the tea and serve in tall glasses filled with ice.
- Garnish with orange, lemon and/or lime slices.
Source: Emeril Lagasse via Live With Kelly & Mark
Book Club Discussion Questions
With over 600 pages of content, multiple story arcs and such engaging supporting characters, there’s plenty to talk about when it comes to The Calamity Club. Here are a few discussion topics to get you started.
- What are your thoughts about Frances’ husband and that entire "situation"?
- What's the significance of the pillow and Flossie’s quotable line “it warms the heart and cushions the knees?”
- Frances and her mother-in-law are accustomed to having money, which makes it difficult for them to comprehend their situation and adjust to the new reality. Meanwhile, Birdie is used to having nothing. How do their circumstances affect their perspectives and actions in the book?
- Rory Tartt and his mom have a close relationship. How do love and compassion play a role in how she responds to his actions?
- Birdie and the orphan Meg had both had hard lives. How does resilience affect their bond?
Related Reads
Whether you enjoy historic fiction or are a fan of Kathryn Stockett’s soulful writing and colorful characters, here are a few related books to read once you finish The Calamity Club.
1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
2. The Moonshine War by Elmore Leonard
3. The Prohibited by Matt Goldman
4. Madam Belle: Sex, Money, and Influence in a Southern Brothel by Maryjean Wall
5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker