★★★★★ 5
Stunning Storytelling
Format: Kindle
Excellent. I read The Help on a whim all those years ago and was spellbound by the author's ability to weave a complex story across multiple narrators. When I'd heard that her second novel was coming out, I added it to my library wishlist as fast as I could. Then, the second I got word it was available, I couldn't help but immediately dive in... and, because her first novel made such an impression upon me, I had so much trust in the author's ability to deliver a story that I hadn't even bothered to read the blurb.
Going in blind into the Calamity Club was a discovery! I was charmed, entertained, amused, and once again, spellbound by Stockett's ability to shift between narrators. One, a somewhat sheltered but very bright and kindhearted woman Birdie. And the other, a charming and very intelligent 11-year-old seemingly orphaned girl, Meg. But beyond this, her ability to weave together a story featuring the fringes of society, giving people -- women, of various walks of life -- a voice in an era where women might have the vote, but are still subjected to a variety of society norms, laws, and double standards, is still very compelling.
I adored Meg, and I was so invested in seeing how things would turn out for her. And the strong female cast that Stockett features here only adds to the story's strengths.
Having read a few comments here on length, while I agree the story is a little long and the try-fail cycle of getting the underground business off the ground may feel pointless for some, it didn't bother me and only served to showcase the strength of the women. There were so many characters in this book that one could examine closer, from the aching pain of Rory's story to the quiet pain of the accidental loss of someone struggling with emotional struggles and alcoholism to the desperation of destitution, and the lengths one might go just to survive. There's so much within these pages to mine and consider, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
My only critique is that I felt it ended so abruptly! I wanted just one further chapter, a glimpse of Meg's future...
Still: an excellent read, and the Acknowledgements/Author's Note on the research involved in this one was one that made me think about how far we've come... and the direction of where we might go in the future.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2026
