The Calamity Club
The Calamity Club ~ Katheryn Stockett
Birdie Calhoun is visiting her sister, Frances, in Oxford, Mississippi, hoping to borrow money from her sister’s new husband to save the family farm. It’s 1933 and things have not gone well, and she needs money to pay the property taxes. Frances has married into a wealthy family and is a social climber. She volunteers at the local orphanage, where she tries to ingratiate herself with the chairwoman, Garnett Pittman, who runs the place with a cruel, uncaring hand.
Meg Lefleur is one of the girls at the orphanage. Her mom left one day to go to the store and never came home. Garnett keeps Meg separate from the other girls, putting her in a small, smelly office with nothing to do all day but count pennies. She is miserable, smart, and hilarious.
When Frances comes to the orphanage to help with the books (she works as an accountant back home), she meets and befriends Meg, and gives her a bit of hope and perhaps a way out.
The Calamity Club alternates between their stories, and brings in a host of other characters as well. As per usual I will keep my review short so I don’t give away too many details. I liked this book, didn’t love it. The print version is over 650 pages, the audio version is almost 30 hours. That is a huge commitment. I think it would have been better if it had lost at least 150 pages, maybe more. Otherwise, it was good and despite it dragging a few times, I was kept interested and involved, and I wanted to see how things were going to end up, and I almost cried at one sad scene (I don’t generally cry at books). Recommended.
16 Comments
NGS
Didn’t Stockett get lots of Flak for that other book? The Help? Do I not remember this literary controversy correctly? Have we forgiven her for that? Do I need to know any of this? No, because none of anything about this author appeals to me, but I love a literary brouhaha.
J
Yes, there was a LOT of flak over The Help and the white savior trope and stereotypes of maids. I think Stockett tried very hard to avoid repeating her mistakes. There are definitely some class based tropes and stereotypes in this book too, and I found myself annoyed a few times. But I still enjoyed the book, I think she writes compelling characters that you want to root for.
Margaret
We’ve chosen this one for Book Club so I’ll definitely read it. A fellow Book Clubber already has and says she loved it but that it was 100 pages too long. I always wonder which pages I would take out of a book. For example, I thought “The Goldfinch” was 100 pages too long and I would have taken most of them out of the Las Vegas section. (if you read that one, you’ll understand)
J
Yeah, I felt like most sections in this book could have been tightened up, it wasn’t just one section for me. I hope you and your book club enjoy it!
Michelle G.
I loved the audiobook of The Help so much, but it was only 18 hours. (Ha! Only!) 30 hours really is a huge commitment! If you almost cried, which is rare for you, I know it’ll be way too sad for me!
J
It was just one scene that made me almost cry, but it was a doozy. Oddly, it was about suicide, and it made me think of my dog, who did NOT commit suicide. Brains are weird.
Nicole MacPherson
I didn’t love The Help, and 650 pages seems like…a bit much, honestly. WHERE ARE THE EDITORS?
J
Not here, clearly. They were on vacation maybe. LAZY EDITORS.
Suzanne
I read The Help for a book club years ago, and while I found it very readable, it made me deeply uncomfortable. This one sounds like a book I can safely skip.
J
I will admit that I was clueless and The Help didn’t make me uncomfortable. I cheered on all of the characters and didn’t pay attention to the stereotypes. I need to be a more careful reader I think.
Jenny
I’ve heard of this book but didn’t realize it’s the same author who wrote The Help. I actually really liked that book, and didn’t hear about all the controversy until after I read it. This one sounds good- but that IS long. I’m not sure if I’m willing to make that kind of commitment- I have a lot of other books to read right now.
J
Jenny, I really enjoyed The Help too, and yes, this one is LONG.
PocoBrat
Interested in this, but won’t buy it and am going to wait until my library hold comes in…
(Yup, still holding on to my _The Help_ grudge.)
J
That’s fair, I wouldn’t buy it either. But I believe in learning from one’s mistakes. Did she learn? Mostly. There are some stereotypes here too.
Stephany
I am interested in reading this because I *did* enjoy The Help, even though I later realized how controversial it was. But 650 pages nooooooo. A 30-hour audiobook? Hell no.
J
Not just No, but Hell No. HA! Yeah, it was really long.