The Calamity ClubThe Calamity Club
What it's about
Abandoned by her mother one Christmas Eve, eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned to rely on no one at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum in Oxford, Mississippi. Birdie Calhoun, unmarried and outspoken, comes to town to ask her socialite sister for help and finds her charmed life is built on lies. When Birdie meets Charlie, a woman down on her luck, their fates, and Meg's, become entwined as the Depression deepens.
Why it's worth reading
It has spent 23 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists in 2026. It's Kathryn Stockett's first novel since The Help, a big, warm story of women helping each other survive.
You'll love it if you liked
The Help
Where the Crawdads Sing
The WomenGood to know
It's long and leisurely, with several narrators. It's set in the 1930s South.
By the numbers
- Readers66 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller48 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz54 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #61 of the 116 historical novels we rank
- #149 of the 481 new books we rank
- #857 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Kathryn Stockett
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The Frozen RiverExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is The Calamity Club worth reading?
Yes. It has spent 23 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists in 2026. It ranks #857 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 74.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Calamity Club about?
Abandoned by her mother one Christmas Eve, eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned to rely on no one at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum in Oxford, Mississippi. Birdie Calhoun, unmarried and outspoken, comes to town to ask her socialite sister for help and finds her charmed life is built on lies. When Birdie meets Charlie, a woman down on her luck, their fates, and Meg's, become entwined as the Depression deepens.
How long does it take to read The Calamity Club?
About 16 hours (656 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Calamity Club?
If you liked it, try The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens or The Women by Kristin Hannah.