This sweeping historical novel, set in 1930s Mississippi during the Great Depression and Prohibition, has the perfect title…what a calamity of circumstances for each of the female characters! You’ll be immersed in the plot of this both humorous and heartbreaking novel while also etching each of these women on your heart. It turns out that hard times can push ordinary people to take outrageous risks and I loved seeing how these women used all of the resources available to them, including their intelligence, wit, and hard work, to change their fate. I will be thinking about this book and these characters for a long time!
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, (List Price: $35, Spiegel & Grau, 9781954118812, May 2026)
Reviewed by Kandi, Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, Arkansas, MS