When I picked up this book, never once did I think I would be reading about a female-run brothel in the 1930s.
Kathryn Stockett is the best-selling author of The Help, which is one of my favorite movies of all time; however, I had never read the book. My boss recommended I read The Calamity Club because of how much I enjoyed The Help movie, and her guidance was not wrong. This book kept me on my toes, made me laugh and had a nice ending.
The Calamity Club is set in the 1930s and follows the stories of women struggling through the Great Depression and taking matters into their own hands after being failed time and time again by the men around them. The main characters are Meg LeFleur and Birdie Calhoun. Meg is an adolescent girl who lives in a home for girls, governed by a mean and vindictive director who hates Meg. She is eventually adopted by a wealthy family; however, this is not exactly the life she had envisioned. Meg’s mom had left her when she was younger, but Meg knew that her mom did not do this on purpose and would come back for her.
Birdie Calhoun is a young woman who leaves her mom and grandma behind to go see her sister, who married a wealthy banker but has not been answering their letters or calls. When she gets to her sister’s home, she begins helping at the home for girls where Meg lives. Throughout this time, Birdie’s brother-in-law runs off with all of their money and possessions, leaving Birdie, her sister and her sister’s mother-in-law to navigate the repercussions of his bad behavior. As paths cross and stories begin to come together, all the women realize they must start working hard to survive in the 1930s.
Birdie, along with Meg’s mother and other women, open a brothel under the guise of a dance club to make money. As the book progresses, we learn the hardships each of these women has faced. Meg’s mother is fighting to get her daughter back, Birdie wants to help her family, and the other women are trying to better their situations.
In my attempt to not spoil the ending, I will simply say that it did end on a good note. The ending was very feel-good while empowering me as a woman.
I think this book is a good representation of women finding themselves in a world that has continued to knock them down. Every single woman in this book shares a story of difficulties they have faced in their lives, often as the result of someone else pushing them down. This is something I believe many women can relate to. This book was not written as a diatribe against men and their actions, but the women are constantly picking up the pieces of men’s mistakes. This is a feeling many women share; however, this book does not end with the women shrinking due to the men. It shows the strength of women who had no other option but to work hard and outsmart men. I learned a lot of lessons through this book.
If you’re looking for a female-centered book that will make you laugh, cry and everything in between, The Calamity Club is certainly one to add to your reading list.