The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

Hi everyone! *Sassy wavy paws

Welcome to another Meet Me at the Bookshelf Book Review.

Today we have The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett; the same author as The Help, which is a famous book and movie.

This book is excellent historical fiction and revolves around orphan homes in 1930s Oxford, Mississippi. Meg LeFleur, eleven, recounts this story: Her mother left her at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum on Christmas Eve.

The companion story centers on the unmarried Birdie Calhoun. Her mom sent her to ask her socialite, younger, married sister for money to save the family home and acres.

Birdie learns her sister’s life is a lie but she, by chance, meets Charlie, a woman who has nothing to lose, and when they encounter Meg, this unlikely Calamity Club forms a daring and dangerous plan to squeeze out a happily ever-after for the women.As one of the unadoptable older girls, Meg works in the Orphan asylum office, and daily tries to get her hands on the mail, hoping it will contain either word from her mom that she is coming back to retrieve Meg, or mail from orphan friends sent out to work at age 13. She dreams that she will have a happy life.

One day chaos erupts. Never letting a calamity go to waste, the orphan toddlers get out of their room and are running loose so Meg sets her eyes on the asylum mail bag. She finds both a letter addressed to a fellow orphan, Dorella, who torments her, and a brand-new Life magazine in the mail drop. She steals them.Dorella reads her letter aloud to the other orphans. Her mother says she is sorry she had to leave her and will make it up to her one day, and her siblings are fine.

Inspiration for the girls! Sassy appaws.

Meg devours the Life magazine. Included here are pictures showing pools, a woman holding a girl’s hand, and nice California sights. Meg sadly gets caught with the magazine, but she thinks of these images during the eight or more belt lashes the closet gives her. Meg thinks it was worth it.

Defiance has consequences, but now Meg knows there is hope.Drop everything and go get this sensational 634-page historical fiction book. It is a gem. The writing is elegant and engaging. The fast pace and finely drawn characters will leave you thinking about this book and Meg months from now.

It is a Wow! Some of the language is rough, but the author navigates the topics of orphaned children, poverty, sick authoritarian figures, and underestimated women beautifully . Saviors in Strange Places should be the name of this tome.

Momma read it to me over the period of a week. I loved it.

Hope shines out from the dark. I give this book five paws way up!

This heartbreaking tale will inspire and challenge you, and make you feel lucky. Momma always says if you could run to a hill of your problems, or choose anyone else’s, you would surely choose your own. I said, how about if I just choose to run up the hill and around a lot?

I hope you love it. I bet, like The Help, they will make it into a movie. Thanks for spending time with me!

See you next time at Meet Me At The Bookshelf. Wuvu *Sassy wavy paws.