Being a Woman in the 1930s
I would advise NOT to read a lot of reviews in advance of reading The Calamity Club. There are many spoilers out there that would give away too much. I promise this review is safe in that regard. That said…
This book is set in Mississippi in 1933 and is told in two alternating voices. The first belongs to Meg who is eleven years old and a resident at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum for Girls. The second is Birdie Calhoun. Though only twenty-four, she is considered a spinster. She lives in the Mississippi Delta area with her mother and grandmother, but has traveled to Oxford, Mississippi (in Lafayette County) to see her socialite sister, Franny. Franny does volunteer work at “The Orphan” and enlists Birdie’s help there. Thus Meg and Birdie meet.
As we soon see, calamity has hit all three of these characters.
- Meg’s mother – with whom she was very close – disappeared two years ago. There was never a father in the picture, hence she is an orphan. The full story of the disappearance is wrenching.
- Money is tight for Birdie, her mom, and Meemaw. Since the book is set during the depression, this statement is true for many. Indeed, Birdie tells us that almost a quarter of the real property in the state has been seized for back taxes in the past year. Their house could be next. Thus Birdie is going to Oxford to ask her sister – and the wealthy family she married into – for financial help.
- Unfortunately, all is not well in the home of Franny and Rory Tartt. They live in the family estate with his mother, Viktoria. And though Birdie manages to ask Franny for money, and Franny manages to ask Rory, he disappears before it can happen. Upon his disappearance, Franny and Viktoria learn that they too are strapped for cash and that they too face possible foreclosure for back taxes.
- Suffice it to say that Rory’s life is full of calamity. The same is true for Meg’s mother, Charlie. Their back stories are also wrenching – and completely impacted by the era in which they live.
When Charlie ultimately returns, she meets Birdie at the orphanage and learns that Meg has just been adopted. She enlists Birdie’s help to find Meg and get her back. Lots of circumstances make this trickier than it sounds. One huge stumbling block is the head of the orphanage, Garnett Pittman.
Charlie comes up with a plan that could solve every problem already mentioned. Her idea is the crux of the book and the topic I will not broach. But there are two more things to mention:
- In executing Charlie’s plan, a wildly disparate group of women come together and become a family of friends. (I love stories where this happens!)
- Through these women – of various backgrounds – we see time and again how hard it was to be female in the 1930’s.
This is the perfect novel for any book club. With everyone knowing the full story – and thus not having to worry about spoilers – there would be a boatload of topics to chew.
Nice job, Kathryn Stockett!
Click here to learn more about The Calamity Club on Amazon.
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