The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

 

                                                      

Ebook:   656 pages                                                                       

Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, 

Publisher:  Fig Tree May 2026 

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentence: Downtown Drugstore had a bell on the door that made a single tink sound when you opened it. 

Review Quote:  'It’s such a joy to immerse yourself in this world and with these characters ... a really special book that’s been well worth the wait' Good Housekeeping

My Opinion: 

It is many years since I read Kathryn Stockett's now classic novel 'The Help'. It was a 5* read and still an all-time favourite. So I was excited to have the opportunity to read and review her highly anticipated new novel, published just a few weeks ago, seventeen years later.

Set in Mississipi and Oxford USA  in 1933 during the Depression 'The Calamity Club' the main protagonist of the story is Birdie, whose family are depending on her for their financial survival. The other main character is Meg Lefleur still a child but one who has already learnt that you cannot rely on anyone. Their worlds collide when Birdie visits her sister in Oxford to ask for financial support from her wealthy husband. Things don't work out as anticipated and there is pressure on the economic circumstances the family faces from all directions. Despite the difficulties Birdie and the women she meets face they raise the money they need to survive by very unconventional means.

What refined storytelling 'The Calamity Club' is. At over 600 pages it is a wonderful, emotional and humorous saga that I did not want to end having become so immersed in the worlds of Birdie and Meg. Highly recommend to everyone.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, Fig Tree and the author, Kathryn Stockett for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

In 1933 Oxford, Mississippi, Prohibition is on the wane, and the Great Depression is tightening its grip. Poor and rich folks alike have fallen on hard times, even as the old social order remains. For women on the margins, the options are few and the price of dignity and self-determination is unbearably high.

Eleven-year-old Meg, one of the unadoptable “big girls” at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, fights each day to keep her spirit unbowed. Birdie, unmarried and outspoken, has come to Oxford on a mission to ask her social-climbing sister to help the struggling family she’s left behind. And Charlie is a woman with a past, running low on luck but driven by fire, fury, and grit. When their fates converge, they come up with an audacious plan to take back control of their lives. Together, they form an unlikely sisterhood—but in a place and time where hypocrisy is rife, women’s freedom is fragile, and making an enemy can have dire consequences, will the price they pay for their outrageous risk-taking be too high?

The Calamity Club will make you laugh, cry, and cheer—an epic testament to resilience, friendship, and the fierce, funny women who know that calamity can be the spark of new beginnings. This is Kathryn Stockett at her most confident, heartfelt, and hilarious—the triumphant return of one of the most beloved storytellers of our time.

Previous Review: The Help

Author Profile:

                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                             Courtesy of Goodreads

Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. After graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in English and creative writing, she moved to New York City, where she worked in magazine publishing for nine years. She currently lives in Mississippi and New York City.

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Profile.   Amazon Profile.   Kathryn Stockett - Official Author Website

Instagram Profile

We Solve Murders (#1 in series) by Richard Osman

 

                                                      

Audiobook:  10 hours  33 minutes

Narrator: Nicola Walker

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Humour, Crime

Publisher: Penguin Audio September 2024

Source:  Audible Membership

First Sentence:  It had finally happened. 

Review Quote: ''The thing that shines through in Osman’s writing is that he really likes people and revels in all their foibles and eccentricities. All of which makes for a delightful read – and another little slice of warmth in time for autumn' THE OBSERVER

My Opinion:

As a fan of  'The Thursday Murder Club' series despite it not being a favourite genre I decided to listen to the first book in Richard Osman's new series 'We Solve Murders' via my Audible Membership.

The protagonists of this series are Amy Wheeler and her father-in-law Steve Wheeler. They are joined by a vast cast of characters, good and bad amongst them. Amy is currently working as a security officer for a famous novelist, when chaos kicks off with Amy discovering she has not only become a target for a hit man but that there is a murder that needs solving.

Unfortunately this novel has not given me the same vibes as 'The Thursday Murder Club' so doubt I will be reading/listening to any more adventures of the Wheeler duo. Don't get me wrong the characterisation and humour are as appealing as all the author's writing, this one just did not get me excited. It took me weeks to listen to the full book which is not a good sign, just lack of enthusiasm.  Still I can recommend to true fans of the genre and those who enjoy humour in a thriller.

My Reviews 

The Thursday Murder Club   The Man Who Died Twice. The Bullet That Missed

The Last Devil To Die

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job...

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?

Author Profile:         

Courtesy of  Goodreads

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Richard Osman was born in Billericay, Essex, England on  November 28, 1970. He is now well known as an author, producer and television presenter. The Thursday Murder Club was his first novel. He is well known for TV shows including Pointless and Richard Osman’s House of Games. As the creative director of Endemol UK, Richard has worked as an executive producer on numerous shows including Deal Or No Deal and 8 Out of 10 Cats. He is also a regular on panel and game shows such as Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You and Taskmaster.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page   Goodreads Author Profile  Twitter - Richard Osman

The Lost Orphans of Lyon by Helen Parusel

                                                    

Ebook:  368 pages                                                                            

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Publisher:  16th May 2026 Boldwood Books

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentences:  This couldn't be happening. They were shooting at the children. Please, no, not the children.

Review Quote:  'The hardships of occupied France are brought to life in this brilliant gripping story packed with historical detail.’ Clare Marchant

My Opinion: 

Helen Parusel is a new to me author, whose latest novel I decided to read, due to the fact it is historical fiction based on true events. During WWII the village of Chambon-sur-Lignon in the Haute-Loire region of France provided refuge for thousands of refugees, many of whom were children.

The story is told through the eyes of two fictional protagonists Yvette and Marie. Yvette a recently married young woman finds herself unexpectedly overseeing her husband's chateau. Discovering that the chateau has been acting as an escape route for those feeling Nazi persecution she vows to continue helping. This is how she meets Marie a young woman from the village who also helps with the escape routes. The young women both grow in character and confidence as they show resilience despite the dangers they face.

Having read so many books set in this period with similar themes  I originally had my doubts about reading yet another one. However I was glad I did as I learnt about the Huguenot Community, whose bravery was yet another aspect of the work of the French Resistance, that was a story worth telling. Recommended to fans of this period in history.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, Boldwood Books and the author, Helen Parusel for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

A hidden tunnel. Two frightened children. One woman who must risk everything.

Lyon, Occupied France, 1942

When Yvette Dubois’s husband inherits a remote chateau, she reluctantly leaves Lyon behind ­– only for Armand to abandon her there to manage the vineyard alone. Isolated among unfamiliar staff, Yvette feels trapped in a life she never wanted.

Everything changes the day she hears a mysterious knocking in the library. Behind a tapestry, she discovers a hidden tunnel – along with two frightened orphans. Yvette learns the chateau once acted as an escape route for Jewish children and others fleeing Nazi persecution.

Yvette vows to continue the important work, wanting to honour the legacy. But Armand insists their safety depends on appeasing the occupiers. And defying him could destroy their future ­– and their freedom.

As German patrols tighten their grip on the area and whispers of betrayal grow louder, Yvette must risk everything to protect the innocent – even if the day may come when she’ll need to use the tunnel to save herself...

Author Profile:

                                                                                                                

                                                     Courtesy of Amazon

In the author's words from her Amazon Profile: I come from London but now live in Hamburg, Germany with my husband, daughter and rescue dog. Over the last twenty years I have taught English to students ranging in age from three to ninety- years-old! Many of the war time stories I heard further inspired my love of Historical Fiction. I'm particularly drawn to the lesser known stories. My debut novel, A Mother's War, highlights the Lebensborn programme in occupied Norway, and was chosen as a finalist for The Romantic Novelist Association Debut award, 2024.

I have ancestors from Austria and spent my summer holidays there as a child which inspired my second novel, The Austrian Bride. The story is set in 1938 as Europe teeters on the brink of WW2. My third novel, The Last Bookshop in Prague, highlights issues that are still relevant today: book banning, persecution and the importance of not sinking into passivity and indifference.

My most recent book, The Lost Orphans of Lyon, will be released in May. Based on a true story, the books follows the courage of an isolated, mountain community, who saved thousands of lives, mostly children, from the Nazis. There is also a crumbling château, a secret tunnel and a forbidden love story. So, plenty of adventure!

 I have always loved reading and writing, and now finally have the time to devote to my writing.

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Profile Page.    Amazon Profile Page.   Instagram Profile.   Facebook Profile

Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller

                                                        

Ebook:  352 pages                                                                            

Genre: Literary Fiction, Horror Thriller, Mystery,

Publisher:  Penguin, May 7th 2026

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentence:  All everyone wants to know about is the murder and what we did with the body:armchair detectives, tabloid journalists, the curious and the ghoulish, speculating on what happened.

Review Quote:  ‘An absolute masterpiece. Utterly absorbing, genuinely unsettling …like all the most terrifying horror films of the 70’s and 80’s and all the most scary ghost stories’ ― Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things

My Opinion: 

Having previously found Claire Fuller's writing thought provoking I decided to read this novel. However I had no idea it was going to be so horrific, horror is certainly not a genre I'm drawn to. The author has said that this novel has the most of her in it, set in the town where she went to the art school where the protagonist of the story, Ursula works. She also has her living in the same squat but assures readers that this is where the similarities end.

Ursula's story is told across two timelines. The present day where she is now known as Uschi, a renowned sculptor who keeps her early years very much a secret. Until that is a documentary film maker starts researching into a mystery from the time she was known as Ursula, a young woman with a very troubled background. Unsettling as Ursula's memories appear to become fragmented in that she can no longer distinguish between reality and fiction.

Definitely unique! Although I am glad I had the opportunity to read 'Hunger and Thirst' I would never have done so had I known it was going to be quite so horrific and disturbing.  If you are a fan of horror stories, then this is one for you.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review.

Previous Review:  Unsettled Ground

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

1987: After a childhood trauma and years in and out of the care system, sixteen-year-old Ursula finds herself with a new job in the postroom of a local art school, a bed in a halfway house, and—delightfully— some new friends, including wild-child, Sue. When Ursula is invited to join a squat at The Underwood, a mysterious house whose owners met a terrible end, she can’t resist the promise of a readymade, hodgepodge family. 

But as Sue’s behaviour and demands become more extreme, Ursula who has always been hungry—for food—and more importantly for love, acceptance and belonging, carries out her friend’s terrible dare. It's a decision that will haunt her for decades.

Thirty-six years later, Ursula is a renowned, reclusive sculptor living under a pseudonym in London when her identity is exposed by true-crime documentary-maker who is digging into an unsolved disappearance. But it is not only the filmmaker who has discovered Ursula’s whereabouts, and as her past catches up with her present, Ursula must work out whether the monsters are within her or without.

From critically acclaimed and award-winning author, Claire Fuller, Hunger and Thirst is a compelling and chilling tale of loneliness and female friendship, of the dangerous line between wanting and needing, and of how far a person will go to truly belong.

Author Profile:

                                                    
                                                     Courtesy of Goodreads

 Claire Fuller was born in Oxfordshire in 1967. She trained as a sculptor before working in marketing for many years. In 2013 she completed an MA in Creative Writing, and wrote her first novel, Our Endless Numbered Days. It was published in the UK by Penguin, in the US by Tin House, in Canada by House of Anansi and bought for translation in 15 other countries. 

She is the author of six novels: Hunger and Thirst, The Memory of Animals, Unsettled Ground, which won the Costa Novel Award 2021 and was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction; Our Endless Numbered Days, which won the 2015 Desmond Elliott prize; Swimming Lessons, shortlisted for the Encore Prize; and Bitter Orange longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award.

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Goodreads Author Profile   Claire Fuller - Official Website    Amazon Profile

Twitter Profile