I thoroughly enjoyed Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel The Help when I read it back in the Fall of 2011 and was equally enamored of the hit film adaptation upon watching it shortly thereafter. Lots of people felt the same as me, with each proving to be pretty massive hits, so it’s surprising that it’s been so long since that book came out (in 2009) before we received a follow-up from Ms. Stockett. Has it been worth the wait? I think so, though I don’t know that it will ignite quite the same rapturous response as her first book.

Once again taking us back to the Southern United States of yore, this time the 1930s as opposed to the 1960s, Stockett centers her story on two seemingly unconnected women. Young adult Birdie, who has been sent by her poor family to ask her newly wealthy sister to ask for money to save their home, and eleven-year-old orphan Meg, who came home one day to find her mother missing and was subsequently placed in the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum. Each are a joy to read about, both possessing a relatable vulnerability mixed with a certain spirit that lets the reader know they are people who can ultimately power their way through just about anything life throws at them. And during the time we get to know them, life throws plenty their way.

Birdie’s sister Frances is striving to rise up the social ladder in her new home of Oxford, Mississippi with limited success. As such, while she is happy to see her, Frances is none too shy about her embarrassment with Birdie’s downtrodden appearance. Her husband Rory is largely out of the house and so takes little notice of Birdie, but Rory’s mother Viktoria quickly begins to take a liking to her. A good thing too when out of the blue Rory up and leaves, leaving the three women in a very precarious position from which the strong-willed Birdie may be the only person capable of lifting them out.

Meg meanwhile dreams of the day when her mother Charlie will march through the doors of the orphanage to take her home. The conditions within are less than great and even downright abusive towards the older girls, Meg in particular. The pious, image-obsessed chairlady Garnett Pittman is all formal pleasantries on the outside, but downright cruel when she thinks no one is looking, and she has taken a keen dislike towards the girl for reasons unknown.

As the book moves forward these two stories will intertwine, in ways both predictable and unexpected, and a host of other equally compelling characters will dance through the pages. Stockett remains adept at crafting engaging and strong-willed women that the reader will yearn to spend more time with, leaving the 600+ pages feel like they aren’t enough—a feeling reinforced by the strangely abrupt conclusion.

Written with plainspoken elegance and a wise and witty cast that readers won’t soon forget, this is a real treat of a book. There are some pretty big surprises, a few good laughs (though nothing as memorable as The Help‘s chocolate pie), and enough hurt, hope, and heartache to fill three more novels just as big. Fans of her first book will not be disappointed and new readers will race out to pick it up. ★★★★