The Sisterhood Book Club

The Sisterhood Book Club is a friendly book club for adults, discovering and rediscovering female protagonists in classic, modern classic and contemporary world fiction written by women.

We meet monthly to informally discuss a book read in advance, over refreshments at The Village Hub opposite Chalkwell Park. The cost of taking part is the purchase of the book to be discussed, and books are available to collect either at the previous book club or they can be posted out to you at least a month prior to the book club.

We were originally inspired by Penguin Books' Sisterhood Collection, which included titles such as Anne of Green Gables, Little Women and Pride and Prejudice, but now we read an eclectic mix of books. Recent reads include Crooked Cross (Sally Carson), 12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas (Natasha Bache), and The Mountains Sing (Nguyen Phan Que Mai). 

About the book this month:

The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson

A sharply-witted and tender portrait of a young girl's quiet rebellion and her refusal to be broken.  Set in 1960s Bradford, The Mercy Step follows Mercy, a precocious young child facing a world far too big for her small body. She lives with her Windrush-generation parents in a crowded household where her mother's attention is stretched between church and family, and her father's temper is something to be endured or avoided.

Feeling like an outsider within her own home, Mercy retreats into books and the companionship of her beloved doll, Dolly, while learning early how to navigate the flaws and failings of the adults around her. Yet Mercy is nothing if not resilient. Armed with humour, style and fierce imagination, she quietly begins to plot her escape from a traumatic childhood. Raw and deeply affecting, Mercy's story is one of Black British culture, childhood, family and survival in 1960s Britain.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026 SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS