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lauriestein's review against another edition
3.0
This is a tough one to review. I really wish I had read The Group first, because this is far more than an homage, it's basically an incident-by-incident translation of The Group into late 1990s/early 2000s vernacular. Sometimes the prose structure is even the same. Of course this hit especially close to home because of Oberlin but it also made the characters curiously remote. I recognized some classic Oberlin "types" and it was fascinating to see how they were shaped by their Oberlin experiences but I didn't recognize myself or my friends in them really at all. There were certainly some constants between my experience and theirs but the Oberlin connection also seemed to render the divergence in their behavior and attitudes half a generation removed from myself all the more marked.
Some of the plot point-by-plot point updates from The Group were ingenious and natural but others fell a little flat to me, especially after reading the original. Lil's death was one such example. The underlying tragedy I suppose is that even 60 years later in a more fortunate age (hint hint) she couldn't be saved but it felt a little contrived. The parallelism established between the 90s Oberlin group and 30s Vassar group could instructive and enlightening but sometimes a crutch and even occasionally misleading.
Some of the plot point-by-plot point updates from The Group were ingenious and natural but others fell a little flat to me, especially after reading the original. Lil's death was one such example. The underlying tragedy I suppose is that even 60 years later in a more fortunate age (hint hint) she couldn't be saved but it felt a little contrived. The parallelism established between the 90s Oberlin group and 30s Vassar group could instructive and enlightening but sometimes a crutch and even occasionally misleading.
meghan111's review against another edition
2.0
After I reread [b:The Group|2657|To Kill a Mockingbird|Harper Lee|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1234606708s/2657.jpg|3275794], I became uncomfortable with the recycled plot elements here - I don't think this is a classic.
doubletroubledogmom's review against another edition
4.0
In the spirit of Claire Messud's "The Emperor's Children", this New York story of a group of college friends who move through life and grapple with the world from dot.coms to 9/11. If you're 30 to 45- you will think of your own friends, your own recollections of this time, and how the world formed your outlook. It's well written and a great read for a first novel.
fates_fables_golem's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
cyn75's review against another edition
4.0
Took a little while to get interested in the characters, but very clever writing covers a group of 6 over 4 years. Nothing particularly deep and confronting, but you do get invested in the characters. I look forward to her next novel.
dreadpiraterudis's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Paints a good description of friends living in New York and going through their respective hardships. I love the NYC nostalgia, remembering places I also used to frequent. I found it hard to break past the level of privilege the characters were existing at. They seemed to purposefully push themselves into impoverished spaces for the artistic pursuit, but they criticized the antagonistic characters for doing the same thing.
spahade's review against another edition
3.0
This book was good, similar to some similar books like Emperor's Children or Wedding in December, following a group of college freinds into adulthood.
You would probably like this book more if you went to a small college, and lived in NYC or Brooklyn in the 90's.
You would probably like this book more if you went to a small college, and lived in NYC or Brooklyn in the 90's.
mrspontellier's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this. I didn't think it was fantastic, but it was a good read. It's been a bit since I've read McCarthy's The Group, but this felt more fragmented me and more vignette-ish. Nonetheless, there was enough realism and solid characterization to keep me interested. I can hear some of the criticisms that folks are likely to make -- it's too focused on these well-off Oberlin folk pretending they don't have advantages, the plot is too sporadic and not focused, and so forth. Those criticisms aren't without merit, but I was able to overlook them.
emmaaxtco's review against another edition
4.0
These were stretches where I really enjoyed it but there were too many characters. I would have rather gone in depth more with maybe 2 fewer main characters instead of getting just glimpses of so many people.