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shogins's review against another edition
3.0
More connected vignettes than a novel? I have to admit, I didn't really realize that the issues this book discusses - premarital sex, contraception, breast-feeding, the glass ceiling - were issues of my grandmother's generation. I think of the '30s as being before this stuff, despite knowing women who worked and struggled with this stuff then too. And it's a little embarrassing how far we haven't come - we still are just as judgmental about childrearing choices as the characters in this book.
lizshine74's review against another edition
5.0
A strange but surprisingly fitting follow up to the last book I read ( How To Save Your Own Life by Erica Jong, The Group by Mary McCarthy added to and extended some questions about what it means to be a liberated woman Jong's book left me pondering. Many of the women I know have the best intentions and still so easily fall into the acquiescing, submissive, caretaker. In Jong's book, I was struck by how liberated the main character seemed to be, but how utterly dependent and accommodating she really was. The Group reminded me how far we've actually come in a relatively short span of time.
McCarthy's novel follows a group of friends (Vassar '33) post college graduation. The POV shifts between several friends, but centers on Kay. While you don't really like Kay (she's superficial, snobbish), you wouldn't wish her narcissistic husband on any one. Because you also see the interior lives of her friend, your sympathy for Kay increases. You realize they live in a time when women's lack of knowledge of and power over their own bodies is appalling to see. And, I do mean see. Intellectually, I knew this already, but McCarthy's incredible detail, subtext, and characterization take you through the fear, shame, humiliation, and ignorance, and you FEEL it.
The novel also paints a rich portrait of the post depression era, weaving in the politics of the time and the impact of cheap, mass-produced goods from food to furniture. There was a sort of twist at the end that I have not made full sense of. I'm glad this is a book group book so I can talk to my ladies about it.
The Group is a well-written, often fully, deeply affecting story of perception versus reality and the individual versus society. McCarthy's writing is honest, clear, and without authorial intrusion.
McCarthy's novel follows a group of friends (Vassar '33) post college graduation. The POV shifts between several friends, but centers on Kay. While you don't really like Kay (she's superficial, snobbish), you wouldn't wish her narcissistic husband on any one. Because you also see the interior lives of her friend, your sympathy for Kay increases. You realize they live in a time when women's lack of knowledge of and power over their own bodies is appalling to see. And, I do mean see. Intellectually, I knew this already, but McCarthy's incredible detail, subtext, and characterization take you through the fear, shame, humiliation, and ignorance, and you FEEL it.
The novel also paints a rich portrait of the post depression era, weaving in the politics of the time and the impact of cheap, mass-produced goods from food to furniture. There was a sort of twist at the end that I have not made full sense of. I'm glad this is a book group book so I can talk to my ladies about it.
The Group is a well-written, often fully, deeply affecting story of perception versus reality and the individual versus society. McCarthy's writing is honest, clear, and without authorial intrusion.
twistinthetale's review against another edition
3.0
The group are friends who have just graduated from Vassar. Set between the wars the book bravely tackles many taboo subjects such as pre-marital sex, contraception, breast-feeding, divorce and sexuality. First published in the 1960s it is clear why this novel created such a stir. This is a detailed character study that cleverly moves from character to character, yet continues to show the links to the group. I prefer plot-driven novels to character-driven novels yet this book has much to ponder .
books_beside_your_bed's review against another edition
4.0
This book grew on me as I went. I wish there had been fewer characters to keep track of. We didn't get to know each of the girls in The Group as well as I would have liked because we were constantly bouncing around and moving ahead in time so quickly. It started out a bit slow but, once I realized that I was reading 1950's chic lit, I was all in. It was fascinating to read about some of the issues that these young women dealt with in the 1930's and to consider how they compared to my own. A chapter in which one of The Group struggles with nursing her new baby resonated deeply with me, even though the feedback we received from our respective doctors was completely different. If you were a fan of, say, Sex In The City, and also enjoy a good period piece, this book is definitely for you.
amydavid's review against another edition
3.0
The author scratches the surface of some pretty big issues, but then shies away and jumps over to a different character so often that it's difficult to become invested. It was probably very boundary-pushing for its time, which explains its immense popularity, but it doesn't really hold up in 2018
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘Great wealth was a frightful handicap; it insulated you from living.’
Set over a period of seven years during the 1930s, this novel follows the lives of eight women who have graduated from the exclusive Vassar College located in Poughkeepsie, New York. The novel opens with a wedding and closes with a funeral as the women concerned variously find love, encounter heartbreak, choose careers and/or find husbands.
Kay’s wedding (the opening) is an unusual one by the standards for the group, but they take it in their stride. After all, these are liberated, progressive, thinking women not at all like their rigid and conventional parents. Despite this pre-marital sex is rarely spoken of and contraception is difficult to arrange. One woman flees to Europe, others have careers, some will marry successfully.
While I found it difficult to relate to aspects of the book (great wealth is a concept with which I am unfamiliar), I was surprised at how many of the issues these women faced are still contemporary. We’ve not made much progress on several issues over the past 90 years. This novel was recommended to me by several friends, and I am glad I read it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Set over a period of seven years during the 1930s, this novel follows the lives of eight women who have graduated from the exclusive Vassar College located in Poughkeepsie, New York. The novel opens with a wedding and closes with a funeral as the women concerned variously find love, encounter heartbreak, choose careers and/or find husbands.
Kay’s wedding (the opening) is an unusual one by the standards for the group, but they take it in their stride. After all, these are liberated, progressive, thinking women not at all like their rigid and conventional parents. Despite this pre-marital sex is rarely spoken of and contraception is difficult to arrange. One woman flees to Europe, others have careers, some will marry successfully.
While I found it difficult to relate to aspects of the book (great wealth is a concept with which I am unfamiliar), I was surprised at how many of the issues these women faced are still contemporary. We’ve not made much progress on several issues over the past 90 years. This novel was recommended to me by several friends, and I am glad I read it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘Great wealth was a frightful handicap; it insulated you from living.’
Set over a period of seven years during the 1930s, this novel follows the lives of eight women who have graduated from the exclusive Vassar College located in Poughkeepsie, New York. The novel opens with a wedding and closes with a funeral as the women concerned variously find love, encounter heartbreak, choose careers and/or find husbands.
Kay’s wedding (the opening) is an unusual one by the standards for the group, but they take it in their stride. After all, these are liberated, progressive, thinking women not at all like their rigid and conventional parents. Despite this pre-marital sex is rarely spoken of and contraception is difficult to arrange. One woman flees to Europe, others have careers, some will marry successfully.
While I found it difficult to relate to aspects of the book (great wealth is a concept with which I am unfamiliar), I was surprised at how many of the issues these women faced are still contemporary. We’ve not made much progress on several issues over the past 90 years. This novel was recommended to me by several friends, and I am glad I read it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Set over a period of seven years during the 1930s, this novel follows the lives of eight women who have graduated from the exclusive Vassar College located in Poughkeepsie, New York. The novel opens with a wedding and closes with a funeral as the women concerned variously find love, encounter heartbreak, choose careers and/or find husbands.
Kay’s wedding (the opening) is an unusual one by the standards for the group, but they take it in their stride. After all, these are liberated, progressive, thinking women not at all like their rigid and conventional parents. Despite this pre-marital sex is rarely spoken of and contraception is difficult to arrange. One woman flees to Europe, others have careers, some will marry successfully.
While I found it difficult to relate to aspects of the book (great wealth is a concept with which I am unfamiliar), I was surprised at how many of the issues these women faced are still contemporary. We’ve not made much progress on several issues over the past 90 years. This novel was recommended to me by several friends, and I am glad I read it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
runkefer's review against another edition
3.0
A mid-century classic. It was engrossing and something of an historical artifact. Keeping all the characters straight was something of a chore, but not enough to make the reading experience unpleasant. Structurally, this is more like linked stories than a novel--not much of an arc, and mostly what ties the stories together is the fact of the main characters all having been in the same residence hall tower at Vassar, graduating in 1933. At times the characters seemed amazingly modern in their views and behavior, and at other times hopelessly antiquated. This was the fun and surprise of the book.
danijorge's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
rosaboyd's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0