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pddkny's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-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
3.75
morenowagain's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Mental illness, Misogyny, War, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Rape, Death, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Sexism, Suicide attempt, War, Miscarriage, Homophobia, Self harm, Excrement, Infidelity, and Lesbophobia
ggwillmott's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Suicide, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, and Rape
Minor: Homophobia
steve_sanders's review against another edition
4.0
Could have been a masterpiece at 400 pages. At 500 pages, the narrative loses momentum, especially in the second half. But the things that work here are rendered beautifully.
_sarah_reads_'s review against another edition
4.0
I didn't want to stop reading this book.. The frank discussion of sex and love and marriage and motherhood was interesting, but the fact that this was published in the 1930s blows my mind. I found the female characters engrossing. I wish I knew more about the clothing and decorating of the time so that I could imagine the details more accurately.
elliemcc11's review against another edition
2.0
I took this book out of the library and thought I would really like it but made it to 100 pages and didn't really enjoy the read. I actually found the text slightly difficult to follow. I'm not sure whether it's the mix of 7 main characters or just the writing style. Maybe it's a book I have to return to at a different time in my life...
ieemee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
3.0
I full understand why this book was revolutionary when it was written but it could do with some Trigger Warnings - it has some toxic notions around womenhood, motherhood, mental health , and about Sexual assault& is homophobic - I read it since it was pivotal and is on the Rory Gilmore book list & went in blind - I won’t be recommending it to friends. The book shatters that notion of step-ford house wife & speaks to the true Zeitgeist of historical womanhood and for that reason I decided to rate a 3. It’s good to know what people are talking about when referring to this book. It definitely was a predecessor to a sex & city type novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Classism, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism and Torture
jsheldonsherman's review against another edition
3.0
Spoiler
I liked this book, although I skimmed much of it. It was intersting about a group of women who all graduated from a girls' college together. It followed their lives in New York and other places and ha da lot to do with social scenes and money. It was very hard to follow because there were so many characters. I probably would not read again.ingridostby's review against another edition
4.0
This brilliant social document (to paraphrase the quote on the book cover) tells the stories of several savvy Vassar grads with varying and dynamic personalities, careers, political persuasions, and personal affairs--who all interact in and around New York City. It's filled with satire and historical imagery and taught me tons about the political atmosphere in the 1930s (it was written around 1960). McCarthy is wonderful--she was a frequent New Yorker contributor and wrote these full-bodied characters astutely and intelligently and lovingly.
It's unfortunate that time has not already proven this novel a classic. Besides when I saw Betty Draper read it on Mad Men (Weiner loves those time stamps, y'all) and when an older man saw my copy and said he "hadn't seen anyone reading that in over 35 years," I've never encountered another person who's heard of it. It was the #1 best seller in 1964 and apparently every woman had her nose in it that year. Wish more men would read this. But, with a cast full of ladies, it's been pegged as a woman's novel ever since publication.
It's unfortunate that time has not already proven this novel a classic. Besides when I saw Betty Draper read it on Mad Men (Weiner loves those time stamps, y'all) and when an older man saw my copy and said he "hadn't seen anyone reading that in over 35 years," I've never encountered another person who's heard of it. It was the #1 best seller in 1964 and apparently every woman had her nose in it that year. Wish more men would read this. But, with a cast full of ladies, it's been pegged as a woman's novel ever since publication.
tomhill's review against another edition
4.0
I couldn't put this book down! It's a witty and scathing account of young women's lives after college in the 1930s, and it touches on so much, including privilege, sexuality, misogyny, and the nature of friendship. A lot of what might have seemed scandalous to readers in the 1960s doesn't seem so now, but the novel's honesty and satirical tone remain obvious and relevant. So much hasn't changed. As I was reading the book, I thought of the last lines of a Donald Hall poem:
"Will you ever be old and dumb like your creepy parents?
Not you, not you, not you, not you, not you, not you."
And that's part of what McCarthy is concerned with here, the notion of not ending up like one's parents by falling into their habits or their ways of thinking, which seem outdated or restrictive. The various members of the group succeed or fail in this regard to various degrees, with varying levels of acceptance of what their lives have become. There are aspects of their lives they can control, but there are many more that they have no real power over. There's no doubt that the central characters in The Group have opportunities and freedoms their mothers did not, but the restrictions society places on them are still very real.
"Will you ever be old and dumb like your creepy parents?
Not you, not you, not you, not you, not you, not you."
And that's part of what McCarthy is concerned with here, the notion of not ending up like one's parents by falling into their habits or their ways of thinking, which seem outdated or restrictive. The various members of the group succeed or fail in this regard to various degrees, with varying levels of acceptance of what their lives have become. There are aspects of their lives they can control, but there are many more that they have no real power over. There's no doubt that the central characters in The Group have opportunities and freedoms their mothers did not, but the restrictions society places on them are still very real.