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A review by ifyouhappentoremember
The Group by Mary McCarthy
3.0
This book stinks of the early 1960s. You have a lot of issues that the Second-Wave of Feminism and Betty Friedan's work [b: The Feminine Mystique|17573685|The Feminine Mystique|Betty Friedan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1377019820l/17573685._SX50_.jpg|809732] were discussing. As Friedan put it, "the problem that has no name", meaning the dissatisfaction that women feel in their lives (read: white, upper-middle-class and well-educated) due to the rigid constraints a sexist society has put on them, has been the subject of countless works. The Group is one of the earliest works in that canon and because of it, it has a reputation as being a classic, more specifically a feminist classic (something that's a little bit ironic as I don't think McCarthy considered herself to be a feminist as defined by the second-wave). Controversial in its day with explicit sex scenes, discussion about birth control, and lesbianism, The Group had a massive cultural impact. I don't deny the impact this book has had, but I struggled reading it. It borders between being very mediocre and bad.
The biggest mistake was having 8 members of the group. There was no way McCarthy could have fleshed out every single character or have had a compelling arc for each of them - and she does not do that. Four girls get any kind of story and character development but it's in the broadest possible terms. Only one girl, Kay, gets a full arc, although I would not say she is a fully realized character. Kay is the embodiment of the trope of the promising young woman failing miserably. The members of The Group who barely have any plot purpose are simply reduced to stock character roles (RIP to Pokey who is the rich, chubby girl of The Group, and to Lakey who is the beautiful, mysterious lesbian of The Group).
Additionally, the book starts out very slow. The first 100 pages are unbearable to get through. I slowly started to tolerate the book (although it may have been the Stockholm Syndrome talking). I am glad I read it if only to get some historical context. However, Mary McCarthy has not endeared herself to me as a writer. I am very hesitant to pick up another work of hers in the future.
The biggest mistake was having 8 members of the group. There was no way McCarthy could have fleshed out every single character or have had a compelling arc for each of them - and she does not do that. Four girls get any kind of story and character development but it's in the broadest possible terms. Only one girl, Kay, gets a full arc, although I would not say she is a fully realized character. Kay is the embodiment of the trope of the promising young woman failing miserably. The members of The Group who barely have any plot purpose are simply reduced to stock character roles (RIP to Pokey who is the rich, chubby girl of The Group, and to Lakey who is the beautiful, mysterious lesbian of The Group).
Additionally, the book starts out very slow. The first 100 pages are unbearable to get through. I slowly started to tolerate the book (although it may have been the Stockholm Syndrome talking). I am glad I read it if only to get some historical context. However, Mary McCarthy has not endeared herself to me as a writer. I am very hesitant to pick up another work of hers in the future.