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A review by jessrock
The Group by Mary McCarthy
4.0
Everyone talks about how forward-thinking and ahead of its time The Group was, but no one seems to agree on when it appeared, variously citing dates in the 1950s and 1960s. It seems the book was largely published as short stories in various magazines, with the first - "Dottie Makes an Honest Woman of Herself" - appearing in 1954, and the book itself being published as a whole in 1963.
Knowing that the book was published in short stories goes a long way toward understanding its somewhat unusual structure. The book opens with a reunion of sorts - various members of Vassar class of 1933 get together shortly after graduation to attend the unorthodox wedding ceremony of their friend Kay, and so for the first few chapters we get to see the women all together, interacting as a group. However, their lives quickly pull them in different directions, and most of the book is made up of near-unrelated chapters that focus first on one woman, then on another. Their lives continue to intersect, some more than others, but most of the chapters really do stand on their own as isolated stories about individual members of the group. Not till the end does another event pull them all back together again and give us one last chance to see them all together.
The Group tackles a wide range of issues, from sexuality to psychology to politics, and while some of the language and attitudes are dated now, it's surprising how much of it remains relevant, and even more surprising to realize that much of the book was written more than 50 years ago. Beyond all the "issues," though, what makes the book so engaging and timeless is the interactions between the women, whose friendships are rarely simple.
Knowing that the book was published in short stories goes a long way toward understanding its somewhat unusual structure. The book opens with a reunion of sorts - various members of Vassar class of 1933 get together shortly after graduation to attend the unorthodox wedding ceremony of their friend Kay, and so for the first few chapters we get to see the women all together, interacting as a group. However, their lives quickly pull them in different directions, and most of the book is made up of near-unrelated chapters that focus first on one woman, then on another. Their lives continue to intersect, some more than others, but most of the chapters really do stand on their own as isolated stories about individual members of the group. Not till the end does another event pull them all back together again and give us one last chance to see them all together.
The Group tackles a wide range of issues, from sexuality to psychology to politics, and while some of the language and attitudes are dated now, it's surprising how much of it remains relevant, and even more surprising to realize that much of the book was written more than 50 years ago. Beyond all the "issues," though, what makes the book so engaging and timeless is the interactions between the women, whose friendships are rarely simple.