( 7 reviews )
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Posted: Dec 18 2008
When I originally began "The Group", I was a bit out of the loop as to certain terms that were being thrown around -Kraft-Ebbing being one - and to my shame, I must admit going to the dictionary to look up both "peccary" and "pessary." But once I got into the groove of the book, the narrative flowed and I was able to put most things into context. Not knowing much about Mary McCarthy, I had expected a book more akin to a Rona Jaffe "Class Reunion" type-novel. But "The Group" is much more than that. It's a sophisticated, at times even satirical (in a "oh, look how silly they were!" kind of way), look at these women in their lives after college. Each character in "The Group" gets their turn at bat as they deal with philandering husbands, first love, casual sex, child rearing and parental responsibility. McCarthy's story went by so quickly that before I knew it, I was done and wishing there had been more. This past winter, I had the pleasure of attending a screening of the 1966 film version of "The Group" (attended by some of the actresses) and I was pleased to see how well the book had been adapted - despite Pauline Kael's misgivings. Seeing the movie made me go back to the book which I found more engrossing and enjoyable the second time around. Seeing as it will be a long, recessionary winter, I'm prepared to give it another read and why not? There's always something new to discover in this jewel of a novel.
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Posted: Jul 11 2008
This is how young women were in my mother's youth. This is, especially, how young college women, the privileged ones at least, thought, dressed, married, dabbled in careers and causes, and interacted with their peers. Until I found this connection, I was less than enchanted with this weakly plotted series of snapshots of eight Vassar friends. However, with the link to my mother and her friends, the memories flowed, validating the cadence and concerns of the book. The fascinating thing is how much, and how little, has changed since then with respect to the things that matter in life, and the responses and responsibilities of a certain group of young women to these things.
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( 3 of 4 found this review helpful ) Posted: Aug 27 2006
McCarthy explores hot button social and political issues that were controversial at the time of the book's publication. In order to do this, she describes the lives of eight "upper crust" friends from the Vassar Class of 1933 in the five years following their graduation. Each life story is used as a vehicle to discuss issues like pre-marital sex, adultry, birth control, divorce, homosexuality, Freudian psychiatry and mental illness, breastfeeding, racism, and Socialism and Communism. While the characters become quite vivid, this literary device ends up feeling heavy and obvious. I also found the political issues to be quite confusing. I admit that I am not very well educated about Communist and Socialist movements in the U.S. in the 1930's. (Barbara Streisand in "The Way We Were" comes to mind.) McCarthy talks about multiple movements within both philosophies, and I did not follow apparently important nuances. While this book held my interest, it has lost some impact over time because it no longer presents new points of view about progressive ideas. Many of the points that were quite controversial, are now firmly part of the American consciousness. Most of us are no longer surprised that (good) people use birth control, that (good) people we know are gay, or that many (good) people have mental illness. Perhaps this book is most valuable in the way that it provides a social history lesson and points to a better future. In 50 or 60 or 70 years who knows how we will have grown in our understanding of our fellow humans? I suppose McCarthy gives me hope.
