The Group

I bought this to replace my worn paperback copy. This is a wonderful book. McCarthy was a terrific writer. She painted such a realistic picture of the lives of the privileged during the 1930s, and it is a wonderful character study. If you've seen the movie, you must read the book - it's so much better!

Showing that the trials and bumps that 20 somethings face today aren't necessarily new, they just skipped a few generations. McCarthy's work explores love, sex, work, friendship and the balancing of them all during a time when the rules were changing. When the lives of your parents not only seem unbearable, but also impossible and you have to find your own way to happiness and stability, there are no right and wrong answers.

Excellent story. Well written, interesting plot and, above all, believable situations. A poignant portrayal of life and expectations in the thirties, together with a description of human conflicts and emotions which sound realistic even in present time.

This book centers around seven graduates of Vassar College (class of '33). Ms. McCarthy does develop her characters well, but some of the background and descriptions of other characters is very monotonous.The chapters are too long and the references are so vague you'd have to be a graduate of Vassar to understand them. Historically, it's interesting to discover how these bright young women could only be considered for menial positions in the workplace and the emphasis on finding a husband is hysterical. The ending was a surprise---that's about the only good thing I can say about it.

Probably a 3.5. Interesting writing style. At times a little hard to follow, but not impossible. I never could get to a point where I cared enough about the characters to care what happened to them. Although the ending has some positive wrap-up. I'd say, if you're going to read it, definitely read it all the way through. I didn't connect much to the Communist aspect of it all. Probably just an area of history that I was not exposed to in this way. The story felt more like a 1960s story wrapped in a 1930s wrapper. Once I realized the author was born in 1912, I can say I was probably mistaken in my judgement.

The Group follows the life after college of several remarkable women and gives a view of how each faces the challenges of marriage, motherhood, broken dreams and adult life. Well written and entertaining.

It was interesting enough but difficult to follow all the characters in it. Sometimes it was difficult to understand where the author was going with the story. It is nothing I would read the second time.

Very well written book... The 30's equivalent of the 90's "Sex and the City", or 2010's tv show "Girls". Changes point of view quite often but is easy enough to follow. Sense of humour, relationships, sex, work and life issues, women's rights, are "just a few" of the aspects in this highly recommended book!

Very well written book... The 30's equivalent of the 90's "Sex and the City", or 2010's tv show "Girls". Changes point of view quite often but is easy enough to follow. Sense of humour, relationships, sex, work and life issues, women's rights, are "just a few" of the aspects in this highly recommended book!

Even though the subject under discussion was more or less dated, the style was delightfully quaint and it's great to be reminded of how far women's equity has come. Good book club novel as it engendered loads of discussion.

The Group has lost none of its freshness and appeal despite being written 50 years ago and being set exactly 70 years ago. The confusion of the young women post-graduation is the same, and the attitudes of the men can easily be seen today. A wonderful, thoughtful read.

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.

This is an enlightening look at the lives of women in the thirties and how far or not so far we've come. It was made into a movie when the book originally came out and I think it would be an excellent book to see remade today

What an interesting story! I've never read anything quite like this before. A lot of it has a truthful background. I love the details of each woman in the group. I feel so much sorrow for Kay. She is who I connected with the most. What a very real-to-life creation. I would definitely read more of her work. I am very glad I purchased this book. I highly recommend it.

While I adore large women's books, this one meandered through territory which did not floor me. Yes, the vocabulary was exalted. Yes, the foreign phrases and references to literature, politics, and religion revealed characters with educated minds, but the book had no structure, too large a cast of characters, and a lack of development for the character of Lakey, a leader in the group. The original reviews of the novel when it was first published, noted these flaws, too. For me, McCarthy spent pages upon pages describing the attributes of a butler and barely a few pages on Lakey? Why?

Even the mothers of the girls in the group were given way too much attention, making the book lose focus.

While the book delivers an interesting view of the Great Depression and its effects on that generation, it also seemed to meander into the 1950s and the views held then, when McCarthy penned the novel.

I loved Rona Jaffee's The Best of Everything as well as Marjorie Morningstar by Wouk. My own novels deal with the 1930s. But for this book, I recommend seeing the film first. It will help the reader visualize Pokey, Polly, Priss, Libby, Lakey, Dottie, Kay, Helena, Norine, and dozens of others too numerous to name here.

To me, this novel has memorable moments but not a broad appeal.

I first read The Group in college & remembered loving it. Maybe it was reading it solo without the benefit of discussion with others, I wasn’t as enamored with it this go round. Regardless, I can appreciate its place in feminist literature.