The Group
by Mary McCarthy
Fans of Peyton Place, Class Reunion, and The Best of Everything will definitely want to pick up a copy of the classic The Group. Whether or not you actually like it will depend on how graphic you like your novels. The basic premise is one I love – eight women in college whose lives take them down different paths – but Mary McCarthy’s writing style was a little too detailed for my taste. For example, one woman goes to the doctor to get fitted for birth control. One paragraph could have sufficed, but McCarthy spent pages describing private, graphic details that I really didn’t care to read.
However, there are a lot of women who will appreciate the realism of women’s lives. Breastfeading, sexual exploration, family dynamics, the feeling of value changing once you turn from a woman to a wife – and nearly all are still relatable by today’s standards even though the book was written in the 1960s. Feminists will still no doubt find fault with parts of it, but if you just look at it as a slice of upper class life from the feminine point of view in 1963, you’ll get a lot out of it. My favorite part of it was the humor. Included in even the most dramatic scenes was a dry wit that isn’t present in real life but would certainly help. In one scene, one woman confides secrets in another. The listener finally (and deservedly) tells off the complainer, who concludes by asking, “You won’t tell anyone about this, will you?” “No, but you will,” the listener quips.
I read this book in the week before I watched the 1966 film adaptation – which was fantastic. Screenwriter Sidney Buchman obviously held a copy of McCarthy’s novel close while writing the script. Close to every detail was included, and the wordy passages were condensed perfectly. If you liked the novel, trust me, you won’t be disappointed by the movie.
However, there are a lot of women who will appreciate the realism of women’s lives. Breastfeading, sexual exploration, family dynamics, the feeling of value changing once you turn from a woman to a wife – and nearly all are still relatable by today’s standards even though the book was written in the 1960s. Feminists will still no doubt find fault with parts of it, but if you just look at it as a slice of upper class life from the feminine point of view in 1963, you’ll get a lot out of it. My favorite part of it was the humor. Included in even the most dramatic scenes was a dry wit that isn’t present in real life but would certainly help. In one scene, one woman confides secrets in another. The listener finally (and deservedly) tells off the complainer, who concludes by asking, “You won’t tell anyone about this, will you?” “No, but you will,” the listener quips.
I read this book in the week before I watched the 1966 film adaptation – which was fantastic. Screenwriter Sidney Buchman obviously held a copy of McCarthy’s novel close while writing the script. Close to every detail was included, and the wordy passages were condensed perfectly. If you liked the novel, trust me, you won’t be disappointed by the movie.