Book Short
‘The Group,’ by Mary McCarthy
Review by Stephanie Miller
Take a trip back to the thirties with eight Vassar roommates, collectively known as The Group. The story begins on a beautiful July day, one week after graduation, with one of the group’s weddings. It ends on another beautiful July day eight years later with one of their funerals.
In between, there is celebrated author Mary McCarthy’s unique sardonic wit and worldview, as the women struggle to find a place for themselves in a society that is between world wars and unsure what role it wants women to play. With a few notable exceptions, most of the love interests are distasteful creatures – indifferent bullies and even rapists who are spoiled, self-centered, and emotionally stunted. In other words, shaped by their upbringing just like the Group.
The book’s central theme is how a graduate from Vassar – trained to contribute mostly by dressing well, performing good works, and obeying her husband – earns a living and discovers her authentic self. The Group flail around finding the answer. Their choices highlight their individual personalities and backgrounds, but also their sense of community with friends, family, and humanity. Several move between soul-crushing entry level jobs with lecherous bosses into disastrous love affairs. All the while giving and receiving terrifically bad advice with each other.
It’s not all sadness and misery.
They do have an awful lot of great parties, mostly in small walk-up apartments in New York City. There are some clever and unexpected power plays. Plus, no one can outclass the Group when it comes to snark – particularly all the brutally personal commentary they leave unsaid while they are being polite to each other. It left me thinking, “and these women like each other?!”
None of them seem to find joy. But several find comfort, and most achieve success either through work or marriage. These ordinary struggles are part of the charm – ordinary for the Vassar crowd, that is. It keeps this novel timely 70+ years later.
As a story, “The Group” is a bit too complex for casual reading. It’s hard to keep the many main characters straight. But as a social history and a commentary on female friendship, it’s a good read. McCarthy weaves their stories in captivating ways, even if you might not actually be that interested in society women’s lives in the 1930s. Almost against my will, I sympathized with, related to, and cheered on the Group, despite being, just like their former classmates, an irrevocable outsider to their circle.
Bayside resident Stephanie Miller is a voracious reader and bibliophile and spends a lot of time lost in the stacks of bookstores and libraries. Find her online @StephanieSAM.
