The original article:
This is a simple article. It tells about a person's daily life.

Expanded article:
This is a rather simple article.

It vividly tells about a person's daily life.

The person wakes up in the morning, has breakfast, and then goes to work.

During the day, he/she is busy with various tasks and meetings.

After work, he/she comes back home, has dinner, and relaxes by watching TV or reading a book.

This is a typical day for this person, filled with routine activities but also some small joys and satisfactions.

Although it may seem ordinary, every moment of daily life is precious and worth experiencing.

We should cherish our daily lives and make the most of every opportunity to learn, grow, and be happy.

LOVE. THIS. BOOK. I first read it approximately ten years ago and recently re-read it for my book club. And I must say, it's just as excellent the second time around. The story follows the lives of 8 members of the Vassar Class of '33 (alongside the rather horrible and memorable outlier Norine Schmittlap Blake [yes, really]), mainly in New York during the years after their graduation. The book is truly hilarious at times (and a bit naughty too!), and it does an outstanding job of capturing all the various changes in the lives of women in the 1930s, although it focuses on white, WASPy, privileged women. It's quite straightforward when it comes to topics like marriage, divorce, childrearing, and sex, which serves as a great reminder of all the significant changes that occurred in women's lives during the 1920s and early 30s. Published in 1963, the same year as The Feminine Mystique, one can't help but wonder to what extent McCarthy was using this novel to comment on some of the freedoms that educated women seemed to have lost during the dull and uneventful years of postwar domesticity, a situation in which many were still stuck in the early 60s. In any case, it's clear to me why this book spent such a long time on the bestseller list (two years). It's truly fantastic!

It is truly very interesting. After reading this book, I can clearly understand why some of her Vassar friends or classmates held a strong dislike for McCarthy.

Perhaps it was due to the revelations and insights presented in the book that shed light on certain aspects of McCarthy's character or actions that they found unappealing or unacceptable.

It could be that her behavior or decisions during their time at Vassar had caused friction or hurt among her peers.

The book might have uncovered some hidden tensions or conflicts that had been simmering beneath the surface.

Or maybe McCarthy's views and opinions clashed with those of her friends/classmates, leading to a rift in their relationships.

Whatever the reasons may be, it is evident that this book has provided a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics between McCarthy and her Vassar contemporaries.

It makes one wonder what other secrets and stories lie within the pages of this fascinating work.

Overall, it is a thought-provoking read that leaves the reader with much to ponder about the nature of friendship, rivalry, and the impact of one's actions on others.

The 1963 novel that served as the inspiration for Candace Bushnell (born 1958) to pen "Sex and the City" is truly a remarkable piece of literature.

Yes, "Sex and the City" had its origins as a book before evolving into a highly successful and long-running HBO miniseries (1998 - 2004), followed by two movies in 2008 and 2010.

The story is set in 1933 when eight young ladies graduate from Vassar College, an exclusive women's university in Poughkeepsie, New York. The novel covers a ten-year period from their graduation until the start of World War II. These ladies, who are friends and come from wealthy families, lead privileged lives. One of them even graduates and is gifted with her own helicopter, highlighting just how advantaged they are.

The effect on me was profound. I was truly amazed and couldn't help but keep reading to discover what happened to the rest of the characters. However, at times, the story did become a bit dull as McCarthy delved into the typical "men-are-from-Mars-and-women-are-from-Venus" theme, showing the differences in how men and women think and react to various things and situations.

What is strikingly evident is that even after five decades, many aspects of womanhood, motherhood, and parenthood remain the same. Despite the modern era of instant everything and computerization, the male-female relationship and its common pitfalls persist.

Just like in "Sex and the City," the sexy parts of this story were my favorite. No joking! I was completely engrossed while reading those sections. It's quite remarkable considering this was published in 1963 when such narratives were likely considered taboo in many parts of the world (in fact, it was banned in Australia during that time).

This was my first encounter with McCarthy's work. A few months ago, I came across an excellent review by my friend Sue on Goodreads for McCarthy's book "Memories of a Catholic Girlhood" (which is now on my to-be-read list). I initially thought McCarthy's style would be boringly religious, given her upbringing as a Catholic, her journey to Episcopalianism, and finally her decision to become an atheist. But as I've said, this book about these eight good-looking (primarily because of their wealth) Vassar girls is as steamy as can be, at least in those sexy parts.

Before you get the wrong impression that the only reason I rated this book four stars is for those sexy parts, I must also mention that it was incredibly interesting to learn about how privileged young Americans lived in the 1930s and early 1940s. It was fascinating to see how they embarked on their lives after college, searched for mates to settle down with, raised their families, and then had to face the impending war after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

They say there is a movie adaptation that is faithful to the book. I'm definitely going to look for it on YouTube.

This is an easy read that is engaging, especially those sex scenes. It can bring the "so hot" summer back and chase away the sad rainy days, at least on those nights when you're cozy in bed reading this book.

Definitely not my last McCarthy.

I adored this book. It is truly a remarkable piece of literature.

It is witty, intelligent, and droll, with a prose that is light and incredibly clever. The social commentary within its pages is absolutely scathing, hitting on numerous aspects of society.

Published in 1963 but set in the 1930s, "The Group" follows the fortunes of eight classmates from Vassar's graduating class of 1933. As McCarthy tells their intertwined stories, she pokes fun at, analyzes, and explores their ideas about a wide range of topics. These include sex and sexuality, birth control, mental illness, marriage, divorce, childbirth, nursing, raising children, observing social niceties, politics (both local and global), gender roles, and the necessity (or not) of education for wealthy women.

Through particular characters, McCarthy explores a blue-blood prejudice against Jews, African-Americans, the Irish, and women who've read Freud. Through others, we gain glimpses of compassion, connection, and achievement. Still more demonstrate how bored the class of 1933 became once they embraced motherhood at the expense of the other work they wanted to do (and how communism might become a hobby).

By the book's end, two of the eight seem very happy, and their happiness is all the more beautiful for being daring. It is the product of waiting, expecting little, and being surprised, as well as being gay and not caring who knows.

The men in the book, save one, are overbearing, unfaithful, completely absent from their marriages, and cads. It is deeply rewarding to read a book where the men aren't the main focus and women don't exist solely to推动 their character development. It is also intensely gratifying to see patriarchy being skewered so deftly. I can't wait to read more of McCarthy's books.

This book holds a certain reputation. When it was published in 1963, some people were shocked by it. “The Group” is about eight Vassar women from the class of 1933. That era is one with which most of us have no personal experience. If our movies are to be believed, it was a time of prohibition and gangsters. In 1930, nine gangster films were released, in 1931, 26, in 1932, 28, and in 1933, 15. In 1933, FDR was inaugurated as President and the New Deal began. Adolph Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. The Dow stocks were at 62.10. The World’s Fair opened in Chicago. The first drive-in movie theater opened. The first Major League Baseball All Star game was played. The U.S. Federal Government outlawed cannabis, and Prohibition ended. Cormac McCarthy, having no relation to Mary, was born in 1933. Hitler and FDR have cameo roles in The Group. The setting is urban, and the action consists of dialogue and daily life.

Portions of the book, including one section about birth control, appeared in magazines as early as 1954. That was cutting-edge and controversial. By the time the complete book was published in 1963, the shock value had lessened considerably but was still palpable. In 1963, first-class postage was raised to five cents. George Wallace became governor of Alabama. The U.S. performed a series of nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site. The Beatles’ music debuted. The law requiring equal pay for equal work was signed by JFK. “Ich bin ein Berliner” was spoken. The zip code was initiated. The nuclear test ban treaty was signed. 200,000 people demonstrated for equal rights in DC. JFK was assassinated.

What were upper-middle-class Vassar graduates of 1933 experiencing in NYC after their graduation? What were some of the social issues of the period, such as psychoanalysis, breastfeeding, sex outside of marriage, women having independent careers, and how to raise babies?

“The Mary McCarthy Case” by Norman Mailer appeared in the October 17, 1963 issue of the NY Review of Books. It is an entertaining (if you like Norman Mailer) and scathing review of the book. I suggest Wikipedia for a quick and dirty review of all the members of The Group. This kind of reference material helps put me in the mood for a book written in the 1950s about the 1930s. Some say that the book Sex in the City and the TV show of the same name are the modern-day version of The Group. Since I have neither read the book nor watched the TV show, I cannot confirm or deny the similarity. But I do find it plausible that both are highbrow soap operas.

Except for some language, the book seemed surprisingly current. It had a comeback thirty years after it was first published (late 80s, early 90s), and that is probably when I first heard about it. Then just recently, I came across the title somehow through GRs and thought I might finally read it since I seem to be in a period of interest again in feminist literature. The mostly privileged women in the book live in a period of world upheaval, and the story takes several of the characters through their own personal upheavals. I found the book interested me significantly as an artifact of life in the 1950s (when it was written) and 1960s (when it was published), as I imagined what readers of that time might have thought about the book. I did not find this book on my parents’ bookshelves and wonder if it was ever there.

Although the book did not engross me throughout, there were many points at which I was definitely drawn in. I give The Group four stars and credit for getting me to put the author’s first book, The Company She Keeps , on my TBR shelf.

I highly recommend that all of us read this manual on why one shouldn't get married. If the decision to marry has already been made, I still recommend reading it to understand that the frustrations in married life often come from one's own mediocre decisions. For example, blindly choosing to marry someone like the Haralds or the Norines, assuming that a happy ending is just around the corner. Here's a free tip: assess the situation first and make assumptions later.

This book is a couple of chapters too long, but it is truly a gem when it comes to depicting social and domestic life in America between the two great wars. Mary McCarthy manages to cover a wide range of topics, including male impotence, laundry, child-rearing, contraception, communism, therapists, lesbians, virginity, asylums, and hysteria in the 1930s. Some parts may seem irrelevant to our modern day, but they are still fascinating. However, Mrs. Davidson and Mrs. Renfrew are two of the most relevant characters I've ever come across in a novel. They can see through your subservient and second-rate decisions and will always have some pointed words for you, even when they are lowering you into the deep, dark sepulchre.

What a distillation of the experience of attending a women's college!

At this college, the only thing that seems to matter is the shitty little society that students are happily producing. Then, one watches as everyone they know gets metaphorically "pinball flippered out" and shuttled with a series of "THUNK THUNK THUNK" noises into something insane, alone, and bad, namely a heterosexual family unit.

The exquisite aspect of this, though, is the way the narrative voice balances making fun and fondness. Everyone is very stupid, specific, and dear. To delight in this is to delight in being alive. It's a joy to be "DUNKED" in the neon precision of these women's priorities, the absurd tangle of thoughts cushioning the absurd dialogue. One can't help but think, "My god, she's really captured it" - something specific and something huge.

And then the ENDING!!!!!!! The Group wonders if it is gauche to have a Husband.

This ending adds an extra layer of complexity and thought-provokingness to the whole narrative, leaving the reader to ponder the various implications and interpretations.

Although the story is set in the 1930s, specifically among a group of girls belonging to the Vassar class of 1933, it was published in 1963.

The protagonists are the eight girls of the title: “The Group.” Daughters of the great depression of 1929 and mostly followers of Roosevelt's New Deal, many of them are from well-to-do families and aspire to be completely different from their mothers' generation. They want to be independent, educated, working women, not tied to a man through marriage and able to be economically independent.

It is a novel with an ensemble cast as each girl in the group has her own chapter. However, for me, this has been a bit of a drawback as it doesn't delve deep enough into their lives, their desires, and their interrelationships are rather diluted. With eight protagonists and such disparate lives, it doesn't seem to focus well in my opinion.

Certainly, it deals with very advanced themes for the time such as motherhood, sex, politics, contraception, lesbianism, virginity, abuse, extramarital relationships, etc. But in other cases, it is quite conservative and somewhat archaic, with socialist indoctrination, suspicion of Jews, and Freudian psychology. So it gives the impression that those Vassar girls, from a university so highly regarded at that time for women, don't have very focused ideas. They are as likely to wear fur coats and go to important parties as they are to express their rejection of political ideas different from their own.

For me, the novel has aged poorly. There are forms and themes that are already very outdated. Certainly, it is already quite old, but it can be read to see how society and women's lives have changed. They don't have the same mechanisms that we have now, and most of them make the same mistakes as their mothers.

A group of classmates who have just graduated from Vassar College, the class of '33, reunite at the unconventional wedding of one of them with a bohemian from Broadway. From here, their lives unfold over almost a prodigious decade. We will see how their expectations and desires encounter a reality that is almost never friendly and always unexpected. In a very direct and natural way, topics that have not been frequently addressed until now are dealt with, such as sexual initiation, adultery, breastfeeding, or mental disorders. I really liked it but it left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. Some lives were lacking and also a bit more development of some plots that are left open.

It would have been nice to have delved deeper into the experiences and emotions of each character. Maybe explore their relationships with family and friends more thoroughly. Additionally, the ending felt a bit rushed, as if some storylines were left unresolved. Despite these shortcomings, the overall concept and execution of the book were engaging and thought-provoking. It made me reflect on the challenges and joys of life, and how we all navigate through it in our own unique ways.

Depicting events that took place almost 90 years ago, the book which was written nearly 60 years ago still feels as fresh today as it likely did back then. By closely observing the 8 women, Mary McCarthy reveals to us all the aspects of femininity. There's sex, marriage, motherhood, family, employment, friendship, mental health, politics, death, and you can name whatever else comes to mind. There isn't a single thing that she has left out. The times have indeed changed, and so have the language and mannerisms. However, in its essence, the book has not lost a single drop of authenticity and still feels deeply relatable. Mary is truly brilliant, sharp, and funny!

Fantastisk men ack så sorglig!

It is truly a remarkable and yet so sorrowful experience.

The story is a bit complex and difficult to get into at first, but once you do, it is truly worth the struggle.

The author has crafted a world that is both captivating and heart-wrenching.

The characters are well-developed and their emotions are palpable.

I found myself completely immersed in the story and it has stayed with me long after I finished reading.

This book is definitely one that I will think about for a long time to come.

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