Ultimamente, si parla spesso di come i trenta-quarantenni di oggi siano i primi ad avere un tenore di vita inferiore a quello dei loro genitori. In effetti, questa affermazione è vera solo se ci limitiamo all'intervallo che va dal dopoguerra a oggi. Infatti, negli anni '30 si scatenò un disastro di proporzioni bibliche. Il valore del mercato azionario crollò del 30%, la produzione industriale si ridusse del 46%, il livello di disoccupazione aumentò del 600%, e il commercio con l'estero scese del 70%.

Esattamente come noi oggi, i giovani degli anni '30 dovettero adeguarsi a standard inferiori rispetto a quelli ai quali erano stati abituati dai genitori. Essi erano iperscolarizzati, abituati al benessere e drammaticamente impreparati a ciò che stava arrivando. Ora, è sorprendente scoprire che ho più cose in comune con un giovane newyorkese degli anni '30 che con mia nonna (almeno sotto certi aspetti).

I personaggi del romanzo sono costruiti sul calco delle persone che frequentava l'autrice. L'autrice stessa è un po' ovunque. Come Kay, sposa precocemente un attore di nome Harald, da cui poi divorzia. Come Norine è una troskista. Come quasi tutte le donne del romanzo, Mary McCarty ha lottato per ridefinire il ruolo della donna. I personaggi affrontano molteplici problemi, come improvvisi cambiamenti sociali, difficoltà economiche, contraddizioni tra la fiducia nel progresso tecnologico e la tendenza verso una spontaneità primordiale.

Kay, il personaggio con cui il romanzo inizia e finisce, rappresenta forse lo spirito del gruppo. È bella, vitale, narcisa, immatura, inadeguata, impreparata. L'unica che non uscirà mai dagli anni trenta e dal Vassar College, mentre le altre cambiano pettinatura, sposano un ricco o si rivelano lesbiche, ed entrano nei '40. La Grande Depressione è finita.

Move over Candace Bushnell, Mary McCarthy's The Group emerged in 1963. Just like Sex and the City, The Group focuses on eight young Vassar women seeking love and careers in New York City.

However, what sets this novel apart from Sex and the City is its setting in the 1930s. During that era, women did not openly discuss birth control, engage in promiscuity, admit to being lesbians, or pursue careers as freely as they do today.

The novel commences after "the group" graduates and attends Kay's wedding, which is rather unconventional by their elite standards. But they don't mind because they've vowed not to follow in their parents' footsteps. Some of them are Socialists, others are Communists, but all are progressive. They embark on their adult lives, and as they do so, some women drift apart while others become more intertwined in each other's lives. They pursue careers in medicine, publishing, and various other fields. One even flees to Europe. They all experience heartbreak in different ways, but they are strong women with firm opinions.

These women are indeed not like their mothers. Each one feels superior and has sympathy for one or another in "the group." But when times get tough, one member of the group is always there for another. They come full circle when one of them passes away ten years after graduation. They mourn the loss of their friend and confidant, but the remaining ladies will always be "the group."

I must have read this at least 30, perhaps more like 40 years ago. Amazingly, I still remembered some of it. Perhaps the film adaptation had a greater impact on my memory than the book itself. To keep the characters straight in my mind, I had to picture the actresses playing them. Oddly, almost all of them had the opposite hair color as described in the book.

I wanted to revisit it now because I plan to read Lara Feigel's recent modern update next. The Group by Lara Feigel}, and I needed the original fresh in my mind for comparison's sake.

Although not quite as shocking now as when it first appeared in 1963, it still is a trenchant examination of a certain class of woman between the two world wars. If the casual racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia rankle a bit now, one must make concessions for when it was written. It undoubtedly reflects the values of its time and milieu.

My other minor quibble is that some of the characters get short shrift. This is understandable when there are eight of them. Pokey barely makes an appearance, and perhaps the most intriguing character, Lakey, is only seen at the beginning and end. Dottie is important in the early chapters and then virtually disappears. Polly doesn't make an appearance till over halfway, and then dominates the last half.

And sure, it's really just a glamorized soap opera, with each character primarily exemplifying one hot button issue: spousal abuse (Kay), frigidity (Libby), fear of motherhood (Prissy), lesbianism (Lakey), etc. But McCarthy certainly knows how to write and entertain her readers.

Published in 1963, it depicts a group of 8 women, following them between the first and the second world wars.

Recently graduated from Vassar, a prestigious university in New York, the characters are presented to us with the wedding of one of them, Kay, as the backdrop.

The author gives more prominence to some characters than others, but since there are so many characters, sometimes it is confusing to remember who is who. It portrays themes such as sex, contraception, motherhood, and marriage in a rather direct tone, without frills, with a touch of irony.

Undoubtedly, it is a very interesting book. We can draw a parallel with today's times and realize that things that are so natural nowadays were taboos 80/90 years ago, and that others remain very much the same.

The Great Gatsby meets Valley of the Dolls meets Emma.

After tearing through the surprise ending, I was truly impressed. I would have given this book a full five stars without hesitation. However, there was this nagging remembrance of some of the long, plodding chapters. These chapters were told from the points of view of complete ninnies, which made it a bit of a struggle to get through. It really takes some patience to endure these sections. But, in the end, it's definitely worth it. McCarthy is an absolute master of satire and social criticism. By writing from each girl's perspective, she manages to skillfully reveal the real motives, feelings, intentions, delusions, and truths. These are the very things that cause people to seem ridiculous to others, when in reality, they are only halfway there.

As the saying goes, "To be curious about someone opened you to be contaminated from them." (486) This statement holds a certain truth and adds an interesting layer to the story.

Surprisingly bold and modern, this novel is truly a remarkable piece of literature.

It openly delves into the topics of sex, adultery, and motherhood, which were quite taboo during the time it was written, especially in the fifties.

The prose, although a bit bland at times, manages to convey the complex themes in a straightforward manner.

What makes this book truly refreshing is its unapologetic exploration of these sensitive subjects.

It offers a unique perspective on human relationships and the challenges that come with them.

Readers will find themselves engaged in a thought-provoking journey as they explore the depths of these themes.

Overall, this novel is a must-read for those who are interested in exploring the boundaries of literature and the human experience.

Mary McCarthy's remarkable creation delves into the seven-year lives of eight Vassar graduates.

These women, of diverse means and intellectual abilities, journey from their 1933 graduation and settling in New York City to the eve of America's entry into World War Two.

It's a credit to McCarthy that the book, with its large cast, doesn't claim to have the ultimate answer on how women should handle the Depression, economic upheavals, men, or life in general.

The closest to a central character, Kay, starts with a saga of loss, betrayal, and bitterness, beginning with her job as a sales clerk at R.H. Macy and her marriage to an ineffectual and selfish man.

The smart and fashionable Lakey spends much of the book in Europe, only to return with a surprise.

One woman ends up in the mental ward of a prestigious hospital, while another, Pokey, lives in a rich family unaffected by the Depression, offering a charming portrait of a wealthy household.

The men are a varied lot, with some causing drama and others adding to the social and political backdrop.

The book embodies some of the feminist outlook of other notable works and showcases McCarthy's polished writing, which is often described as trenchant or sardonic.

Despite its popularity and influence, it's annoying that many modern reviewers pan it.

Just because a 1960s novel was popular doesn't mean it lacks distinction.

Thankfully, we had great novelists like McCarthy to prove otherwise, and THE GROUP should not be overlooked.

Ah, this was truly unique. I can clearly understand why it was such a big deal for its era.

That being said, it was a bit clunky, just like many books from the '50s tend to be. At times, it gives the impression that there wasn't an editor around at all (lol).

Regardless of its flaws, I have a great love for reading old books like this. It's really nice to observe what has changed over the years and what has remained the same.

Overall, I would rate this book a 3.5 out of 5. It has its charm and offers a fascinating glimpse into the past.

Even though it may not be as polished as modern books, it still has value and can provide an enjoyable reading experience for those who appreciate the history and evolution of literature.

I do it fast and simple: A charade of facts, events, places and characters... but nothing that has kidnapped me or anything significant that has remained in my heart.

Yes, this book slipped away from me with absolutely nothing. I immediately say that there, the girls of Vassar College in question live their dramas, successes and broken destinies. However, the whole thing is written (in my personal opinion) with total emotional strangeness by McCarthy. There are so many described things and absolutely unnecessary inserts that several times I found myself turning the pages in search of structural action to the story. Is that the problem for us 20th-century readers?

Certainly many parts reported by McCarthy must have been quite shocking to those who found themselves reading it in 1962: explicit sex scenes, attempted rape scene, domestic violence, lesbian relationships etc. For me, these parts were not very interesting. Sadly, the girls' characters were not well delineated, except for a few of them (Kay, Norine, Priss and Pokey). I felt more comfortable and interested in reading Priss' motherhood and Kay’s unfortunate life.

The costumes and 1935's modus vivendi are well brought back by McCarthy but at the same time creating an effect of "too much stuffing for the meatloaf". If you want to turn your liver black then read carefully the life of Harald, Kay’s husband, (poor woman), the biggest asshole found from all the books ever read in my life!!! Yes, a book that pissed me off!!

With such modern language and unabashed discussion of taboo themes, it is no wonder that this book was a phenomenon of its age!

The style is practically identical to that used by contemporary writers. As other reviewers have pointed out, the stories are not overly different from what is depicted in novels about women residing in New York, such as Sex & the City.

From politics to sex, from finances to psychology, all manner of themes are unapologetically tackled by the author, without any unnecessary frills.

On the downside, I felt that some of the characters were left unexplored. This is not entirely surprising considering there are 8 main characters. I must confess that at certain points, I could not recall much about some of them. It is difficult to keep track, as their families, partners, and friends are also introduced. Therefore, I believe that the real focus of this book was not the characters themselves but rather what they represented and the themes that each of them explored within the book.

Overall, I truly enjoyed it; it was highly entertaining. My favorite characters were Polly and her father, Mr. Andrews. Polly was perhaps one of the easiest characters to relate to, at least from our modern perspective.

A footnote for the Penguin edition that I have is that it did not make the book easy to read at all. By attempting to create a pocketbook, the lettering is minuscule, and there are practically no paragraphs, making it rather tiresome to peruse.

Sometimes there is a journey, or misfortune, and one reads books that one doesn't want to end. This was such a book for me. I would have liked to stay longer in the story, wished that it wouldn't end.

I want to know more about Kay, Libby, Lakey, Dottie, Polly, Helena, Priss and Pokey and how things go for them. It is a novel with themes that are just as relevant today as in the 60s when the book was first published.

The characters in this book are so vivid and real that they seem to come alive on the page. Their stories are engaging and full of emotion, making it impossible to put the book down.

I found myself completely immersed in their world, sharing their joys and sorrows. It was like being on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and I didn't want it to stop.

This book has left a lasting impression on me, and I will definitely be recommending it to others.

Ms. McCarthy takes us on an intimate journey into the lives of a Vassar College group consisting of eight young women and one, all of them lively twenty-somethings, at least in the beginning.

Satire and tragedy intertwine as Dottie, Pokey, Kay, Helena, Lakey, Libby, Polly, Priss, and Norine step out of the rarified social bubble of their youth and discover that life doesn't always go according to plan.

Here, the dreams that simmered throughout adolescence and elite academia collide with both harsh and nurturing realities, all while they are constantly conscious of their appearances.

These women have grown up rapidly, and I can't help but wonder what they would have to say about it all at the end of their journey.

Certain elements of this work resonate deeply.

In conclusion, Ms. McCarthy has written an engaging piece that keeps the reader hooked from start to finish.