The Group - Mary McCarthy

Description

THE GROUP follows eight graduates from exclusive Vassar College as they find love and heartbreak, forge careers, gossip and party in 1930s Manhattan.

THE GROUP can be seen as the original SEX AND THE CITY. It is the first novel to frankly portray women's real lives, exploring subjects such as sex, contraception, motherhood and marriage.

Review

This is a book that I have had on my TBR list for ages and I decided I would get it read over the Christmas break. At 437 pages that should have been doable, but I didn't reckon on the small typeface (I'm reading the paperback) and the language which takes a little getting use to.

I recently saw the film "The Greatest Showman" which I loved. However, I was a little critical as most of the women wore false eyelashes and the song which Jenny Lind sings whilst absolutely fantastic is nothing like a song she would have sung in those days. My point is this; whilst I felt that was not realistic of the time, this book is realistic, and I struggled with it! Set in the 1930s with the language of the time felt like wading through so many unfamiliar words, I thought I would never finish the book.

Seen as the "Sex and the City" of it's time and indeed with a forward in my copy by Candace Bushell the book is certainly very liberal for both the time it is set in and the era it was published in being 1963. 

When the book begins all the characters are all produced at once and I felt I would never remember who they all were (and I didn't most of the time). Then the book takes one or two of the characters to focus on in each chapter through the 1930s and ending at the time of the 2nd world war. Different aspects of each of their lives are written about from marriage, birth, motherhood, affairs of the heart and ageing parents.

It was a journey through American  social history for me, although these ladies are all ex Vassar (which is very laboured throughout) and from "society" so not a true cross section of history. However, I was a little shocked at some of the things described - especially towards the end of the book regarding a convalescence stay, which I won't spoil for you.

At the beginning of the book they talk about marketing, and it was only after a couple of references when they talk about going to the market, that I realised this is the term for shopping at the market! To my 21st century eyes I had to re read passages like this as the meaning was so different. There is one part which covers a birth. I was bemused that the Doctor tells the patient to put on fresh lipstick and powder and to stop screaming!!!!! 

As I mentioned the book was written in 1963 and yet it feels like it was written in the 1930's. The author has really captured the nuances and speech of the time. I think it deserves five stars both for the writing and capturing a part of history - this is the closest thing to a time machine you could wish for!