The Group

I was drawn to Mary McCarthy's The Group for two somewhat silly reasons. The first is that Mary McCarthy and I have the same birthdate, and the second is that she lived in the building I live in now. That said, I found The Group completely delightful. It's a book about eight friends from Vassar College and the five years between their college graduation and five year reunion. As a graduate of a Seven Sister college, and someone who is in that exact zone of time (my five year reunion is in May), I found the whole thing relatable and delicious, in spite of it being set in the 1930s.

There are parts that are extremely risque for its time, and laugh out loud moments, and the ending is satisfying because it's timeless. I was struck the whole time I was reading it that it would be fun to attempt to write my own version of The Group, since there's been quite a lot of drama and intrigue among women I went to college with. However, I know the effect that The Group had on McCarthy's friendships, and I'd like to keep my friends, thank you.