{"product_id":"the-group-9780349018058","title":"The Group","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Juicy, shocking, witty, and almost continually brilliant'' \u003ci\u003eCOSMOPOLITAN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''A brilliant novel: honest, engaging and sharp as a tack'' SARAH WATERS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Lively, vivid and exceedingly entertaining''\u003ci\u003e SUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis groundbreaking novel celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2023. One of the first novels to frankly depict friendship, sex and women''s lives. It was a revelation and continues to inspire today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY MONICA ALI\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMary McCarthy''s most celebrated novel portrays the lives and aspirations of eight Vassar graduates. ''The group'' meet in New York following graduation to attend the wedding of one of their friends - and reconvene seven years later at her funeral. The women, fresh from college, vowed not to become stuffy and frightened like their parents, but to lead fulfilling, emancipated lives. Who really achieved this - and what sacrifices and compromises had to be made?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Mc\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbsorbing, funny, painful . . . I consider it\u003cb\u003e a masterpiece\u003c\/b\u003e -- Hilary Mantel\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eShocking, titillating, and acid-laced\u003c\/b\u003e . . . the book still dazzles as a generational portrait, falters as fiction, and blighted McCarthy's life -- Laura Jacobs * Vanity Fair *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA brilliant novel: \u003c\/b\u003ehonest, engaging and sharp as a tack -- Sarah Waters\u003cbr\u003eMcCarthy's characters confront many of the same issues as their modern counterparts: sex and contraception, career and marriage, love and lust, fidelity to one's husband versus loyalty to one's friends and the attempt to carve out a place for oneself unconstrained by the gender limitations of previous generations. Its \u003cb\u003econtinuing relevance is one of the book's most extraordinary attributes\u003c\/b\u003e -- Elizabeth Day * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eFew works of literature can genuinely be termed \"\u003cb\u003eahead of their time\u003c\/b\u003e\" * The Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJuicy, shocking, witty\u003c\/b\u003e, and almost continually brilliant * Cosmopolitan *\u003cbr\u003eLively, vivid and exceedingly entertaining * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eOne of my favourite books ever -- India Knight\u003cbr\u003eA woman of intellect and style -- Celia McGee * New York Times *\u003cbr\u003eHer \u003cb\u003egreatest novel\u003c\/b\u003e . . . \u003cb\u003emarvellous\u003c\/b\u003e . . . a prophetic book which set the scene . . . for the novels of protest and liberation in the next decade * Independent *\u003cbr\u003eFeels like discovering a thrilling secret. Its prose shows a master stylist at work, its aesthetics are striking - all ivory-tipped cigarettes, hand-pureed pâté, Vassar socialists in dungarees - and it has a surprise queer romance that twists the whole narrative into new shape. \u003cb\u003eIt's my new standard for a summer read: lavish, hilarious, smart and mean\u003c\/b\u003e, like a glamorous friend you're torn between fearing and crushing on -- Mikaella Clements\u003cbr\u003eScalpel-keen prose, honed on ruthless wit and insight * Observer *\u003cbr\u003eShe is a sparkler, a very funny, very savage moralist, and a brilliant mimic * Spectator *\u003cbr\u003eThis is the book which has aroused considerable advance speculation and well it might; it has a \u003cb\u003etremendous reader recognition\u003c\/b\u003e . . . there cannot be much doubt that Mary McCarthy is an exceptional social satirist, with a jackdaw eye and an infallible ear * Kirkus Reviews *\u003cbr\u003eMcCarthy's dissection of this disparate group - highly educated but powerless in a world of men - \u003cb\u003eis witty \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eand merciless\u003c\/b\u003e but tinged with sadness. * Daily Mail *\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Little, Brown Book Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48733644489047,"sku":"9780349018058","price":15.29,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-group-9780349018058","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}