Mary Therese McCarthy was born on June 21, 1912 in Seattle WA. She was an author
and political activist and wrote over twenty books.
The Group was published in 1963 and was on The New York Times Best Seller List
for almost two years. As described by Wikipedia: "The Group is the best-known novel
of American writer Mary McCarthy. . . . [It] describes the lives of eight female friends
after their graduation in 1933 from Vassar College, beginning with the marriage of one
of them . . . " It was made into an ensemble film of the same name by Sidney Lumet in 1966
with many stars, including Candice Bergen, Joan Hackett, Larry Hagman, and
Hal Holbrook. Wikipedia reports that the "novel was reviewed critically and
intensely for its vivid detail, length, and number of characters."