The Company She Keeps

The book consists of six somewhat lengthy "episodes" dealing with a young woman in the 1930s who runs with a very intellectual and bohemian crowd. All of the episodes are interesting and well told, but the best is "The Man in the Brooks Brothers Shirt." It is so good that it alone is worth the cost of the book. It describes an encounter between the young woman and a young man on a train, in which they end up spending the night together. The perspective is told from the woman's viewpoint and McCarthy's insights are incredibly honest, regardless the consequences. Her tone is assured and rock steady; it's a brilliant piece of modern realistic fiction. The whole book is fascinating and enlightening, one of McCarthy's best.

This is Mary McCarthy's first book, and consists of six different exerts, some of which appear to have appeared previously in American magazines. The six parts all feature the same young woman, Margaret Sargent, and must be to some extent autobiographical. The book does not have the by now traditional disclaimer about the characters being imaginary, so I imagine that many of the males in it are based on true people as well.The chapters and characters in the book (except for Miss Sargent) are all very different. They draw on the author's mixed Protestant, Catholic and Jewish descent. They are also a fascinating "period piece" about the USA just before the Second World War, and before another McCarthy jumped down on Marxists and Communists. The book is well written, if somewhat verbose by modern standards, and the characters well drawn. The final chapter, "Ghostly Father, I Confess" is a bit too self analytical and involved, perhaps, but interesting none the less.In summary, the book is worth reading.

The Company She Keeps was Mary McCarthy's first novel (as noted above) and follows the life of Margaret Sargent from her first divorce through the life of a gay divorcee to a strained remarriage. Margaret tries to live the life of a twenties heroine (her ideas of the free life very reminiscent of Fitzgerald) but the context of this time had completely irrevocably changed. The book covers the prewar period with the infighting on the left and the politics of Trotsky and Spain, the coming war and sexual freedom. McCarthy writes with incision and great wisdom, mocking, mourning, and loving her characters all at the same time.The only problem with the book is that it was originally not a book at all, but several short stories on a theme. As such, it hangs together remarkably well, but before I knew that it had been short stories first I was already puzzled by some of the abrupt jumps and breaks.This is the first Mary McCarthy I've read, but I will certainly be reading more. Highly recommended.