,
Goodreads Choice Awards 2025
Mary McCarthy

Mary McCarthy’s Followers (303)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo

Add New
Videos

An Introduction to Mary McCarthy
Add a comment

More videos…

Mary McCarthy


Born
in Seattle, Washington, The United States
June 21, 1912

Died
October 25, 1989

Genre
Literature & Fiction, Nonfiction, Biographies & Memoirs


People note American writer Mary Therese McCarthy for her sharp literary criticism and satirical fiction, including the novels The Groves of Academe (1952) and The Group (1963).

McCarthy studied at Vassar college in Poughkeepsie, New York and graduated in 1933. McCarthy moved to city of New York and incisively wrote as a known contributor to publications such as the Nation, the New Republic, and the New York Review of Books. Her debut novel, The Company She Keeps (1942), initiated her ascent to the most celebrated writers of her generation; the publication of her autobiography Memories of a Catholic Girlhood in 1957 bolstered this reputation.

This literary critic authored more than two dozen books, including the now-classic n ...more

Combine Editions

Average rating: 3.73 · 27,685 ratings · 2,929 reviews · 132 distinct works • Similar authors
The Group
3.68 avg rating — 17,207 ratings — published 1963 — 147 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Memories of a Catholic Girl...
3.72 avg rating — 2,002 ratings — published 1946 — 78 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
The Company She Keeps
3.76 avg rating — 973 ratings — published 1942 — 53 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
The Stones of Florence
3.69 avg rating — 741 ratings — published 1956 — 52 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
A Bolt from the Blue and Ot...
by
3.74 avg rating — 540 ratings — published 2001 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
The Groves of Academe
3.33 avg rating — 455 ratings — published 1952 — 19 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Birds of America
3.47 avg rating — 375 ratings — published 1965 — 37 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
A Charmed Life
3.54 avg rating — 256 ratings — published 1955 — 38 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
The Oasis
3.22 avg rating — 268 ratings — published 1949 — 22 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Venice Observed
3.51 avg rating — 243 ratings — published 1956 — 27 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
More books by Mary McCarthy…

Related News

We asked Alice Bolin, author of Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession, and journalist-turned-crime novelist Laura...
Read more...
106 likes · 50 comments
Quotes by Mary McCarthy  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“We are the hero of our own story.”
― Mary McCarthy
35 likes
Like

“Every word she writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the’."
(on Lillian Hellman)”
― Mary McCarthy
tags: authors, insults, lies
29 likes
Like

“What's the use of falling in love if you both remain inertly as you were?”
― Mary McCarthy, Between Friends: The Correspondence of Hannah Arendt and Mary McCarthy, 1949-1975
28 likes
Like

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
The Seasonal Read...: 5.3 - S.U.M.M.E.R 30 258 Aug 22, 2010 12:34PM  
The Seasonal Read...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Summer Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks (do NOT delete any posts in this thread) 3022 3286 Aug 31, 2010 10:39PM  
Glens Falls (NY) ...: Kevin McCarthy 2 18 Sep 13, 2010 08:13AM  
100+ Books in 2025: Leslie's 2011 100+ Books Challenge 92 126 Jan 02, 2012 11:34AM  
The Seasonal Read...: Spring Challenge 2012 Reading Plans 49 318 Apr 14, 2012 03:24PM  
Indian Readers: Harsha's (Im)possible Challenge for 2012 43 117 Apr 25, 2012 12:07PM  
Reading with Style: This topic has been closed to new comments. Spring 2012 Reading w/Style Completed Tasks 952 277 May 31, 2012 08:59PM  
Book Nook Cafe: What I read ~~ November 2012 24 82 Dec 11, 2012 05:15AM  
Terminalcoffee: This topic has been closed to new comments. My challenge 108 96 Dec 31, 2012 06:45AM  
The Next Best Boo...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Your Latest Splurge 9363 13910 May 12, 2013 11:23AM