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Source of Embarrassment
195 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
14 people want to read
About the author
Mary McCarthy
131 books301 followersPeople 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 novel The Group , the New York Times bestseller in 1963.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_McC...
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 novel The Group , the New York Times bestseller in 1963.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_McC...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 28, 2025
At the time of writing this, there have been 6 ratings, and no reviews, so I guess I'll give my opinion.
This short, aptly named, novel, was wholly disappointing and honestly pointless.
Taking place during the height of the cold war, this book follows a group of individuals (who all hate each other) who set up a colony named "Utopia" in an abandoned hotel in the Appalachian mountains, and that is pretty much the book in its entirety. There are many meaningless conflicts between different people (none of which are ever resolved), but very little overarching plot or larger conflict, and the book ends feeling broken.
To give credit to McCarthy, I think she did a good job capturing lots of different personalities and there were many good excerpts that made the characters all seem very human. The way McCarthy put anxiety, pride, contempt and other emotions into words I found very interesting and natural, and often relatable. This is really the only positive thing I can say.
Additionally, there were SO many characters, all given first and last names, some with nicknames, but never referred to by the same name consistently. For example, the character Will Taub is referred to as Will, Taub, or BILL completely interchangeably, with no rhyme or reason. Rarely was I sure who was talking or being talked about, making for a largely confusing read.
If you are very interesting in post-WWII/cold-war America or political science, maybe this book would interest you. And it is short, at only 125 pages. Other than that, I personally would not recommend this book.
This short, aptly named, novel, was wholly disappointing and honestly pointless.
Taking place during the height of the cold war, this book follows a group of individuals (who all hate each other) who set up a colony named "Utopia" in an abandoned hotel in the Appalachian mountains, and that is pretty much the book in its entirety. There are many meaningless conflicts between different people (none of which are ever resolved), but very little overarching plot or larger conflict, and the book ends feeling broken.
To give credit to McCarthy, I think she did a good job capturing lots of different personalities and there were many good excerpts that made the characters all seem very human. The way McCarthy put anxiety, pride, contempt and other emotions into words I found very interesting and natural, and often relatable. This is really the only positive thing I can say.
Additionally, there were SO many characters, all given first and last names, some with nicknames, but never referred to by the same name consistently. For example, the character Will Taub is referred to as Will, Taub, or BILL completely interchangeably, with no rhyme or reason. Rarely was I sure who was talking or being talked about, making for a largely confusing read.
If you are very interesting in post-WWII/cold-war America or political science, maybe this book would interest you. And it is short, at only 125 pages. Other than that, I personally would not recommend this book.
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March 26, 2025USD6.87 on Biblio.com
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews