Big City Book Club - A Live Conversation About 'The Group' by Mary McCarthy - NYTimes.com The live portion of our discussion has concluded. But you can still share your thoughts on the book in the comments section of this post. Thanks to James Collins and all our readers! - Ginia Bellafante Welcome to our live discussion of "The Group," by Mary McCarthy! Earlier today, I kicked off the conversation with James Collins, tonight's co-host and the author of the novel "Beginner's Greek." Here are my opening thoughts and his response. Now, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. EST, we'll be talking about the book in real time. Please post your thoughts about the novel and questions for either of us in the comments section below. We'll respond in the same place.