I've just finished Mary McCarthy's remarkable  1960s novel.   The group is one of Vassar graduates, so they are at the elite end of educated women, and they are closely bonded;  they celebrate each other's weddings, and offer support of a kind to each other on relationship and marriage issues. I picked it up thinking it might illustrate Paula Principle Factor 4 - that women lack the vertical networks to enable them to progress in their careers as fast as they might. McCarthy offers us a colourful palette of characters, from independent (Polly)  to submissive (Kay),  baby-focussed (Priss) to lesbian (Lakey), and so on.   They are introduced to us at Kay's marriage to Harald, the…