Commencement
Where to buy Commencement books online?
- ISBN13: 9780307454966
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
J. Courtney Sullivan’s celebrated debut novel is a sparkling tale of friendship and a fascinating portrait of the first generation of women who have all the opportunities in the world, but no clear thought about what to choose.
Assigned to the same dorm their first year at Smith College, Celia, Bree, Sally, and April couldn’t have less in common. Celia, a lapsed Catholic, arrives with a bottle of vodka in her suitcase; gorgeous Bree pines for the fiancé she left behind in Savannah; Sally, preppy and obsessively clean, is reeling from the loss of her mother; and April, a radical, redheaded feminist wearing a “Riot: Don’t Diet” T-shirt, wants a room transfer immediately. Written with radiant style and a wicked sense of humor, Commencement follows these unlikely friends through college and the years beyond, brilliantly capturing the intricate landscape facing young women today.Amazon.com Review
Amazon Exclusive: Allison Winn Scotch Reviews Commencement
Allison Winn Scotch is the New York Times bestselling leader of Time of My Life and The Department of Lost & Establish. Her third novel, The Most pleased Days of My Life, will be published in 2010. Read her exclusive Amazon guest review of Commencement:
There is a curious thing that happens to nearly all of us in the haze of our post-college years, and that is this: we anticipate the prospect of apt honest-to-God adults with both heady excitement and incomprehensible dread. Dread because we know, wisely, that once we cross this threshold, we cannot go back; there is no sleeping in past eleven, no immature antics that can still be written off to childhood, no phoning our parents when the checkbook hits zero. Excitement because it is such a relief to evolve into something larger than we were before, to embrace the world as ready, steady grown-ups. And J. Courtney Sullivan, via her debut novel, Commencement, explores these very complexities and growing pains of leaving behind our adolescences and surrendering to adulthood.
As I followed the intertwining paths of her four protagonists, each written honestly and tenderly, I couldn’t help but recall my own tangled path toward adulthood, the missteps, the right steps, the paths that have lead to a content life. And this is what the very best fiction does: it draws you in, resonating, asking you to reflect not just on the characters, but yourself. There is Celia, who can’t get unstuck from her rut; there is April, whose convictions threaten to overshadow the rest of her life; there is Bree, who faces a choice between her happiness and that of her family tree’s; and there is Sally, who is taping herself back together after the loss of her mother who held her family tree together.
The four of them, united as freshmen at Smith, slowly bond to form their own family tree, and like even the best of families, they find themselves both dependent and also broke at various points in their lives. Sullivan does a fabulous job steering the quartet through realistic, life-changing events, events that so many of us have veteran in these growing years that usher us into our thirties. She never loses control of the plots, never lets the characters spill into something fake or untrue. An unplanned pregnancy, a dead-end job, a relationship that might be worth salvaging, but who really knows how or if?
What I loved most about Commencement, and there were many things—the smart writing, the laugh-out-loud dialogue, the ending that I truly couldn’t predict—was that it reminded me so much of how much I loved persons years of my life. And how much I loved my friends who I have been fortunate enough to have along in my journey. I establish myself rewinding through memories, sifting through ancient pictures, smiling as I was reading because Sullivan managed to transport me. She made quick characters who became part of my life, and thus, allowed my life to become part of her book. This is also what the best fiction does, it pulls you along for the ride as if you were there, as if you were in between the pages, as if Sullivan knew my own tale and made it hers. —Allison Winn Scotch
Buy Cheap Commencement Online
No related posts.
What Mary McCarthy did with The Group, J. Courtney does with Commencement. A behind the scenes look at Smith and how four brilliant women are changed forever.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
The fantastic read really meets and exceeds its hype as the 21st Century version of Mary Mcarthy’s iconic The Group. The characters are distinct, well-drawn, plausible, right, appealing. The situations are dramatic enough to hold your attention lacking veering into soap opera or the surreal. The attention to detail brings the world of early 21st century Smith College and the lives of four of its alumnae to life. I cared about these women. I believed in their tales. This is a page-turning narrative that is also fantastic literature.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
This is a fun book. I wish I would have read it when I was an undergrad, as it reminds of that special time. The book’s target audience will be late teens and early adults.
The book sheds light on what life is like for women at an all women’s university. What I like most about this book, is that it promises more feminist chick lit. Maybe we can say goodbye to whiny Bridget Jones and hello to these young women who know more about politics, gender, masculinity, and the like and use the information in their daily lives.
This book would work well in the classroom: English, Women’s Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, and Literature courses.
Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5
This book is a chick- lit light read and does fantastic disservice to Smith and its very strong intellectual side – it goes for the lowest common denominator emotional grab and avoids what makes and has made Smith a wonderful intellecutal experiencence. In fleeting Smith’s name has been taken in vain – if you want a cheap beach read grab the book.
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
I am a recent grad of one of the seven sister schools and was VERY excited about this book. It’s a quick and simple read, and I related and loved the entire first half. It paints an amazingly accurate picture of what life can be like at one of these literary institutions. I laughed and cried as I went down memory lane. The second half was not as tangible for me, but I loved it just the same. I reflect any recent grad can tell to the struggles depicted by the characters in this novel.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5