false 6080420 2 A sparkling debut novel: a tender story of friendship, a witty take on liberal arts colleges, and a fascinating portrait of the first generation of women who have all the choices in the world, but no clear idea about which choices to make.<br><br>Classmates their first year at Smith College, Celia, Bree, Sally, and April couldn’t be more different. Alone and together, they soon learn that Smith is a hothouse: of sexual discovery, political activism, female bonding, and carbohydrates eaten with abandon. And although several years after graduation they live in far-flung places, their Smith years have left them fiercely devoted to one another. Schooled in the ideals of feminism, they must decide how it all applies to their own real world in matters of love, work, family, and sex. For Celia, Bree, and Sally, it will mean grappling with one-night stands, loneliness and heartbreak, parental disapproval, and changing maiden names. But for April, whose college activism becomes her life’s work, it will mean something else entirely.<br><br>Written with radiant style and a wicked sense of humor, <i>Commencement</i> not only captures the intensity of college friendships and first loves, but also explores with great candor the complicated and contradictory landscape facing young women today. 6257109 book 16 6 2009 Commencement: A Novel total:824|5:95|4:272|3:294|2:126|1:37| 824 2734 1989 253 3 0 false false Fri Sep 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 17 21:01:58 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 17 21:09:46 -0700 2009 1 Commencement most strongly reminded me of was a grown-up, feminist, rather more gay version of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books. I mean all of this in a very good way -- I really enjoyed the...more...]]> 3 2 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 04:59:06 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 05:18:03 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jun 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 06:59:23 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 07:12:02 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 2 false false Mon Aug 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 07:37:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 07:46:22 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Aug 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 07 17:50:18 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 07 18:16:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 3 false false Sun Aug 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 16:02:02 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 16:44:31 -0700 2009
If you have attended Smith, especially during the early 2000s, this has some entertaining Smith-specific ...more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Jul 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 07 08:23:05 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 07 08:32:58 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 6 false false Sat Jun 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 06:12:08 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 06:17:48 -0700 2009
On the plus side: I love four girls novels. When I was a kid, they were boarding school novels. Four very different girls arrive in a place, usually a boarding school, where t...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jun 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 17:10:12 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 17:20:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jun 07 13:11:25 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 07 13:11:56 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 1 false false Tue Jun 02 14:28:44 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 02 14:31:24 -0700 2009
Commencement, the debut novel by J. Cou...more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Jul 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 24 15:55:49 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 09:20:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 20 14:34:58 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 09:25:45 -0700 2009
In the past year, I've read two other books that share things with Commencement. The first is Joanna Smith Rakoff's book a...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 12:34:28 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 08:15:53 -0700 2009
To be honest, I don't know how a non Smithie, or even someone who didn't go to a women's college would relate to this book. I know I definitely enjoyed it because I could relate to something from ever...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jul 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 10:56:03 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 10:58:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 1 false false Wed Aug 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 08 12:34:38 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 21:17:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 1 false true Sun Jul 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 12:10:33 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 12:08:52 -0700 2009
I found little of value here: More questions are raised than are resolved, which would be one thing if it were done with mo...more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 21:07:13 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 20:35:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 2 false false Sun Jun 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 22:29:01 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 20 22:22:25 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 2 false false Sat Jun 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 21:28:52 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 20 21:10:13 -0700 2009 This story centers around four girl...more...]]>