Commencement

Summary

J. Courtney Sullivan’s acclaimed work has appeared in the New York Times and other prestigious publications. In this radiant debut novel, she examines the deep bonds of friendship and the complex landscape facing young women.

Celia, Bree, Sally, and April arrive at Smith College as four very different people, yet over the years they form a deep bond. Once they graduate, they must take the feminist ideals they’ve been taught and apply them to the real world. Confronting one-night stands, parental disapproval, the occasional broken heart, and the perils of activism, the women draw strength from one another. But they still have lingering disagreements, which reach the boiling point the night before Sally’s wedding.

Sharply written and peppered with doses of savage humor, Commencement marks the birth of a shining new star in the literary firmament.