V's Pick #30: Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan

Have I mentioned lately how much I love this blog? If not, now is as good as time as any. I mean it, I LOVE doing this. Finishing a book is a wonderful feeling and unless I'm in an actual book club, I rarely have the opportunity to really share things about what I've read...I actually find myself looking forward to typing up my thoughts, random quotes, etc., about the books I've read because I know I have a place for all the post-reading stuff to go. Plus, I love reading about what all of you are reading. Also, when you read as much as all of us do, sometimes it's hard to remember in a few months, much less a year, what you've read - it's so nice to be able to look back on what we've accomplished as individuals and as a group so far.

Okay, so, on to this book. I picked it up from the library on a whim - a story about four women who met at Smith College and the connection of their lives as a result. In a sense, it was like reading 4 different stories and in another sense, it was like reading my own story - a tale of friendship that survives graduation, distance, marriages, careers and babies. As good as that may sound, Commencement left me wanting more - and not in that good way.

Thinking about life post-college as your freshman or sophomore years in the real world is a neat concept, but I really needed this book to move a little faster and to end a little more, well, end-like. If this were a movie, it would have a rather undramatic cliff-hanger that makes for frustration because you know there will not be a sequel...and it wasn't an interesting enough ending to make me feel okay with things not being closed up. It was sort of like Sullivan either reached her publishing deadline or just got tired of writing.

Bree, Celia, April and Sally met in the King House dorm their first year at Smith College. Sullivan, a Smith grad herself, paints what I believe to be a true picture of the feminist-centered Smith; young women at a women's college trying to figure out how to get men, trying on women, doing homework and having affairs with professors. However, even in what I'm sure is a pretty accurate portrayal of Smith, much of the writing is just kind of flat... Sullivan talks a lot about feminism, Steinem, rape, eating disorders, straight lesbians and the like, but she doesn't really SAY very much. Perhaps my expectations of this book were too high but the delivery of these characters' stories could have been handled more carefully - less cliche, more development, etc. For a book about college graduation and the entry into life, Commencement, I guess I just wanted something a little more...ceremonial.

I wouldn't recommend this book - I turned the pages pretty easy and wanted to finish it in part because I kept expecting something cool to happen...and while a lot did happen, even the big things felt small in the way they were told. Thumbs down, don't waste your time.