Commencement

Pathetic

This book had a good start similar to sisterhood of traveling pants, and then went downhill from there. 4 friends that can't get over their college years. 4 friends that have absolutely nothing in common & remained friends for no reason. Years after they graduate they were still dwelling on the past. The end just topped the cake. TOTALLY RIDICULOUS. Do not waste your time-even if you have nothing better to do!

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Loved It

I just finished the book yesterday and I thought it was an excellent book! I've read all of Emily Giffin's books and I've been looking for another author with similar writing style for awhile and I feel this book really satisfied me; you'll finish the book in no time because you won't be able to put it down (you'll also wish she came out with another book already!)

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great Summer "Chick Lit".......Heck, great "Chick Lit" anytime

I enjoyed this book and the character development of the 4 women involved in the story. It centers around life at Smith College and the friendships between the 4 girls. Then upon graduation....they all go their separate ways, but the friendships remain strong. It was definitely "chick lit" but a great summer read. I was in it until the last page. I recommend it for some great light reading. Can't wait to start her new book......MAINE.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Fun & Daring

A group of best friends go their seperate ways after college. Each take what they've learned in different directions. The plot tears you between who you should side with as the girls grow apart. It makes you wish you had friends like these who will go to any extent to be there in your hardest and best times. This book focuses a lot on women's rights.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not worth the time...

I am all for giving new writers the benefit of the doubt, but this book was a waste of my time. The writer wrote more about Smith College, than developing the characters or the story itself. There was no closure, although the writer had many opportunities to do so, and the ending was horrible, I literally thought the last pages were lost. I would not recommend this book to anyone....and am disappointed I spent the money on it myself...

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

As a graduate of a women's college, Cottey College, I dove into

As a graduate of a women's college, Cottey College, I dove into this hoping to find exactly what I found. A wonderous story about the bonds you forge going to a women's college. While the ending left me with a desire for more, I have to say that overall it was a worthwhile read. My Cottey sisters will ALWAYS be my sisters. They are the first ones I turn to for anything and when we get together it is like we had never been apart. This book does a fantastic job describing how important those friendships and how it really is hard to move on from that nuturing environment of a women's college.

RECOMMEND

THE 4 MAIN CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK ARE ALL DOWN-TO-EARTH GIRLS WHO GET IN THEIR OWN WAY AT TIMES. BASICALLY GOOD STORY LINE FOR ALL.

I WOULD READ OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR.

A great novel about true sisters...

I am not a Smithie. I am, however, a graduate of Cottey, a women's college. Although I found some of the stereotypes in this book to be over the top, I feel that the deep bond of forging sisterhood experienced at a women'a college was written with startling accuracy. My Cottey sisters will always be my sisters, regardless of where we are on life's journey. The book does a great job describing life upon leaving school and our sisters. It does a great job of explaining the difficulty of letting go and realizing we've moved on but still hold our college and sisters dear in our hearts. Like the characters, we'd drop everything to go to them. The ending was unresolved but perhaps the ending the reader 'wants' is not the one the novel needs.

looking back... a pity read

you know how you date someone, really knowing s/he is a nice person and you really want to like them more, so you keep trying and trying... and finally when it dies a sad little death you look back and think "pity"? that was this book for me.

Well written, but...

The ending was awful. Where it ended seemed like a great place to launch the characters off and tell a great tale. If this wasn't meant to be a setup for a sequel, it's a total disappointment. Really enjoyed the characters and 'felt' them. Maybe that's why the ending seemed so abrupt. Nice first effort but the ending makes me leery of reading further books by Ms. Sullivan.

A mostly accurate portrayal of women's colleges

Going to an women's college myself (I went to Wellesley), I decided that this would be an interesting read. To my surprise, the author was spot on in some of the experiences before and after one attends a women's college. Such as the questioning of sexuality, dealing with outsiders believing you're a femi-nazi, and the old traditions that women's colleges have. A few things I thought were blown out of proportion, but otherwise accurate. I enjoyed the characters and got wrapped up in there stories. Personally I enjoyed this book and thought it was a good beach read that made you think.

so so

full disclosure-i am a mount holyoke alum...but i was hoping to love this for what it might have to say about wimen' s colleges ( and i love my alma mater). the characters aren' t well fleshed out, and this is just another formulaic story of four classmates...i think i read this same book years ago, written by rona jaffe. i expected ( and hoped for) more from a smith graduate.

Liked the story, hated the ending

I enjoyed all of the characters in this book. I felt a connection with all four women and enjoyed the story from each of their points of view. However, there are two things I disliked about this book- the underdevelopment of the storyline and the abrupt ending. I wish the author would have gone more in depth with each of the characters' personalities so I had a better understanding of who they were and how they go through their daily lives. The characters seemed a little hollow, and with more detail, they would have recieved more stars. I did not care for the ending. It was rather unsettling and I didn't feel as if the story was complete. Overall, enjoyed the book, but was left wanting more.

Good Read

I really got into this book. I thought it had a nice variety of characters that were easy to follow. It shows how 4 completely different people can all be close.

A much older version of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

When I read the summary on the back of the book, I imagined a nice little tale of four best friends and their coming of age journeys through college. Boy, was I surprised when I delved into the eye-opening pages of feministic views on everything you can imagine. Commencement may look like a light and friendly read, but it touches on extremely tough issues like rape, sex trafficking, and violence against women. Some passages throughout the book are really graphic, which leads me to believe that Ms. Sullivan was trying desperately to make a statement (which, in my opinion, she brilliantly succeeded). However, at some point towards the second half, I became emotionally tired of reading about all of the heavy stuff. Maybe it just became too much for me to handle. Or, maybe I just got bored with it. Either way, I was anxious to finish this novel for all of the wrong reasons.

Read for FUN ~ not for a Stance

Reading other reviews, it appears the Negative Reviews are from those who had expectations that Sullivan would deliver a book that would appeal to them as Smith or any of the Seven Sisters alums, staunch feminists, literary critics, or loyal NYTimes fans.

I went in to this book looking for a FICTIONAL, page-turning, enjoyable, summer read, and expecting a touching book about women and their friendships. I got what I had hoped for and MORE. I devoured this one in a weekend ~ something I've not done in YEARS. It is no literary award winner, and one part of the story line may not be totally believable, but it is after all fictional. I went with it, was touched by it, thoroughly enjoyed it, and look forward to seeing what Sullivan comes up with next.

Don't expect worthwhile reading material.

The book starts off strong, chronicling the characters' pasts at Smith but quickly fizzles out. As I read I felt like I was reading another SIsterhood of the Traveling Pants books, only the sisters had grown up. I only recommend this book as a last ditch reading effort.

Starts Strong Then Disappoints

After reading the reviews I was really excited to read this book. I'm sorry to say I was truly disappointed. At the beginning, the strength of the writing carried me through. I enjoyed the flashbacks to the girls' college years in particular. And the conversations about feminism were witty and realistic, as well as reflective of the theme of the book and therefore artful. But once I entered Part Two I gave up. I'd lost interest. There needed to be more plot or an unexpected twist to carry my interest. I wish the author would have set the book in college or worked harder to develop the plot.

I loved this book i could not stop reading it.

I liked how the novel was written. I liked how different the charachters are, but also how much they care for each other despite there difference of opinion. I did not expect one of the girls to be a lesbian. Although she did not admit she was one in the beginning, she just happen to fall in love with another girl. And goes to show you that love is unexpected, you can find it in anyone, doesnt matter who or what they are, when your in love your in love. I liked April who is a big time femminist, i liked how she really wants to make a difference in this world, even put her self in danger to make other womens voices be heard. I just loved the book and i highly recommend it.

Super

I had a lot of fun reading this book. You really feel like you know the characters. A very good any day read!