Commencement — J. Courtney Sullivan

COMMENCEMENT 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 idea about what to choose.

Their first year at 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; Bree pines for the fiancé she left behind in Savannah; preppy Sally 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. Commencement follows these unlikely friends through college and the years beyond, brilliantly capturing the complicated landscape facing young women today.