Cum Laude

Cum Laude Cecily von Ziegesar

5 students meet at Freshman orientation and muddle their way through their first semester at a small liberal arts college in Maine.

This isn't nearly as juicy and scandal ridden as von Ziegesar's Gossip Girl series. There are fewer characters. While there's still a lot of sex, booze, and drugs, it's more in line with regular college partying. There are overprivileged characters to be sure, but middle class ones as well. I love how well she captured life at a small college in a small town. The little details are done really well and it will ring true for anyone who went to a small college. This takes place during the Bush/Clinton/Perot election. My college election was Bush/Gore/Nader but everything still felt right and rang really true.

I especially liked the storyline with Shipley and her brother and I want to see what happens with that. I like that Shipley and Tom had talents that you wouldn't expect of them. Eliza and Tragedy made me laugh.

This is a slower, less trashy but still juicy, and still just as literary (but not as overtly so) story than Gossip Girl. I can't tell if it's going to be a series or not. I kinda want it to be, because I really want to know what happens next, but I also get the sense that if it is, it will be 8-10 books and jump the shark around book 4. We'll see what happens.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.