J. Courtney Sullivan

J. Courtney Sullivan picks The Wife by Meg Wolitzer

The Wife, Wolitzer's slim jewel of a novel, is the sort of book you could easily read in one sitting but wish would last all summer. Set partly at Smith College in the 1950s, it chronicles the life of a talented writer (and Smith grad) whose dreams are subsumed by those of her famous novelist husband (he's also her former professor). I admire Wolitzer's humor and her ability to create tightly packed, pitch-perfect sentences. The Wife is a brilliant take on marriage, motherhood and ambition, as well as a reminder of how far American women have come.

Sullivan's debut novel is Commencement

Listen to the extended interview: J. Courtney Sullivan talks to TIME about her summer reads

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