The story in one page
Betty Wales and her circle of friends enter their final year at Harding College, where the academic pressure of senior written lessons competes with the extracurricular demands of the Moonshiners’ horseback rides, bacon roasts, and the intricate planning of a cooperative commencement. Between dodging faculty members who insist on Austen assignments and navigating a wedding in Bohemia, New York, the group grapples with the transition from campus life to teaching posts and international travel. As their time together narrows to five weeks, they fill their remaining days with tea parties and the practical task of liquidating dorm assets, preparing to disperse to disparate locations ranging from Boston to Kankakee and Italy.
Who's who
- Betty
The central leader of the social group and senior student.
- Madeline
A worldly friend who invents stories and travels to Italy.
- Helen Adams
Betty's roommate who often provides a grounded perspective.
- Katherine
A senior who secures a teaching position at Kankakee Academy.
- Mary Brooks
An alumna who visits the seniors and mentors their society.
What it's really about
- Academic transition
- The pressures of post-collegiate professional employment.
- Group loyalty
- Maintaining intense female friendships through structural change.
Why it's memorable
- Babe getting physically wedged in a train station turn-stile with her luggage.
- The Merry Hearts writing home to request permission to attend a wedding.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
The friends disperse to different trains, leaving four remaining members to share one last strawberry ice cream together.
For your book club
- How domestic chores and social obligations define the senior experience.
- The tension between academic duty and the desire for social cohesion.