Tracy Flick Can't Win

by Tom Perrotta, Lucy Liu (Read by), Dennis Boutsikaris (Read by), Jeremy Bobb (Read by), Ramona Young (Read by)

Overview

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Reese Witherspoon

“Tom Perrotta is...one of the great writers that we have today. I love this book.” —Harlan Coben

An “engrossing and mordantly funny” (People) novel about ambition, coming-of-age in adulthood, and never really leaving high school politics behind—featuring New York Times bestselling author Tom Perrotta’s most iconic character of all time.

Tracy Flick is a hardworking assistant principal at a public high school in suburban New Jersey. Still ambitious but feeling a little stuck and underappreciated in midlife, Tracy gets a jolt of good news when the longtime principal, Jack Weede, abruptly announces his retirement, creating a rare opportunity for Tracy to ascend to the top job.

Energized by the prospect of her long-overdue promotion, Tracy throws herself into her work with renewed zeal, determined to prove her worth to the students, faculty, and School Board, while also managing her personal life—a ten-year-old daughter, a needy doctor boyfriend, and a burgeoning meditation practice.

But nothing ever comes easily to Tracy Flick, no matter how diligent or qualified she happens to be. Her male colleagues’ determination to honor Vito Falcone—a star quarterback of dubious character who had a brief, undistinguished career in the NFL—triggers memories for Tracy and leads her to reflect on the trajectory of her own life. As she considers the past, Tracy becomes aware of storm clouds brewing in the present. Is she really a shoo-in for the principal job? Is the Superintendent plotting against her? Why is the School Board President’s wife trying so hard to be her friend? And why can’t she ever get what she deserves?

A sharp, darkly comic, and pitch-perfect chronicle of the second act of one of the most memorable characters of our time, Tracy Flick Can’t Win “delivers acerbic insight about frustrated ambition” (Esquire).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781797139081
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication date:	06/07/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,102,336
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 5.70(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Tom Perrotta is the bestselling author of ten works of fiction, including Election and Little Children, both of which were made into critically acclaimed movies, and The Leftovers and Mrs. Fletcher, which were both adapted into HBO series. He lives outside Boston.

Dennis Boutsikaris won an OBIE Award for his performance in Sight Unseen and played Mozart in Amadeus on Broadway. Among his films are *batteries not included, The Dream Team, and Boys On the Side. His many television credits include And Then There Was One, Chasing the Dragon, and 100 Center Street.

Hometown:

Belmont, Massachusetts

Date of Birth:

August 13, 1961

Place of Birth:

Summit, New Jersey

Education:

B.A. in English, Yale University, 1983; M.A. in English/Creative Writing, Syracuse University, 1988

Website:

http://tomperrotta.net/

Editorial Reviews

Lucy Liu, Dennis Boutsikaris, and other talented performers rivet listeners with this sequel to ELECTION. Perrotta revisits alpha female Tracy Flick, now a middle-aged assistant principal at Green Meadow High. Liu as Flick sounds no-nonsense yet girlish as she voices Traci’s midlife frustration and hope for a promotion. Boutsikaris, as retiring Principal Weede, has a world-weary, wistful tone. When a rich alum insists that Green Meadow create a Hall of Fame featuring successful graduates, it stirs up troubling memories for the whole community. Ali Andre Ali and Ramona Young shine in portraying two seniors on the Hall of Fame selection committee; their young voices convey that adolescence has its own regrets. This lively ensemble captivates right up to the audiobook’s unexpected, timely conclusion. E.S.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2023 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2022 - AudioFile

"Perrotta has what it takes to revisit the past without being predictable.”—The Atlantic

“Perrotta . . . tells the story through a web of different characters and perspectives. It’s a book populated with middle-aged people disappointed in what life has brought—and yet, Tracy Flick Can’t Win is an oddly uplifting read. Perrotta’s great gift is that he lets his love for his characters, flaws and all, shine through, and Tracy emerges as a much richer, more sympathetic character than in the earlier book; she has grown, as has her creator. . . . I was rooting hard for Tracy Flick to, finally, win.” —Seattle Times

“This sequel, set in 2017, takes a sympathetic view of now middle-aged Tracy, an assistant principal and single mom, as she reconciles her past ambitions with her current dissatisfaction in life. Perrotta brings his trademark dark humor and insights into suburbia to the story, along with some sweet observations about friendship.”—Real Simple

"The heroine of Perrotta’s Election returns in this sharp and perfectly executed story of frustrated ambition...This is the rare sequel that lives up to the original.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"In this culturally savvy sequel to his enduring best-seller, Election (1998), and its wildly popular film adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon, Perrotta again tells a smart, entertaining story from multiple perspectives, oral-history style. The breeziness of the pacing provides tart counterpoint to weightier themes of adultery, ambition, atonement, and revenge which Perrotta handles with a deft but determined satiric touch.”—Booklist

“Combining narrated chapters with short first-person “testimonies” by five of the characters, the plot unfolds with the you-are-there feel of a documentary, or mockumentary perhaps ... the ending is a shocker. Nobody told this master of dark comedy there are things you can’t make jokes about. Watch him try.”—Kirkus

From the Publisher

09/01/2022

In this follow-up to Perrotta's 1998 novel Election, Tracy Flick (Election's ambitious high schooler) is an assistant principal at a suburban New Jersey high school. She feels a renewed ambition for work when the principal unexpectedly announces his retirement. Tracy works hard to prove worthy of the promotion while trying to raise her daughter, maintain a relationship with her needy boyfriend, and practice meditation. Her first task is to head up the selection committee for the new high school hall of fame. The suggestion of the school's most famous quarterback makes her reflect on the past. And, well, Tracy Flick just can't win. The community members of Green Meadow, NJ, are voiced by a full cast, including Lucy Liu, Dennis Boutsikaris, Jeremy Bobb, and Ramona Young, along with four others. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character, adding many sides to the events of the book and making this a fun listen. VERDICT Part dark comedy, part social commentary, Perrotta's latest will be in demand by his fans.—Elyssa Everling

Library Journal - Audio