Reviews

Tracy Flick Can't Win by Tom Perrotta

vampirequeenejoey's review

5.0

4.75 stars
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book... I knew nothing about it (or Tom Perrotta or Tracy Flick) going into it, and only read it to get an achievement on my kindle LOL... but I am so so so glad I did.
Has an ensemble cast and each of their lives is so interesting and DIFFERENT and *real* and I laughed a lot (book is INSANELY funny) and I cried maybe twice as much (it's also very touching, and a testament to human behavior, I feel).
Love love LOVED this book till the end, which left me less than thrilled, but it was good, I guess. not enough for me to bump down to a 4 star rating.
second favorite book i've read this year so far, following very closely behind another ensemble cast novel, Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin!!!!!!! Seems I love this type of book.

toddnoth's review

5.0

Very powerful, relatable, and just a little unsettling. Ok a lot unsettling in an insightful way.

kevintheyeoman's review

funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

vip1001's review against another edition

dark emotional funny relaxing sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

angus_mckeogh's review

4.0

I love Tracy Flick. I loved Election. And it was great to meet up with this character again. As usual, Perrotta has an easy to read style that is steeped in emotion. Highly recommended.

hannet's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I thought this was lame. Got the recommendation from somewhere, kept reading even though I was bored. I did like the many viewpoints and array of characters, though I can't say I sympathized with any of them. Why everyone was having affairs, preferably with teenagers, I don't know and didn't enjoy, especially since I just read My Ex-Life, which also included one, and I started this after having a workshop with a cool school principal and it felt extra-icky.
This didn't feel very... deep, but then it also didn't feel very relaxing, because it was pretty dark (alcoholics, affairs, deaths, some sprinkled-in failed life dreams, etc.). Maybe it was meant to be very realistic and "this is life, kid"-y. When Vito got shot like a page before the end of the book... And suddenly Marissa was Tracy's friend and helped her recover!? Maybe if this book had more pages it could've done what it tried to do?
Felt this quote from Tracy summed it up: There's no such thing as immortality; all our striving is in vain. In the end, we'll all be forgotten, every single one of us, the winners and the losers alike. Or maybe I was just a little morose after reading all that. Hoping to forget this book, hehe.

Update: I just read some reviews and found out the bestseller teased at the back of my book copy is actually the prequel to this and from 1998, it's been made into a successful movie with Reese Witherspoon and follows Tracy's election to be class president. Interesting. Almost interesting enough to give the book a chance. Would've preferrred to read the older one I think. Alas. Cool concept to do a sequel like this, though!

gracejapan's review

funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

ekofficer's review

4.0

I voted Tracy Flick as one of my all-time favorite characters during her Election debut. I should have predicted she’d become a school administrator who previously attended law school. Much like the voices in this book, an inner voice of dark humor and jaded point of view narrates my days, so I find Tracy Flick relatable and inspiring. I’m now looking forward to channeling my inner Tracy Flick while at school and watching the upcoming movie for further inspiration.

mgrau's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.0

milliebrierley's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0