Tracy Flick Can't Win

By: Tom Perrotta

Narrated by: Lucy Liu, Dennis Boutsikaris, Jeremy Bobb, Ramona Young, Ali Andre Ali, Pete Simonelli, A Full Cast

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).

Critic 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."

Outstanding!

The performances in this book are fantastic! You don't want it to end! In fact, it deserves repeated listening. Even if Tracy can't win, we listeners do!

Lacked focus

Unlike his singleminded heroine Tracy Flick, Tom Perrotta seemed all over the place on this one. So many characters and subplots …so many different points of view. Some of the subplots were interesting, and might have been developed into full fledged novels of their own, but others were so insubstantial I didn’t understand the point. Perrotta seemed intent on hitting all the hot button social issues — Me Too, LGBTQ, Black Lives Matter…the book felt almost like an apology for any unwoke transgressions the author might have committed in Election.

That said, even three star Tom Perrotta is a delight to listen to, and I was sorry when this story came to an end — an ending so abrupt (and to my mind contrived) I wondered if Perrotta had been under some sort of deadline pressure and needed to wrap things up in a hurry.

The connection to Election was a stretch for me. Election had a wonderful dark humor, which was not present in the sequel. And after Reese Witherspoon nailed Tracy’s character so brilliantly in the movie, it was jarring to find her reappearing in the voice of Lucy Liu, whose interpretation — though perfectly fine in its own right — was quite different. All in all, I’d give Tracy Flick Can’t Win a B-.

I’m Picking Flick

An exception to my usual “meh” response to sequels. I really liked it. Tracy has grown up and keeps growing up, along with the rest of the failed yet hopeful cast of characters. Satisfying and very human.

It is cleverly organized

Not bad but not to my taste. Give it a taste, just not very imaginative stuff.

Literary Excellence

Loved “Election”, but this one is better. While still nailing the misogyny and politics in the work place, Perotta presents a more optimistic tone in “Tracy…”. Perhaps the author, like me, has softened and mellowed a bit with age.