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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
funny
fast-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this up because I love the movie. It turns out that the movie is a very faithful adaptation. As it, if you've done one, you really don't need to try the other, unless you're just curious. I was, and I wound up liking the book just about as much.
medium-paced
dark
funny
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
one of the few instances where the film was better than the book
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault
i know it was the 90s, but absolutely unnecessary use of the n word right at the end
I liked Tammy and Tracy, and could relate to how much they wanted to move on from high school, but Paul was kind of a wet blanket, and all of the adults were creepy. The constant objectification of the female characters, plus the ableism relating to the news story they bring up at the beginning, made this book really hard to read. I don’t think it aged well, and if it were any longer, I probably would have DNF’d.
This hits differently in 2022. A lot can change in 30 years.Try comparing 1993 to 1963. Right? The Me Too movement, multiple American presidential elections with voting count "issues" (understatement.)
I hadn't read this then, only had seen the film. I am looking forward to see what Tom Perrotta has in store for Tracy in his latest. I have it on the reservation list at the library. :)
I hadn't read this then, only had seen the film. I am looking forward to see what Tom Perrotta has in store for Tracy in his latest. I have it on the reservation list at the library. :)
What fun! I am so happy to be reminded that I enjoy Perotta's writing; it's just so snappy. These characters manage to be utterly ridiculous and somehow also real!
I forgot how much I like Tom Perrotta! Election had interesting (sometimes disturbing) characters and a ridiculously 90s-schooldays plot line. I didn’t love the ending, but the rest of the book was pretty great. I’d recommend it.
While I’ve seen clips from the movie, I hadn’t seen the movie or read the book it was based on. This is a gem of a novel! So much is relevant to today. I wanted to hear more from Tracy Flick. She was so little of the novel that it was disappointing. I’m sure that’s purposeful, how the men drown her out for space/airtime. It was interesting how I hated Mr. M, then he redeemed himself, and then was back in the toilet again. I felt like Mr. M., while unlikeable for most of the book, was real.
A bit saddened that the “R” word was used (1/2 star taken off for this). Some of the dated 90s scenes were nostalgic, like calling someone’s landline and getting their home answering machine. I feel like this book isn’t going to fade from my mind soon, which is why it was lurking in 4.5 star territory, and I can’t wait to pick up the recently released sequel!