A review by hannet
Tracy Flick Can't Win by Tom Perrotta

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!