“As a longtime fan of tennis and good writing, I felt like Thomas wrote this memoir just for me . . . There’s lively writing about tennis, but also about competitiveness and emotional toughness, and finding oneself later in life.” —Emily Burack, Alma

"A moving and original memoir . . . a story of finding what sustains us in the face of unexpected change and grief." —Sloane Crosley, Departures

"The author's honesty is what makes this memoir appealing, and Thomas' insights into the world of amateur tennis are compelling." —Booklist

"Intensity marks Thomas's beautiful memoir, which is a meticulously detailed, often darkly funny account of her hot pursuit of a dream deferred . . . Smart, clever and very suspenseful . . . With Thomas serving as narrator for the multi-layered, no-holds-barred odyssey of her ascent into middle age, she emerges as a top seed and the very best of them all." —Shelf Awareness

"Thomas (Oligarchy) serves an ace of a memoir with this trenchant account about the pains of getting older . . . This window into midlife desire is cathartic, amusing reading for anyone who’s wanted desperately to win." —Publishers Weekly

"What, really, is a trophy? Scarlett Thomas' is covered in spikes, and may also be radioactive, but she plunks it down defiantly in this addictive memoir. A bracing statement on athleticism as continual work in progress, the limits of bodies, and the go-for-broke ambition to be exceptional." —Vikki Warner, author of Tenemental: Adventures of a Reluctant Landlady