"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