Alice Murphy's Preservation - Paperback

by Maria Kennedy (Author)

Fifteen-year-old Alice Murphy is an independent-minded, offbeat young lady. Blunt, goofy and somewhat naïve, Alice longs to connect to the world around her. She has trouble fitting in at school and frequently says the wrong thing at the wrong time. Her English teacher, Mrs. Sinclair, labeled her as a B student on the first day of class and can't see her any other way. She has a crush on lacrosse team star, Jim Flaherty, a boy who approaches life with a type of confidence and certainty that Alice has never known.

While writing an article for the Glenwood High School News on the lacrosse team, Alice unwittingly stumbles upon a school scandal. Jim and several of his teammates arrive at one of their games drunk and now face disciplinary measures. Alice goes to Dean Rothschild's office to schedule an appointment to interview him about the incident. While there, Alice and several members of the lacrosse team witness a confrontation between Dean Rothschild and his alcoholic wife.

As an act of revenge, Jim organizes a production of Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", a play about belligerent alcoholics. Jim plans to humiliate the dean by stylizing two of the main characters in the play to represent Dean Rothschild and his wife. Jim asks Alice and her best friend Craig, a theater aficionado, to become involved with the production.

Guided by her sardonic wit and compassion, the bumbling Alice navigates her way through high school. Through the play, she comes to terms with her identity and learns to stand up for what she believes in.

Alice is back by popular demand with this newly revised 11th anniversary suburban fever dream edition with extended ending! This new version features a new book design and illustrations by the artist Barış Şehri.