The Faculty Lounge

A Novel

De: Jennifer Mathieu

Narrado por: Lisa Flanagan

**An instant National Bestseller!**

A July 2024 LibraryReads Pick!

By the acclaimed author of Moxie, a funny, bighearted adult debut that is at once an ode to educators, a timely glimpse at today’s pressing school issues, and a tender character study, following a sprawling cast of teachers, administrators, and staff at a Texas high school

With its ensemble of warm and unforgettable characters, The Faculty Lounge shows listeners a different side of school life. It all starts when an elderly substitute teacher at Baldwin High School is found dead in the faculty lounge. After a bit of a stir, life quickly returns to normal—it’s not like it’s the worst (or even most interesting) thing that has happened within the building’s walls. But when, a week later, the spontaneous scattering of his ashes on the school grounds catches the attention of some busybody parents, it sets in motion a year that can only be described as wild, bizarre, tragic, mundane, beautiful, and humorous all at once.

In the midst of the ensuing hysteria and threats of disciplinary action, the novel peeks into the lives of the implicated adults who, it turns out, actually have first names and continue to exist when the school day is done. We meet: a former punk band front man, now a middle-aged principal who must battle it out with the schoolboard to keep his job; a no-nonsense school nurse willing to break the rules, despite the close watch on their campus, when a student arrives at her office with a dilemma; and a disgruntled English instructor who finds himself embroiled in even more controversy when he misfires a snarky email. Oh, and there’s also a teacher make-out session in a supply closet during a lockdown.

As these people continue to manage the messiness of this school year, there is the looming threat of what will become of their beloved Baldwin High. Ultimately, at the heart of this unconventional workplace novel is a story of the power of human connection and of the joy of finding purpose in what it is we do every day.

©2024 Jennifer Mathieu (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“The witty dialogue will keep readers’ interest, and the social observations are topical and current… highly entertaining and fun”—Library Journal (starred review)

“This is a hell of a way to start the school year, announces a teacher in the opening pages of Jennifer Mathieu's delightful novel, a celebration of teachers who remain heroically human in nearly impossible times. Likewise, The Faculty Lounge is a hell of a way to announce a major new voice in adult fiction. I loved it.”—Steven Rowley, New York Times bestselling author of The Celebrants and The Guncle

"The Faculty Lounge is painfully incisive and hilariously honest. Jennifer Mathieu takes readers behind the classroom doors, into the hearts and minds of a deeply relatable cast of public school educators who remain delightfully human and singularly courageous in the face of the superhuman expectations placed upon them. An exceptional read."—Elle Cosimano, New York Times bestselling author of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Lovely read

The Faculty Lounge is a touching and candid account of what it’s like to be a teacher. As the novel concludes, “it is good work.”

Great back to school listen

I enjoyed the relatable characters and humor. The author understood the assignment. Teachers will enjoy this book.

Love Letter to Teachers

Wow. I am so glad I read this book. I absolutely see why the author called it a "love letter" to educators. I found myself and my colleagues of past and present on those pages. I have lived so many of these moments and experiences and felt so many of these same feelings -- like SO MANY. It felt even more special that the setting was not only current but local -- a Houston, TX public school. It tackled familiar personas of REAL students, teachers, and parents, current issues in the field of public ed, and the reality that teachers are only human -- PEOPLE with lives and feelings and pasts and families and hearts. This is admittedly not my genre, and I normally find character studies boring, but it was my connection that made me love this book. Had this been about any other group of people from any other institution or organization, I would likely have passed it by. Thank you for bringing us to life in the page, Mrs. Mathieu.

Snore

This is one of the most boring books I have listened to in ages. I would have normally give up and returned it by the third or fourth chapter. But this was for my bookclub.
There is no plot, there is very little connection between the characters. It is several chapters about the different people but it lead nowhere. It had so much potential but was sorely lacking. I was really surprised someone had recommended it. I certainly would not.

Thank you from a teacher!

I loved the characters, and, as a teacher, I loved reading a novel where I actually felt seen! More, please!

School Life

This is a charming peek behind the scenes of faculty life in a large High School in Houston, Texas. At times very funny, at other times sad. It’s a tribute to the educators who devote their lives to teaching young people, particularly in a public school setting.

meh

To sum it up in a single word, disjointed is the best way to describe this.

A teacher's world

it felt so true to the world of teaching. All of the personalities were great.

Mostly good

Maybe I’m biased because I am a teacher but I enjoyed most of this. The narrator did a great job and I could relate to a lot of the characters.
It started to drag about 85% in. Also there was not 1 but 2 women who went after married men…..was that really necessary ?

Author understands

I have been a teacher for 30 Years and while I have never taught high school, all schools have a certain mechanics to them in order to run. The author understands that and captures it perfectly.