8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Headmaster's tedium, January 5, 2008
This review is from: The Headmaster's Dilemma (Hardcover)
Louis Auchincloss has been chronicling the antics of wealthy, perpetually dissatisfied WASPs for longer than my mother has been alive.
But it seems that he's running out of steam in "The Headmaster's Dilemma," a flaccid novella full of flat, interchangeable characters -- including the titular headmaster. Auchincloss's formal prose is still striking, but it's draped around a thin and aimless little plot that never really gets wrapped up.
Michael Sayre is the headmaster of the WASPy prep school, Averhill -- only white Protestant males allowed. But Sayre is pretty clearly (um, yeah) a radical personality, allowing girls and Jews into the school, and allowing his wife to teach a class. Much, I might add, to the chagrin of the devious trustee Donald Spencer, who hates all these changes.
Then a student is raped by another student -- until doubt is cast on whether it was consensual or not. Sayre is left teetering between the shadowy truth and the school's reputation, with Donald ready to pounce. Between the displeased trustees and the victim's bombastic mother, he might be driven out of a job.
Louis Auchincloss has made a career out of old-styled, mid-twentieth-century novels about the wealthy and aristocratic, sort of like a 20th-century Henry James (minus the clever social commentary). "The Headmaster's Dilemma" seems to be Louis Auchincloss's stab at a "modern" novel -- too bad it's a complete disaster as a novel.
The idea of a prep school rape and its possible ramifications is good, and if it were really explored it would be a brilliant one. But Auchincloss just sort of ambles around aimlessly, cramming in character backstory instead of a real plot. And to modernize his distant, formal style, he tries to toss in condoms and raunchy class banter. It's like watching a dignified matron wearing a chartreuse mini.
Worst of all, Auchincloss apparently gets tired of the story about a hundred-fifty pages in. So he whips out a quick fix from his literary hat, slaps it onto the story, and dashes off a brief epilogue. It's one of the sloppiest wrap-ups I've ever seen outside of a Laurell K. Hamilton novel.
The characters don't help matters either. Auchincloss tries hard to make Sayre an edgy, cool, radical (yet kindly) headmaster -- but frankly it's hard to tell him apart from Donald. Despite their opposing views, they're both stuffy, old-fashioned and have the charisma of a dead crab. Only the louche, aging boytoy Elias actually seems like a real person.
"The Headmaster's Dilemma" is one of those novels that seem to have been dashed off during the author's lunch hour. Limp, weak, and wrapped up on a sour note.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Disappointment, January 17, 2008
This review is from: The Headmaster's Dilemma (Hardcover)
A trivialization of an interesting subject. Not sure why it was written. Diminished a great writer's stature. No depth of characters, superficial dilemmas. Ken and Barbie as headmaster and wife.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Vintage Auchincloss, August 24, 2007
This review is from: The Headmaster's Dilemma (Hardcover)
Louis Auchincloss has rightly over the last 60 years assumed a primary position in American letters. The author of non-fiction books, he has become particularly known for his 46 volumes of fiction (including short story collections). Auchincloss has created a unique niche in that his fiction centers on the wealthy New Yorkers of the upper East Side, the powerful law firms of New York, and on occasion (such as his justly renown "The Rector of Justin") on the educational institutions upon which these upper class New Yorkers rely. Since Auchincloss himself has an impeccable pedigree of upper class distinction, his stories manifest a remarkable degree of authenticity. That is, Auchincloss is writing largely about "his own."
This novel is set in a New England boarding school much patronized by the wealthy. Auchincloss does not develop elaborate plots for the most part; his genius lies in how his characters interact when faced with various crisis situations. Here the story involves allegations of sexual impropriety between male students. This intersects with a continuing conflict between the school's wealthy board chair, dedicated to keeping things the same as when he attended, and the headmaster who is an engine for change. There is also a dimension added by the unhappiness of the headmaster's wife. But the most interesting facet is how the parents of the two boys, the board chair, the lawyers, and the headmaster all react to this extremely explosive situation. These upper class folks react in ways a bit different than the rest of us--so the author gives us a peek into the folkways of this elite and reclusive group. While one can wonder if people really speak the kind of dialogue that the author puts into his characters' mouths, this does not detract from the enjoyment of the novel. As Auchincloss approches 90 this year, one can only hope that he continues to write and give us more insight into this interesting segment of New York life.
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