Michael Sayre is the headmaster at an elite private school called Averhill. Michael attended this same school when he was a boy and was a popular, intelligent, and athletic student. Donald Spencer, chairman of the board of the school, also attended Averhill at the same time as Michael but only dreamed of being popular and athletic. As you can imagine, Donald has feels some animosity and jealousy towards Michael which helps to create the "dilemma" in the title. Short, easy read but somewhat lacking in character development. ( )

This is typical fare from Auchincloss set in the upper-class milieu about which he writes. His prose is splendid but the story brings nothing new to the table. Only for devotees, plus if you have not read The Rector of Justin (his best and a classic) go there first and skip this novel altogether. ( )

The Headmaster's Dilemma
by Louis Auchincloss

This book is the story of Michael Sayre, the handsome, avant-garde headmaster of Averhill, the great New England prep school, as he is faced with a school administrator's worst nightmare: a lawsuit brought by a fervent mother in response to a sexual incident involving her son and an upperclassman. To make matters worse, Michael is losing the support of both the board of trustees -- led by the conniving Donald Spencer -- and senior faculty members resistant to modern sensibilities. With the help of his wife, Michael attempt to right these wrongs while keeping Averhill's best interests in mind.

This novel is classic Auchincloss, to wit:

1. The story offers a tongue-in-cheek romp into the backbiting jungle of academia and elitist parrying.

2. Auchincloss casts a scathing eye on all of his characters -- no one is spared!! The "victimized" boy is a calculating worm, his "oppressor" is a lout, the boy's mother is an hysterical old bat who flouts her moral superiority, the boy's father is a "man of leisure" who married his wife for her money and finds the entire prep school incident to be mildly amusing, and even Michael, the "innocent man" who is caught in the middle, is a bit too perfect for his own good -- it's nice to see him squirm. Throw in Michael's wife, a woman who isn't adverse to using her sex appeal to promote her husband's rise (and therefore, her own) in the world, and add Michael's arch enemy, a one-time friend who can't forgive Michael for being so successful, and you've got quite a crew!!!

3. The novel is wickedly funny from start to finish. ( )