A Posturing of Fools

This novel would be enjoyed most by men who enjoy sex and golf, but wives need to read it to avoid being easily duped by straying husbands. On a deeper level, it serves as a social commentary on snobbery and the rat race in which many modern workers find themselves trapped, especially those in sales. A worthwhile and hilarious read.

A Posturing of Fools is such a great read by Brewster Milton Robertson that it inspired me to write a review. Quick, and full of subtle and sometimes laugh-out-loud humor, the story has us watching as H. Logan Baird, a salesman for a pharmaceutical company, tries to juggle his whining wife, a blatantly arrogant and ungrateful boss, his job, the loss of a good friend, and his desire to be with other women, all during a four-day medical conference at the famous Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. What I found irresistible about Logan in his trials and tribulations, where he faces the eternal conflict of one who is trying to have his cake and eat it too, is how important his own father's gentlemanly manners creep into and influence the way he treats others (albeit not much for the sanctity of his marriage, mind you). Yes, Logan does have faults and wayward ways that include his overactive testosterone, all of which the reader is lucky enough to be privy to. But his redeeming quality comes from his desire to be a "hands-on-father," choosing to raise his son not from a distance, even if life at home isn't all that great. What I liked best about A Posturing of Fools is Robertson's masterful skill of the English language: It becomes a banquet of seldom-repeated words and phrases, which enticed me to devour both the story and the feast of its component words. With the many characters, plots, twists and turns that this 450 + page novel presents, it's surprisingly quite easy to follow, even when the story line enters an area that is foreign to me: golf. But, as Logan often says, "Carpe Diem" (Seize the day). You'll love the characters...you'll definitely relate to a few...and you may even learn a thing or two about yourself. Enjoy.