In this first novel of delicious wit and sharp observation, Austin
playwright and professor Lynn C. Miller displays an unerring eye
for the foibles of male-dominated departmental politics at fictional
Austin University.

    When Fiona Hardison, a blocked Edith Wharton scholar, is
passed over for promotion at the behest of her lover—
memorably slimy departmental chairman Sigmund Froelich—
she embarks on a journey toward self discovery with surprising
consequences.

    Aided by insights provided in a perceptive Tarot reading, Fiona
finds herself reevaluating her academic focus, her personal
relationships, and her future prospects for happiness.

   As she examines her life, she discovers unexpected parallels
with Edith Wharton's personal development. These present her
with a fresh approach to her biography of this great American
author, excerpts of which are interspersed throughout.

   With sure satiric pacing and much good humor, The Fool's
Journey immerses us in a academic atmosphere rife with devious
plots.

   Miller skewers pretensions with a certain hand while she
portrays a memorable cast of supporting characters: goddessy
Bettina, wife of botanist Marvin, beloved by all sexes; Dean Darryl
Hansen, lover to Fiona and Bettina; solid and supportive fellow
Wharton enthusiast Miriam Held; and outrageous gadfly Blake
Burnois, whose mischievous publication of Fiona's biting satire in
the Chronicle of Higher Education shatters everyone's status quo
into tiny shards.

   Lovers of the work of Edith Wharton will take particular
pleasure from the interweaving of her journey with that of the
protagonist in this lively and entertaining tale.

   "'I just don't understand it,' Bettina began for perhaps the
fourth time. 'Kyle was always so friendly, so eager to see me, have
coffee, talk, and so on.'

    Fiona bit her lip. Dare she ask what the 'and so on' referred
to? Instead, she said: 'But, doesn't that make sense? Maybe she's
a stalker or something. Aren't they always friendly, at least at
first? Don't they always lead one on? I mean, you remember Monica
Gate . . .'"—from the book

_________________________________________________________

LYNN C. MILLER has published stories in North Dakota Quarterly, 
Writer, Forum, and Hawaii Review. She makes her home in 
Albuquerque.


What people are saying about this book

"Unfortunately for literature professor Fiona Hardison, sleeping with
the boss isn't exactly a career-enhancing move. When her smarmy
lover, the unfortunately named Sigmund Froelich, denies her promotion,
ostensibly because she has failed to complete her long-overdue
biography of Edith Wharton, Fiona takes an unflagging and often
unusual course to reevaluate her professional and personal
relationships.

"Tarot readings, thoughtful retreats, heartfelt discussions with a
riotous cast of sympathetic friends, none are as rewarding as
immersing herself in writing about Wharton, her muse and alter-ego,
and the subsequent discovery of unsettling parallels between Wharton's
life and her own gives Fiona both the guidance and courage to change.

"Prowling the corruptly competitive halls of academe, Miller provides
an intelligent and ambitious look at the publish-or-perish world of
high-stakes education.

"In an unconventional book-within-a-book device, Miller reveals
lengthy excerpts from Fiona's work-in-progress, a fascinating
study of Wharton in its own right, and the perfect accompaniment
to a smart, satiric send-up of the Machiavellian world of ivory
tower passions and politics."—Carol Haggas, Booklist