I started and stopped this book multiple times. The plot was interesting enough, but the protagonist was not relatable, and I had zero sympathy for his decisions, actions, and behaviors. One of the struggles I faced in reading this, and part of the reason I kept restarting the book was because of the opening attempt to justify Harris' repeated infidelity. After the third restart of this book, I proceeded to research this book in hopes that I would regain interest and realized that this book was a reprinted under another title. Admittedly, had the title remained the same (The Womanizer) I would have never picked up this book to begin with.

However, to give credit where it is due, the author did an amazing job at making me absolutely despise Harris, and if that was the original intent then it was a job well done.

The first few chapters got me invested but after that I lost interest. One thing I learned is that this is a reprint of the book that was called womanizer.

I have mixed feelings about this one... although nicely written and at times grabbed my attention, I felt 3 affairs and what came about was too much to read... I contemplated dropping it many times.

Definitely not my cup of tea, the story dabbles too much on sexual activities for my taste.
One thing for sure, you will know what goes through a man’s mind while cheating on his wife....
Thank goodness not all men are like Allen....

Either way, I cannot recommend this book...

This book felt dated and I had to push myself through to finishing it.
The main character felt unrelatable and it was unclear to me his appeal to other women.

An interesting read. I didn't expect the ending but it seemed a little rushed. There is a long build up and then kind of falls flat. They just go on about their lives with NO consequences? That's a little unrealistic. I guess it just goes to show that if you are the "right" kind of person with a perfect outward appearance, you can get away with anything.

“Beneath the Ivory Tower” is a reprint of a previously published book (“The Womanizer,” 2010) by Warren Adler. The book opens with a sexual scandal regarding a student and a college president. I'm honestly not sure why the book was reprinted
The president of a prestigious university is being fired for misconduct - of a sexual nature. The lawyer who wants to become the new president realizes his past may eliminate him through the vetting process.

sex <> love, cheating can get you in trouble. Not a page turner, not that interesting.

This was…definitely not a mystery or thriller. Disappointing that it was marketed as such.

The MC, Harris, is offered a prestigious position if he can pass a rigorous background check. We then see him go through that process, while simultaneously trying to cover his tracks for indiscretions he’s made in the past.

Harris is an inherently dislikable character. He’s a cheat who chases lust, and then proclaims he actually does love his wife and family. He’s also depressed and anti-mental health treatment or meds. Which, to be honest, is what made me really despise the guy. Another middle aged dude who looks down on others who seek treatment for mental health. Just what the world needs in terms of MC’s. /s

The writing was phenomenal, but incredibly dense. I mean, written by someone who wants to flex their vocabulary and sentence structure abilities in a way that ends up being difficult to read because of how much is packed into each sentence. If I had to guess, I’d wonder if the author was actually a lawyer too.

Overall, this was a slog to get through.

I couldn’t really get into this book. It would normally be up my street but I really struggled and couldn’t get past the first few chapters

An interesting and suspenseful story with a few twists and turns. I didnt really like Harris due to his philandering, but still found the story to be good.
Many thanks to The Book Whisperer and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The fast-paced reveal in the final chapters is the only reason I upgraded my rating to 3 stars. I was intrigued by the subject matter of an academic setting & a presidential search but the candidate's prior life & his attempt to cover up prior indiscretions so he can get his appointment were not a subject I enjoyed reading about. Good & fast- faced reading throughout. I just didn't like how the subject matter was handled.

Allen Harris is a lawyer who is offered a position as a university president after the current president is fired because of sexual indiscretions and a threatened lawsuit. Allen wants the position, but he has his own past to worry about. The book revolves around Allen’s “perfect” wife, the three women he wants to get in touch with to be assured they will not interfere with the inspection of his life, and the mystery of the third woman who seems to have disappeared.
Since the book was written by a man, I was very uncomfortable by his assessment of men and what motivates them. According to the author, men cannot be faithful and are easily led to sexual relationships. Sigh! The dialogue between Allen and all of the women was totally unbelievable. Women don’t talk like that! I would not recommend this book to anyone in what is assumed to be a happy marriage. I hope men are not really like Allen.
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This was an uncomfortable read which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I had to set it aside a couple of times but did come back to it and glad I did. The subject matter had me cringing… a middle aged man making sure his past indiscretions don’t come back to haunt him in his new career. Somewhat of a navel gazing approach but an interesting study in character flaws drives and desires. Reminded me just a little of Ian McEwan. The plot twist was spot on although I did see it coming. Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

The male protagonist projects a moral character in both his work as a lawyer, and personal beliefs. There's a dark side though which is interestingly told from the male point of view.

At the start of Beneath the Ivory Tower, protagonist Allen Harris has it all. He's a successful lawyer, with a loving wife and two grown daughters. When the president of the college at which Harris provides advisory counsel is forced to retire due to sexual misconduct with a student, Harris is given the chance to take over the role... if he passes a serious background check. This brings up a lot of anxiety for Harris. Despite being seen as the perfect husband, he's got a few skeletons in his closet. Those being the three affairs he's had over the past twenty or so years. He attempts to reach out to the three women to suss out whether they would be a problem for him if he were to get the prestigious position of college president. This of course brings up memories of the past, as well as the mysteries of how his affairs truly ended.

This is a really well written and dramatic novel... with a protagonist that I really disliked. From the start, I hated his character. He tries so hard to make excuses for his affairs, but to no avail. I kept reading, hoping that he would get his comeuppance, but I was not really satisfied by the conclusion. I did get satisfaction out of the reveal of the mystery, even if it was a little obvious.

Story told jn first person. Interesting and easy to get into. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Another incredibly up-to-date (even though this book was written years ago) novel criticizing society and the rules that we make to support our actions and beliefs. Dysfunctional relationships through which one considers it more important how one is perceived than who one really is, who is leading, and who is following (sometimes the roles are totally inverted, but very few are able to realize it). As always Mr. Adler was able to put together a captivating but critical story about human interactions.
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

I like mysteries so I try to let the story progress rather than trying to figure out the outcome. This time I made it to about 75% read before the pieces just clicked into place. Don't you just wonder why he pursued the president spot instead of staying where he was? But then there would be no book. It was actually a pretty good story. I don't think many of us could stand up to such an in depth look into our past. Life happens to us all. I liked the book.

Beneath the Ivory Tower is a story about a man who's trying over and over to justify his cheating as "love" in order to make himself more sympathetic. No matter how much he thought he loved these ladies, at the end of the day everything revolved around sex. That's not love, that's lust. Simply as that.

The story follows Allen Harris and his life as an lawyer, husband, father and from time to time a cheater. When the former president of the university Allen works for has to quit his job because of his history, the board directors want Harris as the new face. But that cames with a price. He has to be investigated in order to see if he's as clean as a snowflake as he says he is.

Meanwhile, the "poor" man is going thru hell while trying to make peace with the three women he cheated his wife with in the last twenty years.

I understand the necessity of mostly everything and while this is not a book I would normally read, it wasn't horrible. I mean, I hated Harris's guts and I wished more than once for him to get what he deserved but by the end of the book I got used to his absurdity and idiocy. He was a well made character that you can't do anything but hate him while listening to his story. A good example of how you shouldn't be if you want to have a good marriage and a healthy relationship with your family.

As I said, it really is not my cup of tea and the whole sex/lust-driven action was a little bit to much for me. I mean, it could've been better without so many sex/lust details. I do know that in a way that drives a man over the limit, but it was to much.

But the book has good intrigue, a lot of potential and it got ny interest from time to time. And I liked the ending even tho it is pretty obviously since the beginning.

I thank NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange of my honest review.

I couldn't put this book down and want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an early copy to review. Throughout the book we hear about the various reasons the main character cheated on his wife even though he loved her and their children. I was not a fan of how he describe women in his terms. I did find the story once you overlooked female descriptions to be extremely interesting and had me engrossed in the book . This book shows how two people can do the same kind of things but until they know each other, they can't forgive the other one. This book shows how you can forgive someone once you really get to know them and understand them like the way this book does for the reader.

I enjoyed this dark, twisty suspense thriller. The topic is relevant to today's society. All is not as it seems, and each revelation kept me turning the pages. Thanks for the great read, Warren Adler. #netgalley #beneaththeivorytower