At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances
by Alexander McCall Smith
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 325)
Read in February, 2008
I enjoy most of this author's books, in particular the Numer 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books as well as the Sunday Philosophy Club series. His pace is slow and makes you feel like nothing is happening, but his descriptions of the characters, male or female, are thorough.
The main character in this series is a German professor of Portuguese whose claim to fame is a book he wrote on irregular verbs. He feels this gives him cache amongst his peers and is always internally fighting for respect. Th...more
The main character in this series is a German professor of Portuguese whose claim to fame is a book he wrote on irregular verbs. He feels this gives him cache amongst his peers and is always internally fighting for respect. Th...more
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Read in June, 2007
Narrated By: Paul Hecht
The Professor Dr. von Igelfeld Entertainments series
The irresistible wit of New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith has won over countless fans. His subtle humor and enchanting characterizations are fully on display in At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances. Professor Dr. von Igelfeld is pleased with his role as a visiting scholar at Cambridge, even if his English colleagues are difficult to comprehend. They frequently speak in metaphors and make pec...more
The Professor Dr. von Igelfeld Entertainments series
The irresistible wit of New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith has won over countless fans. His subtle humor and enchanting characterizations are fully on display in At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances. Professor Dr. von Igelfeld is pleased with his role as a visiting scholar at Cambridge, even if his English colleagues are difficult to comprehend. They frequently speak in metaphors and make pec...more
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Read in January, 2007
The latest book in McCall's series, yet I hope not the last. Our protagonist professor heads to Venice where he picks up a slight case of radiation poisoning from the canals. True? Yes. Hilarious? Quite. He is soon invited to South America to be presented with a highly prestigious award in academia, but all is not as it seems. Why does nothing work out quite right for our beloved prof?
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Read in November, 2007
This didn't even make sense. It was so bad that I thought I might be missing the joke. The only joke involved was the one I kept thinking about to block out this terrible book. You know the joke I'm talking about, the one about the business man golfing in Japan that ends, "...that means 'wrong hole!"
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Read in March, 2008
This is his third series that I've read at least one book from, but I just don't "get" this one. Why did he write the book? What is the purpose of the book? The premise might be a little funny, but the book wasn't as funny as I know he can be...
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This book centers on a Cambridge academic embroiled in Colombian intrigue while on sabbatical. The Prof. Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld's search for the respect he knows he's due provides the backdrop for an engaging picaresque tale.
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Read in May, 2008
I liked this book better than Portugese Irregular Verbs. Again, I think if I had read it I would have liked it better than listening to the audiobook. It is quirky and the situations, particularly in Colombia, are very funny.
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Another fabulous frenetic story of von Igelfeld and his pals. Once again, McCall Smith astounds with the ability to put someone so staid in such unusual circumstances, and make him stay true to character. Bravo!
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Read in January, 2006
My favorite of the series of three....and these professors may be my most favorite of McCall Smith characters....they crack me up....it is a German Seinfeld with a little more sophistication and a lot less sex.
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Read in November, 2007
This was the second of the Professor Dr. von Igelfeld books i have read. i really enjoy this protaganist and his ego-centric view of the world. lots of fun.
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Read in April, 2008
I laughed out loud during this entire book. How can I not laugh at a German professor of philology becoming the president of Columbia?
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Read in May, 2008
More of his zaniness in this hilarious series. Portuguese Irregular Verbs remains my favorite, but they're all silly and entertaining.
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Read in March, 2008
I liked the first two books in this series, but this one just dragged and bordered on the ridiculous. Don't waste your time.
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Read in December, 2007
this book is completely silly, but amusing. I particularly enjoyed the rant about modern art. but it's all very, very silly.
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Read in July, 2008
Not too bad, but the extended "joke" where he becomes leader of another country was just a bit too sad to be funny.
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
the easily amused
Another von Igelfeld story, this time with South American revolutionaries! I'm growing quite attached to him.
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Read in June, 2007
Third in the series featuring Romance Philologist Prof. Von Igelberg. Just as silly and fun as the first two.
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Read in June, 2007
A good one, but I still think the best of these three was The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs: SO funny.
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Read in February, 2008
Listened to this on a road trip and found it extremely humorous. It's not a thinker. It's just for fun.
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the main charcter is a way eccentric german professor...and these books are hilarious.
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