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3.05 AVERAGE
3.05 AVERAGE
This was a quick, easy read about unfortunate events that happen to Fatty during a trip to Ireland. Everything that can go wrong does, but there is always a positive turn of events - rude people receive their just desserts, for example. While I enjoyed it, I would not recommend it as an introduction to AMS's work. If you have enjoyed either the #1 Ladies Detective series or the Isabelle Dalhousie series, I would recommend this selection.
AMS publishes another flowing and enjoyable short focused on the unfortunate Fatty O'Leary. At $1.99 for Kindle this book was well worth the price and a nice summer read. Not unforgettable but worth a chuckle and a ponder here and there.
I would've liked to see more development of the idea of the romanticizing of foreign lands, the harsh truths that often destroy the romantic ideals, and the concepts people like Fatty have of identity based on heritage.
I would've liked to see more development of the idea of the romanticizing of foreign lands, the harsh truths that often destroy the romantic ideals, and the concepts people like Fatty have of identity based on heritage.
sad
This book actually made me uncomfortable as I read it, which probably means McCall Smith did a good job, but I did not enjoy myself.
A great little book which made me laugh out loud.
A bit of an odd book, well written but a few too many humiliations heaped on what seemed to be an easy target. I didn't find it that funny but I did like the way the author portrayed the marriage of the Fatty and Betty and the ambiguity surrounding the motives of the Irish characters who managed to get away from stereotypes.
All the AMS elements are there but not working at his peak I think anyway. It's enjoyable but wouldn't be the first book I pick up if I wanted to know what AMS' writing is all about. being so unlucky .. bit difficult to digest. meh
2.5 - this was painful to read. If you are easily embarrassed for others (as I am), this will be a really uncomfortable read. It was an ok book, but I just kept cringing for Fatty. His wife was a lovely woman; I wish almost that the book had focused more on her. Though I didn't so much like that she was depicted as SO utterly devoted to her husband. I think one can love and hope for the best for one's partner without him/her being the entire universe.
Even though Alexander McCall Smith is one of my favorite authors and this book had it's share of tongue-in-cheek laughs, the story was still a bit strange overall. An overweight man, 'Fatty', from Arkansas and his wife go to Ireland for the first time. They get in some awkward situations due to his weight and meet a self-important, condescending couple who are staying in the same B&B they are. Fortunately, another guest who has a title, befriends Fatty and his wife and totally puts the other couple in their place. But then there's an instance at a horse auction that seems a bit dicey and Fatty is left to wonder again about how friendly the Irish are.
I just found it to be an odd little story and am not sure what the point of it was. It's only 100 pages, so if you're just looking for something quick to pass the time, this would fit the bill.
I just found it to be an odd little story and am not sure what the point of it was. It's only 100 pages, so if you're just looking for something quick to pass the time, this would fit the bill.
I guess this was a poor choice for an introduction to Alexander McCall Smith, who I've meant to try for awhile since he's been a popular author for as long as I've been working in bookstores and libraries. I'm not really a mystery reader (which is his usual genre) though, so when this amusing looking Vintage Short popped up as an ebook available from my library, I thought, "why not give it a try?" Why not? Because Fatty O'Leary's Dinner Party is full of the most mean-spirited and hackneyed fat-joke comedy ever, and also manages to insult both the Irish and Americans at the same time before concluding in a very odd way that I think is actually supposed to be sympathetic to and admiring of Fatty (a.k.a. Cornelius). It's hard to say, though, given what a rough time Mr. McCall Smith has given him until then. I suppose that as a rather ample American who often travels to Ireland myself, I could just be hypersensitive about the subject matter, but despite its nomination for a British comic fiction prize, I'm pretty sure that this story is just a dud.
A really quick read. Mildly humorous in places but sometimes the events that befell the central character left me feeling sad rather than amused. The humour may have come across better if it were a TV show or film, it certainly had the feel of a farce. The final section, where Fatty is persuaded to visit a health centre, was my favourite part. Sadly not up to McCall Smith's standard but not an unpleasant read.