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A review by june_englit_phd
The 2 1/2 Pillars of Wisdom by Alexander McCall Smith
5.0
The 2 1/2 Pillars of Wisdom is the exciting and humorous trilogy of tales featuring the hapless Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, Professor of Philology, and his two professorial colleagues - Prof Detlev Amadeus Unterholzer and Professor Florianus Prinzel.
In Portuguese Irregular Verbs the three Professors are students, teaching themselves tennis, engaging in fencing duels (when they have never fenced in their lives before), transcribing Irish vulgar swear words, "getting on" with hostile Italians, romancing dentists, and when they discover that Venice is actually radioactive. It's very funny, brilliantly written....5/5
The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs sees von Igelfeld being a victim of mistaken identity in the USA - which has unfortunate consequences. He then travels with Prinzel to Rome in order to undertake some research, and tells a clergyman to "shut up" in the Vatican Library - only thing is, the clergyman turns out to be the Pope! And whilst in Rome, von Igelfeld is entrusted a very sacred artefact to guard by a Patriarch - but this is not as easy a task as it seems! Finally, he joins a lecture cruise and becomes the centre of some very unwelcome attention by some elderly women on the ship. Again, very funny....5/5.
At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances has our hero von Igelfeld going off to Cambridge for a Sabbatical, where he meets some interesting characters and gets caught among some scheming between College Fellows. And finally he gets the accolade and merit he feels he deserves when a University in Colombia offer him a Fellowship award. He travels there to get it, but gets not only his academic award, but also gets involved in a Revolution - the outcome of which no-one could have predicted! This book wasn't quite as funny but still enjoyable....4/5.
Loved this trilogy - little short tales which brighten up the dullest day. It draws on professional jealousy, rivalry, poignancy, comedy and ambition. I don't know if it is just me, but throughout the trilogy, I was imagining von Igelfeld as a Mr Bean-type character - a very unlikely hero!
In Portuguese Irregular Verbs the three Professors are students, teaching themselves tennis, engaging in fencing duels (when they have never fenced in their lives before), transcribing Irish vulgar swear words, "getting on" with hostile Italians, romancing dentists, and when they discover that Venice is actually radioactive. It's very funny, brilliantly written....5/5
The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs sees von Igelfeld being a victim of mistaken identity in the USA - which has unfortunate consequences. He then travels with Prinzel to Rome in order to undertake some research, and tells a clergyman to "shut up" in the Vatican Library - only thing is, the clergyman turns out to be the Pope! And whilst in Rome, von Igelfeld is entrusted a very sacred artefact to guard by a Patriarch - but this is not as easy a task as it seems! Finally, he joins a lecture cruise and becomes the centre of some very unwelcome attention by some elderly women on the ship. Again, very funny....5/5.
At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances has our hero von Igelfeld going off to Cambridge for a Sabbatical, where he meets some interesting characters and gets caught among some scheming between College Fellows. And finally he gets the accolade and merit he feels he deserves when a University in Colombia offer him a Fellowship award. He travels there to get it, but gets not only his academic award, but also gets involved in a Revolution - the outcome of which no-one could have predicted! This book wasn't quite as funny but still enjoyable....4/5.
Loved this trilogy - little short tales which brighten up the dullest day. It draws on professional jealousy, rivalry, poignancy, comedy and ambition. I don't know if it is just me, but throughout the trilogy, I was imagining von Igelfeld as a Mr Bean-type character - a very unlikely hero!