The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Alexander McCall Smith (Author), Paul Hecht (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2004

In the sequel to Portuguese Irregular Verbs, our hero, Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, is the unlikely choice to address veterinarians in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas, is dogged by dachshunds, becomes embroiled with that notorious Coptic schismatic, the Duke of Johannesburg (and his victim the Patriarch of Alexandria), and finally ends up being mobbed as the star attraction on a Mediterranean cruise ship.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: 'A rare pleasure' Daily Telegraph 'Forget the library - the body is in the mud hut. An African Miss Marple created by a Scottish lawyer ... superb' Sunday Times 'One of the most entrancing literary treats of many a year' Wall Street Journal 'A strong, independent, and endearing model for contemporary women anywhere ... A crowded fictional genre will have to make room for Precious Ramotswe. In the best sense possible, she's a heavyweight' Boston Globe --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

A deliciously entertaining new series by the bestselling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

The many fans of Precious Ramotswe will find further cause for celebration in the protagonist of Alexander McCall Smith's irresistibly funny trilogy, the eminent (if shamefully under-read) philologist Professor Dr. Mortiz-Maria von Igelfeld of the Institute at Regensburg. Unnaturally tall, hypersensitive to slights, and oblivious to his own frequent gaucheries, von Igelfeld is engaged in a never-ending quest to win the respect he knows is due him.

Portuguese Irregular Verbs follows the Professor from a busman's holiday researching old Irish obscenities to a flirtation with a desirable lady dentist. In The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs, von Igelfeld practices veterinary medicine without a license, transports relics for a schismatically challenged Coptic prelate and is mobbed by marriage-minded widows on board a Mediterranean cruise ship. In At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances, the final novel in the trilogy, we find our hero suffering the slings of academic intrigue as a visiting fellow at Cambridge, and the slings of outrageous fortune in an eventful Columbian adventure. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Recorded Books (December 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419316982
• ISBN-13: 978-1419316982
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,473,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beware, Not a Book for Everyone, August 15, 2005

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs (Paperback)

Like many readers, I have come to this book as a result of reading Alexander McCall Smith's "Number One Ladies Detective Agency Series". Beware, there is very little in common between the two series. The Number One Ladies Detective Series is very accesable to the general reading public.

The three novels of the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series are less accessable. The main reason is that McCall Smith's humor is very dry. The delivery is so subtle as to border on the sublime. This sort of absurdist humor about academic life is not for everyone. If you like your humor direct and to the point, this is not the series for you. If you like your humor really dry, this series is a delight. However, if you are not sure, start the series with "The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs", the best of the three novels.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly funny, October 12, 2006

By 

RealIdeal "Realideal" (Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs (Paperback)

Wow what a book, and what a writer. After i read the books about Mma Ramotswe and her friends i bought this book about the funny dr. von Igelfeld... And I enjoyed it from page one. The absurd problems dr. von Igelfeld is facing, is enjoyable to read and puts a smile on your face while you're reading this book.
I bought this book on CD and that makes it even funnier, with Hugh Laurie reading makes it a funny experience :o)

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Saint Walter, The Sausage Dog With Three Wheels, September 12, 2006

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs (Paperback)

In "The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs," Alexander McCall Smith has written a wry and worthy sequel to "Portuguese Irregular Verbs." The humor here is extremely dry, but the results are absolutely delicious.

In this installment Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, noted romance philologist and famed author of "Portuguese Irregular Verbs" undertakes many new endeavors and travels. He causes mayhem on farms in Arkansas, where he is inadvertently confused with the author of "Further Studies of Canine Pulmonary Efficiency," Professor Martin Igelfold of the University of Munster. Before his saga is at an end he ends up practicing veterinary medicine without a license, an ill-fated venture that ultimately costs Dr. Detlev Amadeus Unterholzer's dachshund three legs, which are conveniently replaced by wheels. By the end of the book, Walter the sausage dog becomes sanctified by the Coptic church after a misadventure with extreme Christmas implications.

Von Igelfeld also undergoes psychotherapy, which is characteristically unproductive, and lectures to elderly vacationers on a cruise ship on such captivating subjects as "Portuguese, a Deviant Spanish?," and "The Perfect Imperfect." He even manages to insult the Pope in the Vatican library, which leads to a fracas of Papal proportions.

Wherever he goes, peculiar mayhem results with hilarious and frequently unpredictable consequences. The entire book is delightful, although I felt occasionally that the chapter "The Bones of Father Christmas" was a bit on the lengthy side. While I preferred "Portuguese Irregular Verbs," I highly recommend this book.