Customer Reviews

At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances (Von Igelfeld 3)

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This, the third installment in the Professor Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld series, is witty and sly like the predecessors, but I found it to be slightly weaker than the first two. The first volume "Portuguese Irregular Verbs" is my clear favorite, and is one of the best things written in the last ten years; likewise "The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs" never fails to entertain (I still laugh when I think about von Igelfeld practicing veterinary medicine without a license.) In the earlier books, von Igelfeld had more numerous (but briefer) adventures that allowed for a quick pacing; here the plotlines begin to drag a bit. Don't misunderstand me, I loved "At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances," I just liked the other two storylines more. Since this book makes reference to events and characters in the first two volumes, I do recommend reading (or listening to) them in order, though it isn't strictly mandatory.

This time, von Igelfeld absorbs himself in a faculty political intrigue (which is sly, yet at times candidly accurate in its absurdity) as he takes a visiting professorship at Cambridge. Not only does he get totally immersed in academic political struggles, he has major issues with English toilets. (These two parallels surely can't be coincidental.) In the end his dealings with the politics of Cambridge and English bathroom design leave a clear opinion of Germanic superiority in von Igelfeld's mind.

Soon after the return from Cambridge, von Igelfeld is invited to become a Distinguished Corresponding Fellow at the Colombian Academy of Letters. This eventually leads to political intrigue at a different level when von Igelfeld is held captive at the Villa of Reduced Circumstances and encounters a strange group of rebels and government loyalists. It all concludes with von Igelfeld becoming the President (yes, of the country, not the Academy) and thus a target for violent overthrow. His ability to extract himself gracefully from that situation is dealt with in a most ingenious and amusing manner.

This is another great volume by Alexander McCall Smith, and I recommend it everyone with a dry sense of humor and an inclination to mock the excesses of academia. I have read the book and listened to this reading by Hugh Laurie, and they provide different but complimentary experiences. Laurie is an excellent choice to read this book as he excels at accents and linguistic nuances. The four CD's are divided into numerous short tracks pausing at logical points in the plot, making it very user friendly for people listening in short sessions. I love to read, and I recommend reading the original highly, but also love this audiobook adaptation, which is perfect for those on the go.

I must admit I've become addicted to Mr. Mc Call Smith. All the books in this series are fabulous- this is book three- please read them in order- you need to get to know the characters and all their "issues" ...and of course having Hugh Laurie read to you on a long boring road trip......what more could one ask for??

There is something about the way the British write and the subjects on which they write that I really enjoy. Who else could entertain you with a story about Protugese irregular verbs? What a fun adventure. If you like British humor and an off-beat tale, you will love this book. Hugh Laurie reads the book especially well, a most important consideration when listening to a book.