The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: portuguese irregular verbs, sausage dogs, Herr Unterholzer, Moritz Maria, Duke of Johannesburg (more...)

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.

Review

“In the halls of academe, a setting fraught with ego-driven battles for power and prestige [Alexander McCall Smith] has rendered yet another one-of-a-kind character: the bumbling but brilliant Dr. Mortiz-Maria von Igelfeld . . . . [a] deftly rendered trilogy [with] endearingly eccentric characters.” —Chicago Sun-Times

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; 1st THUS edition (December 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400095085
• ISBN-13: 978-1400095087
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,816 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 63 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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

18 of 18 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

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)

16 of 16 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 (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.