My Italian Bulldozer

By: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by: Timothy Ackroyd

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

When writer Paul Stewart heads to the idyllic Italian town of Montalcino to finish his already late book, it seems like the perfect escape from stressful city life. Upon landing, however, things quickly take a turn for the worse when he discovers his hired car is nowhere to be found. With no record of any reservation and no other cars available, it looks like Paul is stuck at the airport.

That is, until an enterprising stranger offers him an unexpected alternative. While there may be no cars available, there is something else on offer: a bulldozer. With little choice in the matter, Paul accepts, and so begins a series of laugh-out-loud adventures through the Italian countryside, following in the wake of Paul and his Italian bulldozer.

A story of unexpected circumstance and a lesson in making the best of what you have, My Italian Bulldozer is a warm holiday listen guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

©2016 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2016 Bolinda Audio

Entertaining

Worth listening to, good light summer reading. The main characters are charming and frustrating in typical A. McCall Smith fashion. The addition of the bulldozer adds to the story and makes it funny in a sort of puzzling way. The characters stay true to themselves in a way that I found satisfying at the end and which I didn't expect partway into the book.

Very enjoyable listen

Fun characters and relaxing pace. Almost made me want to see Tuscany by bulldozer too.

A nice trip to Italy!

I loved the narration with the Italian accents! The bulldozer is such a nice touch to this lovely story. I have become an even bigger fan of Alexander McCall Smith's writing.

Overall a very enjoyable escapade

A sweet and enjoyable cozy story, well narrated. I appreciated the description of the settings, which is what drew me to the book to begin with.

Listen to this book if you need cheering up.

Absolutely wonderful. Well written and read. Alexander McCall Smiths books never fail to make you think and cheer you up.

Excelente

I liked the story , the performance and every thing about it. Thank you! Hope there is another one in this series.

Sometimes people judge a person by the type of car they drive...

A Scotsman, an American, and a host of Italian characters make this story a tremendous amount of fun. An absurd situation in which the main character finds himself leads to wonderful and fruitful relationships. Just as this author’s No 1 Ladies Detective Agency stories engage and entertain and educate, so does My Italian Bulldozer. The tone is very similar to the books set in Botswana, even though this story is set in Tuscany. The characters are people the reader would wish to meet. The story has a comforting aspect to it. And there are some laugh out loud moments. Nothing too sad, nothing tragic, nothing depressing. Just a real enjoyable listen and surprise happy endings all around. The narrator is stellar!

Italian idyll

Engaging, quirky tale that is sometimes repetitive, while leaving some minor unanswered questions, e.g. Who was lurking in the ruined church? The narrator has a very pleasing, slightly ironic tone reminiscent of John Nettles in Midsomer Murders.

Charming not inspired

An interesting premise but without the character development needed to give it integrity. Well read.

Charming

A confession. I'm a sucker for anything Italian. I go to Italy every year to learn the language and ride my bicycle. So naturally, I was drawn to a title like "My Italian Bulldozer." ("La mia Scavatrice Italiana" if I may show off my Italian)
This is a story about a Scottish author of travel/food books who is down in the dumps when his girlfriend dumps him for her personal trainer.
At the urging of his editor, he goes to Italy to work on his next book. I won't tell you where the bulldozer comes in, but I will say that he meets many charming people, Italian and otherwise.
What can I tell you? It's a visit to Italy, a visit with charming characters and a happy ending. A perfect summer read.