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

Suffused with Wisdom and Humor

As an erstwhile wine and food writer I had to shake my head and wonder, "Why didn't I think of that?" The answer is simply that I'm not Alexander McCall Smith, who can take the simplest plot and make it interesting by populating it with complex and believable characters. McCall Smith's protagonists (as well as many of his incidental characters) are deeply philosophical, always searching, and always adult — which is to say that they're thoughtful and emotional without being hysterical. They live lives that are fully examined. And there are always moments of absurdity and wry humor. I always know at the beginning of a McCall Smith novel that I'll leave feeling like I'd just spent time with a new best friend. If only I had that talent.

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.

Charming

I enjoy most of Alexander McCall Smith’s books. I particularly enjoy the gentle wandering philosophy of his books. In this book we have as our protagonist, Paul Stuart, a renowned food writer. His girlfriend has dumped him and he is feeling blue. To top it off he has writer’s block. His editor suggests he finish his latest cookbook on site in Tuscany. His rental car reservation is fouled up. A man offers him the use of his bulldozer. He slowly trundles his way to the small village of Montalcino. What follows is a delightful story only Smith can write.

The story is well constructed and the bulldozer moves the story. The characters are rich and memorable. Smith provides the sights and smells of Tuscany. The discussion is on food because our hero is a food writer. The human relationships are complex and interesting. I find that Smith always leaves me feeling uplifted after finishing one of his books.

The book is almost seven hours long. Sir Timothy Ackroyd does a great job narratoring the book. Ackroyd is an English actor and award winning audiobook narrator.

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.

Perfectly Light

Very charming and perfectly light listening after 33 hours of a more serious book. If you love Italy, you'll love this little book.

Charming not inspired

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

Very enjoyable listen

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

a guy driving a bulldozer around Italy

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

A construction worker interested in travel.

Has My Italian Bulldozer turned you off from other books in this genre?

Absolutely

Would you be willing to try another one of Timothy Ackroyd’s performances?

No

Any additional comments?

I assumed the bulldozer was a quirky, humorous part of the introduction and finally accepted it really was the whole topic.

couldn't do it

i usually love Smith but this one just didn't hit the right notes for me. Back to Edinburgh

I had to return this

I have loved Alexander McCall Smith’s many series (Ladies’ Detective Agency, 44 Scotland Street, Isabel Dalhousie and more), and I appreciate his gentle satire, but this book was just awful. I lived in Italy for years, and I found the mockery of Italians to be odious. It may be that the written text was less given to stereotype but the narrator gave-a every Italian-a character-a a ridiculous-a super-Mario accent-a, while also managing to mispronounce actual Italian words. I just couldn’t listen.