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Unusual Uses for Olive Oil: A Von Igelfeld Novel by Alexander McCall Smith (view source)
Revision as of 10:25, 9 August 2020
, 10:25, 9 August 2020no edit summary
{{infoboxinfobox1
|title=Unusual Uses for Olive Oil: A Von Igelfeld Novel
|author=Alexander McCall Smith
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=ISBN978-13: |paperback=|hardback=0316027545|audiobook=|ebook=B005I4WB5U0316027540
|pages=256
|publisher=Abacus (Little, Brown)
|date=October 2011
|website=http://www.alexandermccallsmith.co.uk/home/
|summary=These aren't my favourite AMS characters, but this is still, nonetheless, an amusing read.
|cover=0349120102
|aznuk=0349120102
|aznus=0316027545
}}
Following on from ''The 2 1/2 2½ Pillars of Wisdom'' which was a compilation of three shorter volumes, this book sees Professor Dr Von Igelfeld still dealing with his academic colleagues but also with the prospect of a love interest, a recently widowed lady, Frau Benz, who has inherited the large Schloss in Regensburg. Is love in the air? Or will his arch rival, Unterholzer interfere once again?
I am a ''huge'' fan of Alexander McCall Smith's writing, but I have to say that Von Igelfeld's earlier adventures never really hit the spot for me. When trying to tempt someone to try one of his books I never mention them, and I found them rather dry and difficult to read. This recent episode was much more readable I felt, and it isn't absolutely necessary to have read the earlier books since I, for the most part, had forgotten the characters and previous events but got along just fine.
As in all of AMS' books, there is nothing horrid here. No crude jokes or bad language. The humour is subtle, witty, and the characters are intriguing and unusual. This series is still not my favourite, but I felt this volume wasn't as dry as the previous stories and I enjoyed it much more than I'd expected to. You may want to borrow it, before you buy it, to be sure it's to your taste, but hopefully you'll enjoy poor Professor Hedgehog-field's adventures, even if you don't much like him!
For something rather different, but also looking at academia and satirising society you might like to try [[Nice Work by David Lodge]]. [[Alexander McCall Smith's Professor Dr von Igelfeld Entertainments series in Chronological Order]]
{{amazontext|amazon=0349120102}} {{amazonUStext|amazon=0316027545}}
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