My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith
Why?
This was the same library van trip as my discovery of Le Carré. It was supposed to be summer in Leeds but unfortunately there was just grey and rain. I needed some relief and Tuscany seemed the way forward.
What?
Otherwise known as amazon spiel:
'While My Italian Bulldozer certainly advocates a kind, considerate, some might even say old-fashioned approach to resolving affairs of the heart, it also succeeds in subtly, almost imperceptibly ripping up the traditional rules of the romantic comedy and creating something refreshingly original' Scotsman
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 lesson in making the best of what you have, My Italian Bulldozer is a warm holiday read guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
So I had found Le Carre had taken more effort that I was willing to expel at the time so this was a brilliant reprieve. It was ridiculous and funny and I laughed out loud - that is very rare for me.
McCall Smith is referred to as a prolific writer and this is true. I am looking forward to attempting to get a through a few of the many available options. Interestingly, there are not many of his novels in charity shops which suggests that people hold on to them. This book was a joy and an escape from reality; just what I needed.
Not all taxi drivers, Paul had discovered, actually wanted to take passengers to their destination; some of them, he felt, were in it for the arguments, or the opportunity to pontificate, or for the sheer pleasure of driving past those trying to summon them at the road edge. He made up his mind. What was the point of having a bulldozer if you were not going to make at least some use of it?Paul was a brilliant character; not where he wanted to be in life despite being an established author. He escapes to Tuscany to finish his next book but the escape is not particularly successful. Becky (the girlfriend who abandoned him) appears and their relationship comes to a head:
I suppose that's the way affairs come to an end. Somebody grabs a fork and stabs the other in the hand. And that's itClosely followed by Gloria, his editor and best friend of sorts. Could I guess where the book was going? Yes, probably. Did I care? No, it was delightful and it gave me a much needed holiday. I felt like I was there and it inspired me enough to get to booking the flights and then realising that I had not yet got my son a passport - ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
McCall Smith is referred to as a prolific writer and this is true. I am looking forward to attempting to get a through a few of the many available options. Interestingly, there are not many of his novels in charity shops which suggests that people hold on to them. This book was a joy and an escape from reality; just what I needed.
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