My Italian Bulldozer

By: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by: Timothy Ackroyd

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.

A delight!

Excellent story read beautifully. That’s all I wanted to say, but I’m required to write 15 words min (eye roll)

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.

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.