Portuguese Irregular Verbs

By: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by: Paul Hecht

From New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, creator of the phenomenally popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels and winner of the inaugural Saga Award for Wit, comes the first wonderfully entertaining novel starring Professor Doctor Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, distinguished philologist, and frequently inept human.

Von Igelfeld is the world's leading scholar on Portuguese irregular verbs, having written a majestic, nearly 1,200 page book on the subject. As one review says, "There is nothing more to be said on this subject. Nothing." But in other matters, von Igelfeld is not nearly so skilled. Whether haplessly playing tennis against an equally dreadful opponent, or committing his friends to swordfighting duels without their knowledge, von Igelfeld is somewhat naive in the ways of the world. Yet that does not stop him from having a go at life, and the results are always humorous.

If you enjoy sharp yet subtle wit, you cannot afford to miss Portuguese Irregular Verbs.

©2003 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC

Brought a Laugh

Funny!!! xD Listened while working. Made me actually look forward to doing the boring task of grading papers.

Great Entertainment

I've yet to read any of McCall Smith's books without being surprised at the depth and originality of the characters. Not to mention such a great sense of humor that I can't help but laugh as I listen, producing strange looks from those around me at the time.

A Delightful Read

"Portuguese Irregular Verbs" was refreshing and delightfully funny. The main characters--as some have noted--are not very "loveable" at the outset, but then, they're not supposed to be! They are stuffy German intellectuals, and Smith does a remarkable job of charicaturizing these friends without resorting to flat or ugly stereotypes. Long before I finished the book I'd discovered that they each had a good number of redeemable qualities. Additional nationalities' charicatures are provided, from the dramatically friendly and chaotic Irishman and the tragically serious Indian to the single-minded Italian. I laughed outloud every few paragraphs . . . the stodgy and absent-minded, socially inept academics filled me with a desire for a long visit with some of my European friends. The narration is fantastic--probably half the reason the delightfulness of the book came through so well for me. Though so different from the "Ladies Detective Agency" series, "Irregular Verbs" only serves to highlight the author's incredible insight to the admirable and entertaining in the ordinary human character. A wonderful treat.

Humorous and strange unlikely events

This book is certainly more in the humor genre than the contemporary fiction genre of the author's works. It's a short leisurely listen about events in different countries, some are so obviously impossible that you can have a good laugh without questioning it.

The book is about three professors who are old friends and colleagues, and mostly seen from the perspective of one of them. There is some entertaining satire about the traditional academic world and personalities - the author used to be a professor, so these points are well-informed, witty, and not shallow. I am now listening to the second book in the series.

So ridiculous it's funny!

Of Alexander McCall Smith's adult series this one took me the longest to appreciate. This author's ability to spotlight a variety of human behaviors is evident in all of his work, but of all of his wonderful characters Professor Doctor Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld is the most outrageous. I admit it took me a while to really appreciate the humor in this series, and in one case, a topic I don't find the least bit funny, was made so ridiculous it crossed the line of unforgivable to hysterical without my even wanting it to.

Dated and dull

This bland little series of short novels is very anachronistic, but so is the protagonist, Herr Professor Von Igelfeld. More of a wry commentary on British manners than a realistic reflection of German academia, Von Igelfeld's extremely sudden immersions into the wildest of circumstances, and his absurd blunders out of them, are mildly diverting but hardly engaging. As a big fan of the "Kalahari Typing School" series, I know of the magic Mr Smith is capable, so I think his heart simply was never in the telling of these tales.

Not PG Wodehouse, but cut from the same cloth

This is the first Alexander McCall Smith book I've listened to (never having been bitten by the Ladies Detective Club series bug) and I enjoyed it. It's a wry, witty send up of the world of academics, specifically German philology, and I've already gifted it to several of my friends who I know will like it. I suspect this is Smith's homage to PGW and I will listen to the entire series again I'm sure. Interspersed with liberal doses of Uncle Fred, Pongo (my favorite) Bertie and Jeeves and the whole gang.

Recommend, particularly if you like "Wodehousian" humor.

tries to be funny, some success

Another one of McCall-Smith's hilarious series on the German professor Moritz Maria von Igelfeld.
If the name doesn't make you laugh already, you
will do so shortly after.
The book described the adventures of the weird professor, mostly on his vacation in Italy. I think that it is a bit less funny than the "Sausage Dog" volume but still worth a read.
Don't forget the Kleenex to wipe your tears! :)

A Long-time laughing

Brilliant! Very Funny! I and my teenage children were talking and laughing about the pompous and self-absorbed Herr Professor Doctor Doctor von Englefeldt and his friend and rival, Professor Unterholz long after the book had ended. Kept everyone absorbed for it's entirety on a long drive to Florida down I-95. I chuckle still, writing this.

Very funny

I have listened to this book over and over. It’s one of those books that you can start again at any point once you know the story. I listen to this series to help me escape the real world and go to sleep now and then.