My Italian Bulldozer Book Review

I was at the library picking up some things from reserve and I saw this book sitting on the new release section and I couldn't pass it up.  My Italian Bulldozer: A Novel by Alexander McCall Smith is a book that is not in his other series and is about Italy.  I was instantly interested because I love the author and his writing style and this is more of the same just in a different setting. 

Paul Stuart, a renowned food writer, finds himself at loose ends after his longtime girlfriend leaves him for her personal trainer. To cheer him up, Paul’s editor, Gloria, encourages him to finish his latest cookbook on-site in Tuscany, hoping that a change of scenery (plus the occasional truffled pasta and glass of red wine) will offer a cure for both heartache and writer’s block. But upon Paul’s arrival, things don’t quite go as planned. A mishap with his rental-car reservation leaves him stranded, until a newfound friend leads him to an intriguing alternative: a bulldozer.

With little choice in the matter, Paul accepts the offer, and as he journeys (well, slowly trundles) into the idyllic hillside town of Montalcino, he discovers that the bulldozer may be the least of the surprises that await him. What follows is a delightful romp through the lush sights and flavors of the Tuscan countryside, as Paul encounters a rich cast of characters, including a young American woman who awakens in him something unexpected.  A feast for the senses and a poignant meditation on the complexity of human relationships, My Italian Bulldozer is a charming and intensely satisfying love story for anyone who has ever dreamed of a fresh start.

I thought that this was another great story but Alexander McCall Smith.  It was in the normal fiction section where some of his other books are in the mystery section (although it seems a bit loose of a category of me).  This book was about Paul, an author who went into a slump after breaking up with his girlfriend so his editor decided that he should go to Italy and write the book there.  Of course everything that can go wrong does so you need to pick up the book to find out how he ends up driving a bulldozer across many miles from the airport to the place he is staying.  While there, he writes a lot and is super inspired by the countryside.  The best part is the things that the bulldozer does that a normal rental car wouldn't do so this is one of those times that we should look at the glass half full and figure out that it is going to work out for the best.  Pick up this book and find out for yourself because I think that it will have you laughing right along with it.  I know that you will enjoy this book as much as I did!