Hardback: It takes a lot to get under the skin of Cornelius 'Fatty O'Leary, but then there is a lot of skin to get under. He has been known as Fatty O'Leary from the time he is twelve, which is in the early 1950s. He never objects to being called Fatty and even signs himself as such. He is a good man and a kind one.
The heroically proportioned Fatty can normally take life as it comes. Right at home in easy-going Fayetteville, Arkansas, he is happily married to his childhood sweetheart Betty, and likes nothing better than the company of good friends Tubby O'Rourke, an accountant with an interest in model railways, and Porky Flanagan, a dentist who runs a dental practice set up by his father and his uncle.
But when Fatty and Betty head off to Ireland on the trip of a lifetime, they find that they have left their comfort zone far behind.
Calamity and mayhem ensue as one mishap after another befalls the beleaguered couple - the seats in economy class on the plane are too small; Irish bathroom furniture is not as commodious as he would have liked and all the time, Fatty must put up with the unthinking cruelty of strangers.
Can Fatty's broad shoulders take the strain or will he suffer one indignity too many?
Will he get his just deserts, or just dessert?
In an hilarious and touching portrayal of a kindly and misunderstood soul, McCall Smith has created yet another memorable character who will become an instant favourite to his many fans in Fatty O'Leary's Dinner Party (2014).
About the author: Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world’s most prolific and most popular authors. His career has been a varied one: for many years he was a professor of Medical Law and worked in universities in the United Kingdom and abroad. Then, after the publication of his highly successful No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, which has sold over twenty million copies, he devoted his time to the writing of fiction and has seen his various series of books translated into over forty languages and become bestsellers through the world.
The series include the Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in The Scotsman, the Sunday Philosophy Club series starring Isabel Dalhousie, the von Igelfeld series, and the new Corduroy Mansions novels.
Alexander is also the author of collections of short stories, academic works, and over thirty books for children. He has received numerous awards for his writing, including the British Book Awards Author of the Year Award in 2004 and a CBE for service to literature in 2007. He holds honorary doctorates from nine universities in Europe and North America. Alexander McCall Smith lives in Edinburgh. He is married to a doctor and has two daughters.
Rating: 5/5
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