Professor Dr. von Igelfeld is back for more little adventures of the every day, including being set up with a wealthy widow, having a reading retreat to the Alps with some students, and taking umbrage as usual whenever Unterholzer gets some praise.

This is the fourth and last book in this series from Alexander McCall Smith and I think that is more than plenty. This series has never really struck me as McCall Smith's best by a long shot. I find von Igelfeld more obnoxious than charming, and that has only increased with each book. His faux pas could be funny if he weren't so pompous in general; I get that his pomposity is supposed to be part of the joke but it's difficult to enjoy light-hearted humor when the main character is so very un-endearing.

The part that really rankled me in this particular title is when Prinzel and his wife decide to set up von Igelfeld with a woman new to town. For starters, I don't like when anyone -- but especially those who are married -- decide to meddle in the love life of others -- especially those who are unmarried. It may be well-meaning but it's almost never wanted and almost never useful. Worse still, Prinzel and Unterholzer go about it by specifically trying to make von Igelfeld feel less-than for being unmarried. And, worst of all, they extoll the charms of married life almost entirely on traditional gender roles -- e.g., getting married means having home-cooked meals and someone to clean up after you. Seriously, it was vomit-inducing that the supposed benefits of marriage are having a cook and housekeeper. McCall Smith is usually very pro-women in his writings, so this felt very beneath him. In a later scene, we see from Ophelia Prinzel's point of view in which she thinks to herself that von Igelfeld isn't a great catch but she's still trying to set up her friend with him because "sheer demographic reality meant that there were many women, particularly those, like Frau Benz, in their late forties, who would never find a husband unless they were prepared to scrape the bottom of the barrel. ... Half a man is surely better than no man at all." I don't even have words for how cringe-worthy that whole passage was. Apparently women need to get married to whatever lowlife comes by their way and be grateful for that ... for the grand privilege of being a cook and housekeeper to said lowlife? Bleh. I'm glad this series is done with now. ( )

The fourth installment of Professor Dr Dr von Igelfeld of the Institute of Romance Philology, author of Portuguese Irregular Verbs. The fussy, arrogant professor is shocked to find his nemesis, Professor Dr Dr Unterholzer, has been shortlisted for a distinguished literary prize. Knowing that he, rather than Unterholzer, deserves the money and acclaim, von Ingelfeld travels to see the head of the committee and make sure there wasn't a mistake.
The lifelong bachelor is also given a shot at romance when his colleague Prinzel sets von Ingelfeld up with a wealthy woman named Benz who owns the local castle, then later, the professor is mistaken for a well-known mountaineer and can't bring himself to admit that he knows nothing about the sport.
I enjoy this series more than any other from the author. The snippy rivalry between two stuffed shirts is so funny and I wish there was more than just these four books. ( )

Not as good as the previous three entries in the series, but still entertaining. The foibles of academic life, and Germans, are lightly skewered. ( )

I love this series. The ridiculous predicaments Moritz-Maria gets himself into are just so far fetched and unfortunate, I end up laughing every time. And feeling sorry for the poor guy. I highly recommend the audiobooks, the narrative is brilliant. ( )

This last book in the series is slightly more satirical than the previous, I think. It is not great, but it is funny at times. ( )