Product DescriptionWelcome to 44 Scotland Street, home to some of Edinburgh's most colorful characters. There's Pat, a twenty-year-old who has recently moved into a flat with Bruce, an athletic young man with a keen awareness of his own appearance. Their neighbor, Domenica, is an eccentric and insightful widow. In the flat below are Irene and her appealing son Bertie, who is the victim of his mother’s desire for him to learn the saxophone and italian–all at the tender age of five.
Love triangles, a lost painting, intriguing new friends, and an encounter with a famous Scottish crime writer are just a few of the ingredients that add to this delightful and witty portrait of Edinburgh society, which was first published as a serial in The Scotsman newspaper.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Loved this book -- Isabel Dalhousie, begone!
I'm not really sure why I even picked this book up (or the other books in the series, all of which are just as fun as this one). I couldn't get interested in the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series, and I loathed Isabel Dalhousie, the smug, boring heroine of the Sunday Philosophy Club "mysteries".
But this book is really a delight. The pacing of 44 Scotland Street is very deft and the characters are an interesting mix. I enjoyed reading about each one of them, the good and the bad, the ... Read More
Rating: - *EDINBURGH has an indelible place in my Heart . . .*
In this series by Alexander McCall Smith, there is not as much philosophy as plain unadulterated (tho' calculated) fun. Because "44" runs as a newspaper serial, it must be served up in daily doses that carry one over to the next day's episode. In its book form readers may gallop ahead to the next hurdle (champing at the bit, to continue in a horsy vein).
You will find your outlook of Edinburgh, the city and soul, broadened: A memorable top floor flat is shared by newcomer Pat and two ... Read More
Rating: - RAINY DAY SUNSHINE
This is one of those books that is perfect for when you're feeling blue. Easy to read, completely entertaining and fun. I enjoy these "tidbit" books (as I call them) so very much. I am going to miss the residents of 44 Scotland Street quite a lot.
This may be light reading, but it is not mindless. McCall Smith always delivers great prose, poignant moments and a picturesque snapshot of Scotland, its people, and their ways. Highly recommend it for McCall Smith junkies and anyone who wants to ... Read More
Rating: - Probably best appreciated by those who live or have been to Edinburgh...
A very good friend of mine gave me a copy of 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith for my birthday this year. As the story is set in Edinburgh Scotland, I figured it was only appropriate that I should read it while I was visiting over there. I'll be the first to admit that this book will have its widest appeal to those who have been to Edinburgh or live there. Because I was surrounded by Edinburgh culture as I read, I found it great fun and a very enjoyable read.
Rating: - NOT the Ladies' Detective Agency books, thank goodness!!
I have read all but the last two of the Ladies' Detective Agency books, although upon reflection, I don't know why. They're very predictable, and the character development in them is disappointing.
Not so with the Scotland Street books (3 and counting), which offer vignettes allowing us entree to the charming, lively, pleasant and absorbing lives of Pat, Bruce, Matthew, Big Lou, Irene, Stuart and the precocious Bertie, Angus Lordie, Cyril, and the unique Domenica (whose pronouncements I suspect ... Read More
- Loved this book -- Isabel Dalhousie, begone!
