44 Scotland Street (44 Scotland Street 1)
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Review
As charming as the bohemian street in which it's set. (SCOTTISH DAILY RECORD )
It is hard to think of a contemporary writer more genuinely engaging...[his] novels are also extremely funny: I find it impossible to think about them without smiling (Craig Brown, MAIL ON SUNDAY )
A treasure of a writer whose books deserve immediate devouring (Marcel Berlins, GUARDIAN )
a hilarious yet sharply insightful tale of middle-class Edinburgh ... a joyous, charming portrait of city life and human foibles (SUNDAY EXPRESS )
It is hard to think of a contemporary writer more genuinely engaging...[his] novels are also extremely funny: I find it impossible to think about them without smiling (Craig Brown, MAIL ON SUNDAY )
A treasure of a writer whose books deserve immediate devouring (Marcel Berlins, GUARDIAN )
a hilarious yet sharply insightful tale of middle-class Edinburgh ... a joyous, charming portrait of city life and human foibles (SUNDAY EXPRESS )
Times, 20 August 2005
‘Addicts of McCall Smith’s Precious Ramotswe novels will recognise the gentle humour … of his latest work’
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Completely fab book!,
By A Customer
This review is from: 44 Scotland Street (Hardcover)
This book is wonderful, and everything you would expect from Alexander McCall Smith at his top form. The characters are engaging and intriguing, and the style of the book keeps you turning the pages. The format is slightly unusual - as this book was originally a daily column in a Scottish newspaper. It means each chapter is v.brief but very contained. The stories are centred round the residents of a house in Edingburgh, and offer slices of life from a variety of characters who lives overlap.Incidently, he notes at the beginning that the idea for this book was born at a party hosted by Amy Tan, and in conversation with Armistad Maupin - for me that was recommendation enough!
43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A pleasant surprise,
By
This review is from: 44 Scotland Street: 44 scotland street series: vol 1 (Paperback)
When this book came into my hands, I have to admit I didn't think I was going to like it. Given that my only knowledge of the author had to do with a series of novels revolving around an African detective agency for women (or thereabouts)- I guess I was expecting a flight of fancy through Edinburgh, with no real meat to it.I couln't have been more wrong. This book is a wittily observed journey through the lives and thoughts of five or six of the best realised characters I've come across in modern fiction. The narcissistic Bruce, fantastically pretentious Irene and perpetually befuddled Matthew are among my favourites, but I think there's definitely someone for everyone in this book. I can foresee a potential negative for some people coming to this book expecting a great saga. Because of the way in which it was written (Smith submitted a chapter a day to The Scotsman newspaper for 110 days), the story flits around and just as a particular line gets some legs, you find yourself focused on something totally different. For those who like books with a long, developed plot line and deeply winding subplots, this book may feel like dealing with a hyperactive child. However, if you like dry, well realised humour with a good pace and excellent characters, then this will make a great read. I'm certainly interested enough to hunt down the two sequels. Well done, Mr Smith, you've converted another fan.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A treat that hs enlivened my tube journeys,
By
This review is from: 44 Scotland Street: 44 scotland street series: vol 1 (Paperback)
44 Scotland Street is little gem. It's a revival of the neglected genre of the serial novel, written - like Armistad Maupin's Tales of the City - to appear regularly in a newspaper. Yes, there are loose ends and some characters are little more than sketches, but given the virtual impossibility of producing a structurally polished novel when it is (as McCall Smith points out in his introduction) impossible to go back and make revisions, and the pressure is on to produce a daily episode for publication.Insufferably pushy mothers, Conservative party stalwarts who would rather go ahead with just six participants than cancel a ball, narcissistic young men devoted to their hair gel ... the lighthearted sketchiness of these characters is what makes it permissable to laugh at them. The real heart of the book, however, lies in those characters who are wistfully chasing after what they cannot have - Big Lou, who has lived a life without love; Pat, with her misplaced infatuation; Matthew, who cannot seem to find his place in life; and poor 5-year-old Bertie (I wish I knew if he is ever to be free from having to speak Italian). Read, enjoy, don't take it too seriously.
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