From social media to the finer points of human behavior, this episode of Alexander McCall Smith’s popular series provides an entertaining commentary on a small corner of modern life in Edinburgh where, contrary to received wisdom, the sun nearly always shines. Angus Lordie and Domenica Macdonald are finally tying the knot. Unsurprisingly, Angus is not quite prepared. The long-suffering Bertie knows firsthand how stringent his mother’s rules can be, and he resolves to help Cyril set off on an adventure. Meanwhile, Big Lou becomes a viral Internet sensation, and the incurable narcissist Bruce meets his match in the form of a doppelganger neighbor, who proposes a plan that could change both their lives.

Let’s pause here and imagine that you or I had to choose the characters for a series novel set in Edinburgh’s New Town. My guess is that we’d aim for a rough sociological mirroring for our fiction. And why not? When Pat accepts her narcissistic ex-boyfriend Bruce’s invitation for coffee, she has no idea of the complications in her romantic and professional life that will follow. Meanwhile, Matthew, her boss at the art gallery, attracts the attention of the police after a misunderstanding at the local bookstore. The novel provides a distinctly separate point of view from each character, shedding insight into each of them and how they think of each other. Inspired by Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, 44 Scotland Street started life as a serial in The Scotsman. It was a huge hit, and was soon novelised, adapted on stage and dramatised for BBC Radio 4. Collected here are all five radio series, in which we follow the interconnected lives of the residents of adjoining flats in a tenement in Edinburgh's Georgian New Town.

Publication Order of 44 Scotland Street Books

Five-year-old Bertie is a Grade 6 on the saxophone and speaks fluent Italian as a result of his pushy mother, Irene. Bertie gets into trouble and is expelled from East New Town Nursery. His mother forces him into psychotherapy, and his dreams of being a normal five-year-old continue to be thwarted.

Bertie plots a rebellion against his mother’s plans. The sessions with Bertie’s psychiatrist are entertaining, as is the psychiatrist’s attempts to finally bring about self-realization to this child prodigy, his legendary patient. Matthew, Elsbeth, the triplets, and Au-Pair James still sorting through their roles in life and maybe learning a bit about gratitude. Domenica thought: I really would like things to be forever. I would like for us to be able to sit at this table once a week, perhaps, with these friends. I would like to talk about the things we talk about, the small things, whatever happened in the world. I would like to wake up in the morning and not think that things were getting worse. (31) This sixteenth (!!) volume of the 44 Scotland St series is as full of kindness, gratitude, humbling observations, and humor as the others. We meet most of the same characters in many of the same situations as usual and catch up with what they have been doing.The characters were so lifelike and the dialogue between them felt genuine. The witty banter present in the writing was sharp and had this dry humour that had me bursting out in public. I appreciate a book that could genuinely make me laugh and this one accomplished that goal so effortlessly. It still had its interesting moments of human psychology as some of the character’s philosophies shown without being too direct e.g. Disturbing Parental ways, Failed dreams, self-discovery and so much more. A mystery about a certain painting is present but be weary the mystery doesn't drive the book but the individuals do. Surprised at how much I enjoyed this, really surprised… Before you read this review make some tea get cosy because you are about to take a sneak peek into other people’s lives

The fifth book in the 44 Scotland Street series, The Unbearable Lightness of Scones, finds Bertie still troubled by his rather overbearing mother, Irene, but seeking his escape in the Cub Scouts. Matthew is rising to the challenge of married life with newfound strength and resolve, while Domenica epitomizes the loneliness of the long-distance intellectual. With his customary deftness, Alexander McCall Smith once again brings us an absorbing and entertaining tale of some of Scotland’s most quirky and beloved characters—all set in the beautiful, stoic city of Edinburgh. The action takes place entirely in a small area of Edinburgh, Scotland, but we never get enough of a description to have any real sense of the places or environment in which events are taking place. Several of the characters live in a rooming house, but we never get to see the house, the street, or much about the interiors of any of the rooms we visit. It’s much like watching a play on a bare stage which has characters dashing in, delivering a few lines, and dashing out again. We don’t get those lovely descriptions that Trollope, for example, gives us that bring characters to light and give us the sense that we would know them if we ran into them in the street; I could walk past any one of the characters in this book with no spark of recognition whatsoever. Nor do we get any real sense of what Scotland Street looks like, nor of the interior of the art gallery where two of the characters work, nor of any other venue in the book. For a book that takes place in a real place, one has to go to Google Street View to get any sense of the environment in which the characters move. Irene then complains about the contents of the kitchen cabinets and proceeds to needle and demean Stuart. Stuart manages to escape to meet his friend Katie, with whom Stuart hopes to have a romance.....but there may be a spanner in the works. I will be clear up front that this isn’t a book I would have chosen on my own, since I primarily read classics and nonfiction. That said, I do see why my friend liked it. I though it was okay, but no more than that. Angus Lordie is a traditional portrait artist with an animus against The Turner Prize, which awards conceptual art - such as a video of a chair seen from different angles - rather than art objects. In fact Angus has taught his dog Cyril to lift his leg whenever he hears the words Turner Prize.The characters are flawed, but forgiven for their weaknesses, and readers are treated to satirical humor throughout. For instance, Ramsey Dubarton, the lawyer, puts his wife to sleep by reading his memoirs to her. Love in the Time of Bertie is the fifteenth book in the popular 44 Scotland Street series by Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith, and in it, the lives of the residents of 44 Scotland Street and those of their friends are, once again, updated for the continuing enjoyment of series fans. The audio version is narrated by David Rintoul. Last week the 14th volume – a world record for a serialised novel, no less – ended its run in The Scotsman, ahead of publication this week by Polygon as The Promise of Ankles. Time perhaps for an insider’s guide to the crafting of a serial novel. The city of Edinburgh vividly comes to life in this gently satirical and humorous serial novel featuring the adventures of Bertie, a child prodigy and remarkably over-psychoanalyzed five-year-old; Cyril the dog, with a penchant for ankles; and the stylish painter, Angus Lordie.

The ever-arrogant Bruce Anderson overestimates his skill at cryptic crosswords, and is offered a role in a morally questionable real estate scheme by a former schoolmate. When by chance he learns who the buyer is, he faces a moral dilemma. It all becomes moot when nature interferes in a very dramatic way. The latest in the hugely popular 44 Scotland Street series from the worldwide bestselling author, Alexander McCall Smith The gallery is broken into and Matthew decides to ask Pat to keep the painting at her flat until they are sure it is a genuine Peploe. Matthew is clearly attracted to Pat and would like to date her, but Pat does not reciprocate his feelings and does not want to get involved with her boss.This seven year old has our heart. So easily pleased, so easily hurt. Wanting only peace and a little understanding in his world. Wanting mostly to be seen, and to just be a NORMAL little boy.