Espresso Tales

[A book review I wrote in 2007]

**A Complete Delight!**

If you don't find this book laugh-out-loud funny, then you will have altogether missed the point! Every bit as delightful as 44 Scotland Street, the parody of Edinburgh characters continues in the author's usual witty fashion, with scenes of the ridiculous (but often not altogether impossible) and individual personality traits highlighted to the greatest degree. It's a superb comment upon the ridiculous... In fact, do we even realise how ridiculous our society can potentially be!?

Get back in touch with old friends from 44 Scotland Street. There's Pat, the young 20-something soon-to-be student... should she go to the nudist party at Moray Place? She's still working in the Art Gallery show more for Matthew & it's now turning a profit... can Matthew find some confidence? The erstwhile narcissistic Bruce had decided upon the wine trade as his latest venture, having recently been fired from his career as a chartered surveyor... of course, it doesn't bother him in the slightest that he knows nothing at all about wine! Pat's neighbour and friend Domenica is still there with her insightful comments upon humankind. So too, Angus & his faithful friend, Cyril. But more to the point, this book focuses most of all upon little Bertie (now 6) and his insufferably pushy mother, Irene. Can Stuart stand up to Irene and let Bertie be a little boy? Bertie is finding his way, having just started school, he is now tentatively trying to make friends & "fit in". But this is difficult for Bertie with his pink dungarees, his pink bedroom, his yoga classes, and Italian lessons, the entirely unnecessary sessions with the psychotherapist & his Grade 7 saxophone. Bertie wants to love mummy all the time... but is finding it very difficult...

Just as its predecessor the book is written with short pithy chapters (over 100 of them), each presenting a mini-story & social commentary of their own. Some reviewers have found the political chapters boring, but that IS totally the point - read them & you'll see why & don't worry, they're short! I loved every bit of this book & everyone with a good sense of humour should find something to enjoy. show less

In Espresso Tales Smith continues to display his remarkably perceptive grasp of the complexities of the human condition. He adds layers like building blocks to characters we've already met revealing more of the why and how folks are the way they are. Some of the 'main' characters, i.e. Domenica, Pat, Angus Lordie and Big Lou are smart, thoughtful, imaginative, adventurous and fun. And where would we be without the marvelous Bertie. Smith shows how dynamic and ever-changing most lives are. Sadly there are a few who remain stagnant, rooted in limited, misguided beliefs, with very little ability (or desire) to understand and accept others.

It is Smith's ability to write about his characters with compassion, sensitivity, and humor, (and yes show more a wee bit of moralizing) that make his series engaging and appealing.

Looking forward to the 3rd book in this series. show less

Espresso Tales, published in 2005, is the second book to come out of Alexander McCall Smith's serial 44 Scotland Street, originally published in daily instalments in The Scotsman newspaper.

As a serial novel, centred around a group of characters living in an apartment building, celebrating the culture of a very individualistic city, and written with a playful irony that does nothing to hide a warm, liberal humanist belief in the fundamental goodness of human nature, comparisons with Armistead Maupin are difficult to avoid. But McCall Smith isn't just rehashing Tales of the City: he has reinvented the form in a very Edinburgh sort of way. It is quite appropriate that from time to time he lets his inner professor pop out and lecture us, show more usually through the Arbroath autodidact, Big Lou, who is still steadily working her way systematically through the unsold stock of a failed secondhand bookshop.
The character who really stands out in this book is Bertie, the six year-old prodigy whose mother, Irene, is determined to push him to the maximum. Bertie just wants to have the chance to do little boy things, and is cunning enough to undermine many of Irene's schemes. (This book also provides the surprising answer to the mystery of where Bertie's parents parked the Volvo, a question left open at the end of the first book.) Pat, Bruce and Domenica are back too, but they don't get as much to do as in the first book. The nudist picnic in Moray Place, which initially sounds as though it is going to be the big scene in the present book, turns out to be something of an anti-climax, entirely eclipsed by the resolution of the Great Volvo Mystery.
I only know Edinburgh as a tourist, and I'm sure that locals would get even more fun out of all the local references here. But even as an outsider, this is great fun, and leaves me eager to try the next instalment. show less

Well, now I've really gone and messed things up. I started the series with #13 The Peppermint Tea Chronicles, and even thought I had already read Espresso Tales, which was not the case. But now that I've read two books out of order, I think I'll just keep going that route. What was interesting is how my feelings about the characters differed. For example, Bertie and his neurotic and over-protective mother, Irene, were centerpieces of this volume, whereas I was not so interested in them in Peppermint. Despite having skipped the first in the series, I felt that this was a delightful introduction to Bertie, Irene, and Stuart. On the other hand, Ramsey Dunbarton was a dreadful bore, and while I understand that is intended, I needed less show more proof of it. Big Lou has a larger role to play in Peppermint, but it was nice to see more of her origin story here. It is the characters that give these books a delight, and some of the plots are self-contained, so I think I'm ok to read these out of order.
McCall Smith keeps his characters vivid but also believable (for the most part). This is a wonderful summer read--lighthearted, entertaining, and sure to hook you in to the world of 44 Scotland Street. show less

More like 3.5 but what the heck, I'm loaded with stars to give out, I can afford the extra half.

The #2 installment in this series makes its origins as a serial novel, with a new chapter published daily (daily!) a little more obvious. I got the feeling that McCall Smith threw in plot threads a little haphazardly and then abandoned a few of them that, had he been writing a novel in the normal way, he'd have had time to revise or remove in later edits.

I also suspect that some of the lengthier and more boring conversations/ introspections/ monologues were written when he really wasn't sure what should happen next, plot-wise.

All the same I am entertained and he certainly has a way with describing humanity. Number 3 was immediately show more available at my library, so I will follow these characters for at least that much longer. show less

I've never laughed so much out loud while reading a novel except maybe when reading a P. G. Wodehouse book. We return to 44 Scotland Street. Pat has overcome her infatuation for flatmate and conceited egotist Bruce and she continues to work for Matthew at his private art gallery. Bruce has decided to go into the wine trade and sponges off a friend. 6 year old Bertie continues his battle with pushy mother Irene and spends some time with his father Stuart. Dominica, an anthropologist, has a lot to discuss with either Pat or her friend Angus (accompanied by his eccentric dog Cyril).
https://readableword.wordpress.com/2022/04/16/44-scotland-street-2-espresso-tale...

I love Alexander McCall Smith's books. They're as warm and satisfying as a cup of (bush) tea, and the two go very well together too! This was another great installment from 44 Scotland Street, and the characters are as loveable or as love-to-hateable as ever, from the infuriatingly arrogant Bruce (I was so happy when Sharon managed to put him down, albeit only for a short while) to Domenica (what will we do without her while she's away?) via Irene Pollock (stupid, irritating woman, why can't she see how miserable she's making Bertie?).

There were a couple of episodes that probably would have been a little dry on their own in the paper, but that didn't matter when they were all collected together. And the ending was a bit unexpected - I show more know that the status quo is largely maintained because there are another two books, but still some big changes are in the air. I look forward to seeing how things progress in Love Over Scotland. show less