44 Scotland Street

A humorous, understated collection of stories involving loosely-related characters living and working in Edinburgh, first serialized in The Scotsman. The tone and style are à la Wodehouse if he were alive today and wrote about average middle-class folks in the city. ( )

Not to my taste. ( )

As the author explains in the preface, the idea for the book started at a party given by Amy Tam as he talked to Armistead Maupin about that author's writing Tales of the City as a serialization in a newspaper. When McCall Smith was given the opportunity to do the same, he realized that each day's piece had to be interesting and encourage the reader to want to more. And that you can't go back and change what has happened so far in the story. I'm glad that there are sequels; while there may be some closure in the book, there are enough loose ends to make me want to read more about people that I now care about.
Even the less than admirable ones, like Bruce who blames Pat for storing in a shared closet a painting that he gives away. I don't know if five-year-old boys---even remarkably talented ones---behave like Bertie, but I liked him. ( )

You know, Gail Carriger hasn't written anything else as good as the Soulless books, Deanna Raybourn hasn't improved on the Julia Grey series, and A.M. Smith will never write anything as charming as The No1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Fact. ( )

This is a delightful book if the characters do not drive you nuts. You will meet the community of 44 Scotland Street and the surrounding neighborhood: Tim, Jamie, Bertie, Irene, Stuart, Big Lou, Hugh, Angus, Ronnie, Mags, Pete, Christabel, Melanie, Domenica, Matthew, Bruce, Gordon, Raeburn, Todd, Sasha, Lizzie, and Pat. Twenty year old Pat is at the center of the story. Newly relocated to 44 Scotland Street, she rents a room from vain Bruce Anderson and finds a job in an art gallery with Matthew. She is sort of at a loss as to what to do with her life (she's on her second gap year from university). It is only after a painting from the art gallery goes missing that the plot picks up, albeit a little predictably: Bruce is an exaggerated narcist who Pat can't help but fall in love with, while Matthew, sweet and a little bumbling, falls in love with Pat. There are heroes and villains at 44 Scotland Street. They all have their moments of love and loss. At the center of it all is a painting that may or may not be worth some money. ( )