44 Scotland Street

This took me two weeks to read due to my crazy work schedule and also the fact that this book didn't exactly call my name. I plodded along for the sake of being able to say "I finished it." Since this is a serial designed for a newspaper following, it doesn't feel like a normal novel.

It's a fairly clean book, but it's just lacking so much. I'm not feeling a connection with any particular character.

Would I read it again? Most likely not. Try the sequel? No. I just didn't like this book enough to continue on to the second volume. ( )

Audiobook read by Robert Ian Makenzie
Illustrations by Iain McKintosh

From the book jacket: 44 Scotland Street [is] home to some of Edinburgh’s most colorful charcters. There’s Pat, a twenty-year-old who has recently moved into a flat with Bruce, an athletic young manwith 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.

My reactions
In the preface Smith recalls a conversation he had at a party in California with author Amistead Maupin (who wrote the Tales of the City series). That ultimately led to an invitation from The Scotsman to write a serialized novel for that paper, and 44 Scotland Street was born.

I love this kind of ensemble piece. The chapters are short and change focus among the residents of the building at 44 Scotland Street. Not much happens, and everything happens: love found, lost and found again, awkward encounters, a hidden masterpiece, a secret tunnel, dinner with the boss (and boss’s wife and daughter), rebellion, great neighbors (and bad ones), a precocious child, a new job and therapy sessions. Through it all the reader is treated to the author’s witty observations on this microcosm of Edinburgh society.

Robert Ian Mackenzie does an excellent job of narrating the audio version. He has a great facility with voices, and even gives us a plausible twenty-year-old Pat. He really brings these characters to life, and evokes a sense of fun throughout.

I also must comment on the illustrations by Iain McIntosh, which add to the printed version. I enjoyed looking at the fine detail he includes. Whether depicting Big Lou’s coffee bar, the Something Special Gallery, or Bertie yelling at his mother in her flotation tank, they were great fun. ( )

A relaxing and fun read. I enjoy looking up the artist, places, wines, and even streets in Edinburgh the author mentions as the story progresses. ( )

I'm giving this 4 stars just because it's unique. This was a serial in the Scotsman in 2004 ; one chapter was published daily for 6 months. I just felt that some of the characters were too hokey (not real). Most of the characters in this book live in an apartment house on Scotland Street , thus the name. This book will not make my top 100 favorite books; however, I am glad I read it for our book club. It will be a great discussion book. ( )

I've tried reading other books by this author and didn't like them. Thought it was worth a try for a different series as well as it being a book for book club.
No better results - I didn't like the writing style - choppy and seemingly flying around with no direction or plot. The characters didn't interest me - they were whiny and self-centered. I gave it 68 pages and 8 days of my reading and finally said no more. ( )