| 44 Scotland Street | 
 enlarge | Author: Alexander Mccall Smith
Publisher: Abacus
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £7.98 (100%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  32 reviews
Sales Rank: 1527
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 4.7 x 0.9
ISBN: 0349118973
EAN: 9780349118970
ASIN: 0349118973
Publication Date: August 11, 2005
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 read it!! January 9, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this book! Made me laugh out loud on several occasions, and generally a nice read. Easy to get through as it's in bite-sized chunks from when it what printed as a serial novel in 'The Scotsman' and has some good characters including Bertie the 5 year old Italian speaking, saxophone playing child prodigy who is in therapy after being thrown out of nursery, and vain Bruce the underpant stealing surveyor with an obsession with....well, himself really!! End was a little disappointing, but I'll definately read the next installment 'Espresso Tales'.
 Tales of the City for Auld Reekie November 14, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book is the story of the occupants of 44 Scotland Street, a traditional Edinburgh New Town (the posh Georgian bit) residence divided into multiple flats. The inhabitants are all very well-to-do, exactly as would be expected in this neighbourhood, and are based on character types that are instantly recognisable by anyone who knows middle-class Edinburgh. The characters are generally unburdened by the depressing reality of real life, spending their time in art galleries, fashionable bars and the floatarium, and this creates a wonderful feeling of escapism for the reader. While most of us ponder mundane questions like 'What am I going to have for tea tonight?' and 'What's on TV?', the inhabitants of 44 Scotland Street are constantly engaged in philosophical thoughts (very much in the style of Mma Ramotswe in the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency).
The goings-on are extremely funny. I loved the strand featuring prodigious pre-schooler Bertie and his monstrously misguided mother, Irene, who puts Bertie into therapy after he defaces his nursery school with Italian graffiti. Also the plot concerning the Conservative Party ball, attended by just six people (all frightful), and involving the stealing of pants to go under a kilt and misappropriation of raffle prizes, was hilarious.
This book really reminded me of Tales of the City (without the sex) and when I had finished it I read the preface and discovered that Tales of the City had indeed inspired the original serial in the Scotsman newspaper. An easy, funny and highly entertaining read.
 An easy read, but dialogue and characters are poor. August 27, 2006
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
As someone who lives in Edinburgh, it was nice to read a book set in there as it made the city seem slightly more glamorous, like other places where stories are often set e.g. New York or Venice. But it wasn't a riveting read. My main criticisms are that the dialogue was very poor throughout - it almost seemed like it was set in another age, as it certainly doesn't reflect the way people speak; and that the sector of Edinburgh society covered by the book was purely the posh, rich variety. It's all about art galleries and tory party balls and the like. It would have been more interesting if there was a better mix of cultures and social classes interplaying together, it was just a bit monotonous really. Also the main character, a 19-year-old girl, was written extremely flat with no character to speak of. Her implausible close friendships with much older neighbours was written as if it was normal, which it certainly is not. I think all of this may be a reflection on the age and social class of the author. However the book did pick up a bit towards the end, the story lines got a bit more interesting. In short, an easy read, but not the kind of book that really draws you in.
Loved this book August 18, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I thought this was a really good book anyway, but having lived in Edinburgh for four years I loved it. It makes a difference when you can recognise every place name and every description. One of my old uni societies, Savoy Opera Group, even made its way into the book - although annoyingly as a negative side of one of the characters (its much better than that really). Aside from that, I found this book addictive. The characters may not be that deep, but they are fun and interesting. The pace of the novel is consistent, and once you start reading it you can't put it down. I think I finished it in two days. I've read the sequel, which isn't as good as the first one, but it resolves some of the problems, like character depth, and I can't wait to read the third.
On the dull side July 29, 2006
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
I found the book to be long-winded with little substance. Some of the dialogue and the storyline were faintly interesting, but most of the time, I found myself checking how many pages were left. It's OK for commute-time reading, or some light reading for when you don't want something that will stimulate your mind too much.
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