44 Scotland Street

By: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

The brilliant Alexander McCall Smith became an international sensation with his New York Times best-selling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels. His award-winning wit, made famous through that series, is fully on display in 44 Scotland Street.

When Pat rents a room in Edinburgh, she acquires some interesting neighbors, including a pushy Stockbridge mother and her talented, sax-playing, 5-year-old son. Pat's job at an art gallery hardly keeps her busy, until she suspects one painting in the collection may be an undiscovered work from a Scottish master. As Pat handles the mystery of the painting, she and the people surrounding her confront issues of trust, love, and loss.

Chalk up another winner for McCall Smith, whose endlessly entertaining and perceptive novel is filled with delightfully authentic sketches of all the archetypes of Edinburgh society.

©2005 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Readers needn't possess plaid clothes or a brogue to savor this wise, witty send-up of Edinburgh rogues." (Booklist)
"The possibility of romance, the ongoing ups and downs of the large, well-drawn cast of characters, the intricate plot, and the way Smith nimbly jumps from situation to situation and POV to POV...works beautifully." (Publishers Weekly)

Not my thing

I love The #1 Ladies Detective series, but honestly this bored me to death. So much talk about absolutely nothing. wanted to like it, but not for me.

A Delight

What made the experience of listening to 44 Scotland Street the most enjoyable?

The reader's beautiful diction and voice made the listening experience a treat, and, as always, Alexander McCall Smith's writing is a dream. The way he opens characters' hearts; the way he gently exposes their foibles. Both human frailty and generosity of spirit leak off every page. He is without a doubt my favourite contemporary male author.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters are richly nuanced. How can one not be intrigued by Irene, the pushy and opinionated mother, or by Dr. Fairbairn, the pompous poseur? Bertie's situation is so unfortunate that I wished I could rescue him. By the end of the book, I longed to hang out with Domenica and Angus.

Which character – as performed by Robert Ian Mackenzie – was your favorite?

His Bertie is wonderfu. How is it that a man with such a deep, rich voice can carry off the role of a child or a woman? Despite the number of characters, I was never confused as to who was speaking. He didn't overdo the characterization; it was just right. Robert Ian Mackenzie's performance is wonderful throughout, and I am sure the direction contributed to the making of this great recording.

If you could take any character from 44 Scotland Street out to dinner, who would it be and why?

It's too hard to choose. It's a toss up between Domenica and Angus. Definitely not Bruce, though I tend to agree with him that Chardonnay is overrated. Could I take Bertie out for an icecream and some rugby?

Any additional comments?

I listened while on my daily walk, and I will admit to the occasional snort of laughter or gasp at Bruce's pomposity. I'm sure the neighbours think I'm a wee bit loopy.

Like sitting in a small town coffee shop

The story is pleasant, because it's like listening to all of the small town gossip. It's all very interesting, the plot moves slowly but you hardly notice, because it's all such juicy tidbits. I like that it is written in short spurts of story, so that you can listen in short pieces at a time. The reason I ranked the performance low was simply that I really disliked the narrator's voicing of the children and the women. His voice, so beautiful for men, was cringe worthy for the softer toned characters. With that said, I will probably go back and get the next audiobook, because I have learned to tolerate( but not like) his annoying voice tones, and the storyline is so nicely set up for my daily 40 minute commutes.

NOT the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

44 Scotland Street has it's merits . . . it is entertaining . . . to a point . . . but for fans of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, I fear that many will find it shallow and lacking . . . a little on the meandering side, filled with folks with too much money and time on their hands to be able to relate to us commoners, and caught up with psychoanalyzing a five year old, saxophone playing boy . . . I was forever waiting for the other shoe to drop, for lover boy, Bruce to get a big fat dose of reality dropped on his head . . . for Pat, in her second gap year to get off her parents dole, get the stars out of her eyes and GROW UP . . . my favorites were Angus and his dog Cyril, and Domenica, Pat's sixties-something neighbor . . . and of course, five-year-old Bertie . . . if you are looking for a light listen, this one fits the bill . . .

Thank God for Series!

This has been such an enjoyable listen, and I dreaded coming to the end, but now I see that this is the first of a nice long series! I'm ridiculously happy.

Cute idea

Cute premise, but it did not have the feel of a real story plot.
I did enjoy a story set in a city we don't usually hear about.

Can’t get over swallowing sounds of narrator

I enjoyed this slow but light enough story, but I just couldn’t get over the narrators swallowing sounds. Seriously so distracting, especially when listening in AirPods. Also, if someone really wants their child to be a prodigy at something, they don’t usually pick the saxophone. 😂

Entertaining not captivating

Any additional comments?

The story was originally written as a series for a newspaper. I think if I read it in this context where I would be anticipating the next chapter I would have enjoyed it more. The chapters are roughly 15 minutes long. This makes it quite broken up for a 2 hour car ride. The narrator is very good.

Too much

It’s a fun read, but too many storylines and characters. If you want something fun and light, this is it.

Amusing fluff

Great characters! predictable story. enjoyable overall. nothing much happens, but the characters are well developed and intriguing.