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Espresso Tales
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
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Publisher's summary
Between glances in the mirror, vain Bruce contemplates a new career as a wine merchant. His troubled flatmate, Pat, finds himself looking for true love at a nudist picnic. Precocious Bertie, now six years old, prepares for kindergarten despite the horror of being forced to wear pink overalls. Meanwhile, his domineering mother, Irene, and his psychologist, Dr. Fairbarn, struggle with dark secrets as Bertie plots his rebellion against them.
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Critic reviews
"McCall Smith's pacing is impeccable." (Publishers Weekly)
"Robert Ian Mackenzie's impeccable take on the characters reveals their trials, tribulations, blind spots, and charms." (AudioFile)
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Great Read
- By Mary k.campbell on 12-02-22
By: Susanne O'Leary
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The Good Liar
- A Novel
- By: Nicholas Searle
- Narrated by: Matthew Brenher
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Veteran con artist Roy spots an obvious easy mark when he meets Betty, a wealthy widow, online. In no time at all, he's moved into Betty's lovely cottage and is preparing to accompany her on a romantic trip to Europe. Betty's grandson disapproves of their blossoming relationship, but Roy is sure this scheme will be a success. He knows what he's doing. As this remarkable feat of storytelling weaves together Roy's and Betty's futures, it also unwinds their pasts.
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Hope the movie is better than the book?
- By S. Smith on 10-17-19
By: Nicholas Searle
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Murder at the Mill
- A Mystery (Iris Grey Mysteries, Book 1)
- By: M. B. Shaw
- Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins
- Length: 13 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Iris Grey rents a quaint cottage in a picture-perfect Hampshire village, looking to escape from her crumbling marriage. She is drawn to the neighboring Wetherby family and is commissioned to paint a portrait of Dominic Wetherby, a celebrated crime writer. At the Wetherby's Christmas Eve party, the mulled wine is in full flow - but so are tensions and rivalries among the guests. On Christmas Day, the youngest member of the Wetherby family, Lorcan, finds a body in the water. A tragic accident? Or a deadly crime?
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Iris Grey Mysteries
- By Beatrice on 12-09-18
By: M. B. Shaw
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Excellent Women
- By: Barbara Pym
- Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Mildred Lathbury is a clergyman's daughter and a mild-mannered spinster in 1950s England. She is one of those excellent women - the smart, supportive, repressed women whom men take for granted. As Mildred gets embroiled in the lives of her new neighbors - anthropologist Helena Napier; Helen's handsome, dashing husband, Rocky; and Julian Malory, the vicar next door - the novel presents a series of snapshots of human life as actually, and pluckily, lived.
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Still Waters Run Deep
- By Sara on 04-13-16
By: Barbara Pym
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Things We Never Said
- By: Nick Alexander
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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When Catherine learns that she is dying, she remembers the words her husband once jokingly uttered and decides to leave him the ultimate posthumous gift: a time capsule containing photographs of their life together along with tape recordings in which she recounts every secret she ever kept, every unspoken thought whether loving or treacherous - the things they never said.
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Boring couple, Boring Book
- By Shell on 12-23-18
By: Nick Alexander
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Us: A Novel
- By: David Nicholls
- Narrated by: David Haig
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Douglas Petersen may be mild-mannered, but behind his reserve lies a sense of humor that seduces beautiful Connie into a second date...and eventually into marriage. Now, almost three decades later, they live more or less happily in the London suburbs with their moody seventeen year-old son, Albie. Then Connie tells him she thinks she wants a divorce. The timing couldn’t be worse. Connie has planned a month-long tour of European capitals, a chance to experience the world’s greatest works of art as a family, and she can’t bring herself to cancel. And maybe going ahead is for the best anyway? Douglas is privately convinced that this landmark trip will rekindle the romance in the marriage, and might even help him to bond with Albie. Narrated from Douglas’s endearingly honest, slyly witty, and at times achingly optimistic point of view, Us is the story of a man trying to rescue his relationship with the woman he loves, and learning how to get closer to a son who’s always felt like a stranger.
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Great novel - my favorite in years
- By Mark on 07-21-15
By: David Nicholls
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The Body on the Beach
- A Fethering Mystery
- By: Simon Brett
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Howard
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Recently retired, Carole Seddon is residing in Fethering in the cottage she purchased with her ex-husband. There she maintains a quiet and sensible life with the companionship of Gulliver, her Labrador retriever. But everything changes when she and Gulliver, while taking their daily constitutional, find a corpse on the beach. What's more, there are two wounds on its neck. The body mysteriously disappears and the police dismiss Carole as a befuddled middle-aged woman.
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Reminds me of "Rosemary & Thyme" TV series
- By Crochetaway on 11-17-14
By: Simon Brett
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Staying On
- By: Paul Scott
- Narrated by: Paul Shelley
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Tusker and Lily Smalley stayed on in India. Given the chance to return ‘home’ when Tusker, once a Colonel in the British Army, retired, they chose instead to remain in the small hill town of Pankot, with its eccentric inhabitants and archaic rituals left over from the days of the Empire. Only the tyranny of their imposing landlady threatens to upset the quiet rhythm of their days.
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A Pleasant Meander
- By Ian C Robertson on 09-22-14
By: Paul Scott
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Cold Hand in Mine
- By: Robert Aickman
- Narrated by: Reece Shearsmith
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Cold Hand in Mine stands as one of Aickman's best collections and contains eight stories that show off his powers as a 'strange story' writer to the full. The listener is introduced to a variety of characters, from a man who spends the night in a Hospice to a German aristocrat and a woman who sees an image of her own soul. There is also a nod to the conventional vampire story ("Pages from a Young Girl's Journal") but all the stories remain unconventional and inconclusive, which perhaps makes them all the more startling and intriguing.
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Aickman is unique
- By Stark on 08-19-23
By: Robert Aickman
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Transcends its Genre
- By Gene on 12-07-03
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Good narrators but disappointing narrative
- By Elaine O'Brien on 10-07-23
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In London’s Pimlico neighborhood lies a tenement described in architectural guides as “a building of no interest whatsoever.” But the residents of Corduroy Mansions—including a literary agent, a wine merchant, a thoroughly unpleasant member of Parliament, and a vegetarian dog—are a rather fascinating lot.
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Oedipus Snark, MP
- By connie on 04-25-12
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Conditions of Unconditional Love
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The Perfect Passion Company
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As the new manager of the Perfect Passion Company, Katie’s mission is to help the lonely hearts of Edinburgh. With the assistance of her amiable and handsome office neighbor, William, she finds herself using a personal touch to find matches for the city’s lovelorn citizens. When an airline pilot comes to her looking for a woman to take care of him, Katie sends him to cooking school. The case of a hotelier with a particularly overbearing mother may require a delicate two-pronged approach.
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Cute story
- By Dolce Momento on 05-07-24
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Transcends its Genre
- By Gene on 12-07-03
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- Full-Cast BBC Radio Adaptations of the Much-Loved Novels
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Overall
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- By connie on 04-25-12
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- By: Alexander McCall Smith
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
As the new manager of the Perfect Passion Company, Katie’s mission is to help the lonely hearts of Edinburgh. With the assistance of her amiable and handsome office neighbor, William, she finds herself using a personal touch to find matches for the city’s lovelorn citizens. When an airline pilot comes to her looking for a woman to take care of him, Katie sends him to cooking school. The case of a hotelier with a particularly overbearing mother may require a delicate two-pronged approach.
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Cute story
- By Dolce Momento on 05-07-24
What listeners say about Espresso Tales
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kindle Customer
- 01-29-23
Meet more of McAall''s Quirky Characters
Uneven charater s. Usually author has ALL people, however minor interesting. But here only 2 stand out , but those make it worth the read. You find yourself rooting for the smothered 6 yr old genius . The portrayals of the narcissistic roommate, and the psychciatrist are hilarious & right on. Worth the read just for those .
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- Victoria
- 04-14-15
Great book!
Great narrator and excellent story! Captivating simple story. Reading it you feel like you are part of this word. Victoria
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- dora
- 02-19-13
love this book
If you could sum up Espresso Tales in three words, what would they be?
Absolutely charming characters!
Which scene was your favorite?
Bertie visits the psychologist and identifies Mummy as person who keeps him from enjoying his little boy life
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Could have done
Any additional comments?
I had read previously, but enjoy the narrator's voice and style. I let him read me to sleep every night. I love this book.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Deborah Freitag
- 03-24-17
Mrs Doubtfire
Wonderful story but sometimes I can't help thinking the narrator sounds like mrs doubtfire when ever he reads the women's parts.
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- Roger P.
- 06-28-19
Another great AMS story
I’m a big Smith fan. Great story. However, the quality of the audio is disappointing. Don’t let that deter you; just keep that in mind.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Green lady
- 11-21-22
Scotland St Series
I enjoyed the book but I wish the author written more in detail about the main characters and left out the boring characters. Also, the performance suffered, because the reader went right from the end of one chapter without pausing, and stating the number of the next Chapter. This wasn’t the case after every chapter but enough to be disconcerting as there was no definite, ending to a chapter. You found yourself trying to listen very hard for the end.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-10-24
Great Stories-Lovable Characters
Depth of character thoughts and emotions in these people, except for Bruce. Angus is my favorite. I’d like to be more like him.
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-20-22
Great set of stories
Alexander McCall Smith is a storyteller to treasure! It took awhile to let go of Botswana. But the story (or stories, I should say) were well worth it!
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- monica wolfson
- 09-26-15
Fab
Loved it especially Bertie and Stuart's assertiveness class ! Trip to the Burrell! Must Listen! Now to Book 3
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- Cascadiapnw
- 04-02-17
Getting to Make Friends in Edinburgh!
After this second 44 Scotland Street story, I feel like I'm making friends with people who live in Edinburgh. I almost feel I am with them at the coffee shop or dinner table experiencing the camaraderie. (I wish I were!) Each character is drawn with attention to detail, their stories with richness of imagination and charm. You are privy to the inner sanctums of their hearts and minds, and you watch their interactions with each other, misunderstandings, mistakes, caring. My favorite character is perhaps Cyril, the dog with the golden tooth. Good biting, Cyril.
When I first started these stories, I favored Smith's #1 Ladies Detective Agency Stories. Those stories hang together more as individual books and are, to a degree, more accessible, as I've not been to Edinburgh and Edinburgh is one of the stars of these stories. But after finishing #2 in this series, I am finding it equally as compelling as the #1 Ladies Detective Agency. I'm hooked and ready to move on to the third in the series - gotta see how things evolve, just like in real life.
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