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)

Funny, well contrived with great characters

equals a fun novel to listen to. I laughed so many times while listening, and had a smile on my face when I wasn't laughing!.
Alexander McCall Smith is a new author to me, as is Robt. Mackenzie as a narrator..what a match. Great Energy of this author and narrator. I can't wait to listen to the second book.

This is a case where the narrator increases the readers (listeners) experience of the book.

I couldn't decide on a genre..romance? Psychological novel?, Lost Love? there are so many fun characters that you grow to enjoy.

GET THIS!!!!

Delightfully Addicting

I must confess, I haven't experienced anything by McCall Smith yet - I know, I know - the detective agency books are supposed to be great, so my mom tells me. But, the idea of daily life in Edinburgh appealed to me more, so I started with this, not knowing what to expect. The narrator is just great - really stays in the Scottish accent and even gives each of the characters a bit of a twist. I loved that. The book itself might be considered slow to some - and so it is. Yet, as it slowly unfolds, one develops a deep investment the characters, which is why this book was so surprisingly addicting for me. When it ended, I just stopped everything I did and went to download the next installment! I can't wait to start the next! Just a really, really great book - what my mom would affectionately define as "brain candy." It's true!

Quirky Characters

This series always makes me laugh. The characters are vivid and quirky and sometimes preposterous. I like the intertwining of the lives of people in the neighborhood and the absurd actions of some.

Endearing characters.

Angus is my hero. I’d like to follow is his footsteps, bringing cheer to others.

Laugh-out-loud funny

If you're familiar with P.D. Wodehouse's "Jeeves and Wooster" series, you are familiar with this genre. If not, you will (hopefully) find this book (and the additional 16 in this series) laugh-out-loud funny nonetheless. 44 Scotland Street is a shared dwelling in Edinburgh, Scotland, and the residents are a quirky bunch. Smith is a masterful observer of the human condition, and the book is a slice of the lives of these people and those in their various orbits. Two of the characters, for example, are a self-absorbed young man who perceives that all women are drooling over him, and a young mother who has her 5-year-old son studying saxophone and Italian. The lives of these people begin to intertwine, and my supposition is that the intertwining will increase over the course of the series of books (which were first serialized in a newspaper). The chapters are quite short, and it took me about ten of them before I got to know the characters well enough to tell them apart, and to appreciate the author's gifts for observation and satire. The reader of at least this first book adds to the enjoyment of the story.

Character Driven

Characters were the driving force of the book and if they didn't catch ones interest then the book wasn't enjoyable. I love McCall Smith's characters in # 1 Detective Agency but didn't enjoy the characters in this story.

I don't understand why I liked this book.

I remember thinking this book is slow, trivial and mildly boring. Why, why, why did I still like it? I find myself fondly remembering parts of this book. Some of the characters are jerks and some are dull, but I want to know what happens next. Do they get together? Does the mom finally get her son? Why! Why! Why! Book 2 is downloading. (PS-I love No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, too. I DO understand why. I love Precious. :) )

Narrator raises tone at end of sentence for female

I don't understand why the narrator thinks that is how females speak - always raising the tone at the end of every sentence as if they are asking a question in a retarded and annoying way. It makes the first half hour unbearable. This persists through the entirety of the book. I don't know if the women in the narrator's life all speak like that, for if that is the case, he leads a very miserable life.

Perfectly good book ruined.

Entertaining

Very good story that was very clever and very well read. I hope that Mr Smith will do another.

Entertaining, lighthearted read

This book was originally published serially in a newspaper. I don't think I would have liked to read this book in that way--I would not have wanted to wait for each installment!

I’m glad to see that there is a second book for I, like the author, have grown attached to the characters. I have also read a couple of the books in the author's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, and although I also liked those characters, I feel that this book somehow has a bit more substance and is, therefore, more interesting.