Espresso Tales (44 Scotland Street, #2) in Q&A with Alexander McCall Smith

Dec 30, 2007 Bonnie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, library-books, audiobooks

My library only has this book on cd, so I've been debating in my mind how that would work for several months. All of a sudden, I got the idea to listen to it in the car, on the way to and from work, since it's a 30-minute drive, and it's been working out great! Definitely an experience to do again.

This is the second book in the series, which was originally serialized daily in the Edinburgh newspaper.

I wouldn't recommend this book to people who only enjoy to read fast-paced and very plot driven My library only has this book on cd, so I've been debating in my mind how that would work for several months. All of a sudden, I got the idea to listen to it in the car, on the way to and from work, since it's a 30-minute drive, and it's been working out great! Definitely an experience to do again.

This is the second book in the series, which was originally serialized daily in the Edinburgh newspaper.

I wouldn't recommend this book to people who only enjoy to read fast-paced and very plot driven books. There is not much that really occurs that is ground-breaking and monumental. Where the characters end up is not that far from where they were in the beginning of the story. The story just covers the day-to-day lives of several residents of 44 Scotland Street, and what is occurring in their lives, and what they are thinking about. The characters ARE interesting and endearing, and seem like real people that you could bump into if you were in their neck of the woods, which is a good thing, because this is entirely a character-driven book.

There is a lot of philosophizing and pontificating, and it feels suspiciously like a way for the author to discuss his point-of-view on different subjects.

Also, I'm sure there are a lot of inside-jokes and deeper meaning for people who live in Scotland, and especially in Edinburgh, but not being from there myself, a lot of it felt like it was going over my head. Like, 'hmmm...I'm sure that joke would be funnier if I knew who Angus Whatshisname is.'

Overall, it's been an enjoyable way to pass the time on my 30-minute drive to and from work, and is not too distracting from the road, or too difficult to pick back up on the plot after a weekend away from listening to it. The easy plot is a nice way to get my mind going in the morning, and to relax my mind after a day of work.
Other than that, though, I'm not sure I would really recommend it to people, other than people looking for an easy read with more talk than action.

Given the format, I would be remiss not to talk about the narrator. I felt like he did a good job with all the different voices. He has a deep voice, so Bertie's 6 year-old voice is a bit funny at times, but there's a believability and consistancy to each voice that I appreciated. I'm glad he didn't attempt a horrible falsetto for the women, instead he just makes his voice a bit higher pitched. Also, since there are so many different accents in Scotland, he did a great job with each one as well. ...more

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Mar 04, 2009 Readstoomuch rated it really liked it

I'm taking this with me to read on vacation . . . I loved 44 Scotland Street and can't wait to see what happens to all the characters that Alexander McCall Smith created so very expertly!

updated: Now I'm over half way through and can't wait to sit down and read the next chapter! I LOVE the characters in this series. :)

OOps . . . I forgot to say that I finished this one . . . I'm loving the characters so much and cannot wait to begin the next book, Love Over Scotland. Ummmmm . . . wonder what Ber ...more

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Nov 18, 2008 Kim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I enjoy his books so much and this one was no different! I can't wait to read more. ...more

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Feb 26, 2009 Linda rated it liked it

Shelves: armchair-travel

Espresso Tales is book number 2 of 44 Scotland Street and came highly recommended by those who enjoy Alexander McCall Smith. I do like Mr. Smith's easy descriptive style of Edinburgh. I enjoyed the first book of the series much more, except for the continued (mis)adventures of six year old Bertie. He is easily my favorite character of those who inhabit 44 Scotland Street. ...more

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Mar 15, 2008 Ellie rated it it was amazing

This series (44 Scotland Street) is my favorite of the three series of McCall Smith books I have read so far. I deserately hope there more volumes in the works! I'll review the 1st two volumes soon; you definitely should read the 3 books in order. (This is the 2nd in the series). ...more

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Mar 04, 2009 Kristen rated it really liked it

I love his humor and his bits of philosophy on life he throws in through each character. You'd probably enjoy it more if you're familiar with Edinburgh, Scotland, but it's still witty and clever. ...more

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