44 Scotland Street (44 Scotland Street, #1) in Around the World in 80 Books

Sep 23, 2010 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: to-reread, library, on-dj, library-request, 2018, xx-2010-xx, lib-has-audio, on-laptop, rbdigital

4.5 stars. I forgot how much I really enjoy this series. Is it as great as the No. 1 Ladies Detective, no, but what is? This is very close. Why do I love it?

1. AMS is a soul author for me. He is someone I trust. I feel I know him. I am safe with him. It doesn't matter what is going on, I know he won't let me down. I could say this about any book he writes, sight unseen.

2. His characters, the likable ones (which are neariy all of them), are wise people. I enjoy hearing their thoughts. They are k 4.5 stars. I forgot how much I really enjoy this series. Is it as great as the No. 1 Ladies Detective, no, but what is? This is very close. Why do I love it?

1. AMS is a soul author for me. He is someone I trust. I feel I know him. I am safe with him. It doesn't matter what is going on, I know he won't let me down. I could say this about any book he writes, sight unseen.

2. His characters, the likable ones (which are neariy all of them), are wise people. I enjoy hearing their thoughts. They are kind and always know the right thing to do or say. I am often moved by what they do.

3. In this series, there are two psychiatrists, a writer, an artist, an anthropologist, an art dealer, a wine merchant; there are interesting people I often learn something from. It's kind of like someone serving a salad and they sprinkled some cool spices on it first. Makes it better than you expected.

4. AMS lives in Edinburgh and a friend once told me I would love it if I ever went there. I hope I get to see it one day, but just in case I don't, I feel I have been there because Edinburgh almost becomes a character in this series.

5. There are a couple of main characters in here that I am really pulling for. They are under 21, both of them, and they are good souls. And I want good things to happen to/for them. And this is a big part of the reason I keep reading (and now, rereading) these books.

That pretty much sums it up, I think. The audio version is performed by a man (can't recall his name, sorry) who does an ok job. I don't like the way he performs most of the women. And I read mostly by listening, so this is a small issue for me. However, will I stop listening? Nope. Just putting it out there in case it might matter to you.

In short, I love you, Alexander McCall Smith. Especially now, for so many reasons. America loves you. We appreciate your good-natured self and your wisdom and your culture and your decency and social butterflied-ness. You are a good man. Thank you for writing so many books to keep us busy. Long live AMS!

*First read, 2010*

I enjoyed this, and will definitely continue with the series. Think of this as a soap opera, without the smut. It follows the lives of several residents of a building in Scotland. Very interesting characters, whom it's been interesting to get to know! ...more

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May 09, 2012 Jenifer rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, scotland

This is the first book that I've read by this author so I don't know if all of his books have a similar writing style. It was a little different but I liked it. This was more like a book of entwined short stories (this could be due to the fact that it's origin was as a serialized story in a Scottish newspaper).

We follow four multi-generational people who live in the building at 44 Scotland Street in Edinburgh. There is a young boy, a young woman in her gap year, a narcisstic man, and an enigmat ...more

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Oct 22, 2010 Kay Green rated it liked it · review of another edition

I have only read one other book by this very prolific author so i really did not know what to expect. He seems to write a couple books every year. Parts of it were slow, and i think a lot of the references and jokes were more suited to the Scottish audience, but when I finished I found myself wondering what would happen in the next book. The word I keep thinking of is charming - charming characters involved with annoying or self centered characters, living on the same street in Edinborough. i pr ...more

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Jul 10, 2014 Kemlo rated it did not like it

Completely lacks the charm of the Ladies' Detective Agency series. Forced myself to finish it, hoping it would get better, but I never got hooked on the characters or the plot. ...more

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