The Unbearable Lightness of Scones: 44 Scotland Street Series (5)

Alexander McCall Smith does it again. The lovely cast of characters, especially Bertie, continue to charm. And the reader of my audio addition is perfect!!

This book stays true to the style of the 44 Scotland Street Series. Wonderful peeps into these people's lives that just lighten the heart and lift the spirit. Expect to read another excellent book by Alexander McCall Smith!

I've enjoyed all of the 44 Scotland Street books. The characters interact in a sweet, real way. My absolute favorite is Bertie. His perspective on the adult world and his interactions with his friends and parents ring true. It's funny to see the adult world through the eyes of a very bright, perceptive child. Nothing earth shattering happens in this book, but it's good to know that the characters I've grown to care about are doing well and moving forward with their lives.

This is volume 5 of a serial novel that began life in the "Scotsman" newspaper. Please don't start reading it until you've read the previous four volumes. They are, in order: "44 Scotland Street," "Espresso Tales," "Love Over Scotland, " and "The World According to Bertie." Now that I'm speaking only to the choir, I should assure you that all the series regulars are back except for Pat, who, as you'll recall, left Edinburgh in the previous installment to move back home with her family. So what else is new? Here are a few things to whet your reading appetite: 1. A new psychotherapist arrives on the scene and his first reaction to Irene and Bertie is that the poor boy doesn't have a mother, he has a personal trainer. Will the new shrink set Bertie free? 2. Did you know that when Scotsmen get together they talk about the merits of moisturizers? Me neither, but they do here. 3. Somebody dies. 4. Somebody else almost dies but is saved by a nonhuman. 5. A major character fathers sextuplets. 6. A key character undergoes a major transformation. 7. A famous real-life Edinburgh writer gets shot and Bertie knows whodunnit. Will there be a volume 6? Will Angus Lordie's closing poem lead to something McCall Smith's been hinting at all along? Will the puppies be okay? I don't know. I hope so, as I suspect you will too.

In Edinburgh six years old Bertie Pollock needs to escape the war between his parents over how to raise their kid. He would like to give them pointers but they are too obtuse with adult power to listen to their child. Instead he decides the cub scouts might be the perfect escape especially from his mom as Irene is stifling (not that he wants to go camping in the woods). Neither of his parents are fond of the idea that their darling wants to join the scouts; for that matter neither is Bertie. Meanwhile Cyril the canine has fallen in lust leaving his pet human artist Angus Lordie with six issues to deal with. Newly married Matthew adapts to life with a live in partner as does his wife Elspeth who has no idea how men behave. Finally lonely Domenica remains isolated with in many ways only his intellectual self and Cyril and his new horde to talk with while mumbling that his dog is scoring better than he ever has. As always a torrent in a teacup confront the occupants at of 44 Scotland Street This is a terrific slice of Edinburgh as the readers learn more of The World According to Bertie and other residents of 44 Scotland Street. The characters are extremely deep yet cleverly understated. Their wonderful profound stories intertwine into a "Precious" tale as Alexander McCall Smith showcases his Love Over Scotland as much as he has Botswana. Harriet Klausner