Espresso Tales: A 44 Scotland Street Novel (2) by Alexander McCall Smith Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Espresso Tales: A 44 Scotland Street Novel (2)
Book Review: Another engaging book from Alexander McCall Smith
Summary: 4 Stars
This story was a fun, easy read with lots of good character development and interest to keep the pages turning. As usual, Mr. Smith has colorful, interesting characters, that pull you into their lives and cause you to psychoanalyze your own motives.Book Review: Another fun read by a prolific author
Summary: 5 Stars
Alexander Mccall Smith has again produced another amusing tale with the characters of 44 Scotland Street. This sequel appeared as a column in "The Scotsman" and captures the lives of a diverse group of people. Smith's characters intrigue you--with all their idiosyncrasies and day-to-day dilemmas. Fun and light reading.Book Review: Book Does Not Travel Well
Summary: 3 Stars
Espresso Tales was first published as daily installment's in the conservative newspaper, "The Scotsman". The novel follows the daily lives of an ensemble group of middle class Edinburgh neighbors. At its core, Espresso Tales is a novel of Edinburgh written for the people of Edinburgh. The book is filled with the inside references and observations that McCall Smith's neighbors must have delighted in.
Alexander McCall Smith is a great craftsman who specializes in the philosophical problems of ordinary life. However, I think his wise pen is best used when directed towards a lady detective in Botswana or linguistics professors in Germany. There is something about writing about his own backyard which fills McCall Smith with the need to preach to his neighbors. There is always the sense that McCall Smith is preaching to a conservative choir of loyal Scotsman readers.
Espresso Tales is a pleasant read with many charming chapters. Alexander McCall Smith has a winning personality and it is hard not to like his many books. However, if a reader is new to Alexander McCall Smith, this is not the first of his books to read. Start with the Number One Lady Detective Series and then move onto the sublime Portuguese Irregular Verb series.
Book Review: Changes are in the wind for the 44 Scotland Street occupants...
Summary: 5 Stars
Following my enjoyment of 44 Scotland Street, I picked up a copy of Alexander McCall Smith's sequel titled Espresso Tales. Still the same quirky characters as 44 Scotland Street, and still more of a "slice of life" book with no overall driving plotline. Fortunately, it's still a lot of fun following the players as their pompous attitudes and actions get pricked and deflated...
Bertie is in a major rebellion phase against his overbearing mother Irene. She's still trying to make progress with his psychotherapy, but she's more interested in the therapist than Bertie is. Bertie's father also figures out that he's failed his son in terms of standing up to mom, and is determined to reverse that trend and give Bertie a normal boyhood. But to do that, he has to disassemble Irene's "Bertie Project" against her will.
Bruce is convinced that he's ready to open a wine shop and become the next great wine merchant. Ah, but he needs money to do that. He manipulates a long-time wimpish friend (George) to join him in the idea and front the cash. Bruce plunges in thinking he knows everything, but as usual he's completely clueless as to what people really think of him. As the store gets closer to opening, he's in for a few surprises.
Pat has decided to attend Edinburgh University and stay at 44 Scotland Street. Her father loves this idea, as he's grown quite close to his daughter. Domenica manuvers Pat into a date with a coffee house waiter by the name of Peter. She's somewhat uncertain about Peter on a number of different levels, and his invitation to attend a nudist picnic with him doesn't help much. Domenica, on the other hand, is getting antsy for her next great adventure, and decides that a new study abroad is what she needs.
Matthew is surprising everyone by actually turning a profit at the art gallery. He still holds a candle for Pat, but Pat really doesn't see him in that same light. Matthew's world gets thrown into a complete tizzy when his father announces that he's dating someone who he intends to marry. Matthew's convinced that Janis is just out to get his father's money, and makes his objections pretty clear. But all is not as it seems, and he's in for a few surprises along the way.
And for the fans of Angus and Big Lou, they have their own adventures also...
Although I'm not a fan of "reality TV", I do enjoy the occasional book that goes down that path. The characters of 44 Scotland Street are so engaging and quirky that it's hard not to want to watch their lives unfold. Along the way, you see reality that's obvious to everyone except the person who's living it. Makes you wonder how much of that is in our own lives. I'm in possession of the 3rd installment, and I'm looking forward to starting it. The way this book ends makes you wonder how this cast of characters will be able to stay together...
Book Review: Chuckles on every page
Summary: 5 Stars
Mccall Smith is truly amazing. He has at least four book series going and all contain strikingly original and interesting characters. I happened to like the "Espresso Tales" sequel to "44 Scotland Street" somewhat better than the original. It's got more piquancy and snap and its ironies are sharper and often funnier. The resolutions of Bernie the Kid's painful problems with his yuppie mother and his much hated psychologist are delicious, but there are a host of other comeuppances that Mccall Smith hilariously tosses in here that are wonderful. This is a great airplane read--which is appropriate, since it is said that the author often creates most of these short novels on transatlantic flights of his own.