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: More Adventures on Scotland Street
Summary: 5 Stars
The characters that first charmed us in 44 Scotland Street: A 44 Scotland Street Novel (1)are back and even better as we learn more about their everyday lives. The author has given us a pair of virtual binoculars and lets us unobtrusively watch their lives unfold in a parade of human foibles, love, desire, and moral issues. The short chapters are quick and clever, the writing fast-paced and fun.
The most likeable character is Bertie, the precocious six-year-old whose mother has turned her little genius into an Italian-speaking, saxophone-playing , yoga-exercising mess. All he wants to do is be a little boy and his very wise insights and struggles to achieve normalcy will warm your heart. His over-bearing mother Irene and milquetoast father Stuart are also back and finally have a long-overdue confrontation about Bertie's upbringing.
The narcissistic Bruce is fired as a surveyor and, in the moments he is not admiring himself in the mirror, he embarks haphazardly on a career as a wine merchant. Pat is still sharing his flat and she herself finally makes a big step by ending her second gap year and enrolling at Edinburgh University. Domenica, the well-travelled neighbor, finds a boyfriend for Pat and continues to extemporize on world affairs. But it is Ramsey Dunbarton, a non-resident of the townhouse, and his wife who provide the bulk of the humor as Ramsey reads from his memoirs and tells us more than he realizes about himself. Also peripheral to the story are the coffee-shop owner Lou who reveals a lost love, gallery owner Matthew who confronts his father, and the therapist Dr. Fairbairn who attempts to right a wrong and gets unexpected results.
Will Bertie ever be able to wear jeans and not strawberry dungarees? Will a case of Petrus wine be Bruce's key to success? Will Pat become a nudist to please her new boyfriend? Will a train ride with his son be enough to make Bruce stand up to Irene? Will Mrs. Dunbarton ever wake up?
More heart-warming moments and laugh-out-loud ones make this a most enjoyable addition to the totally delightful Scotland Street series. As for this reader, I eagerly anticipate my next trip to Scotland Street.
Book Review: More about Bertie . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
Little Bertie has some triumphs in this charming sequel to 44 Scotland Street. Lots of new giggles in Espresso Tales and just as delightful as 44 Scotland street is. Alexander McCall Smith is a genius who captures the essence of a character in as few words as humanly possible. I think you'll enjoy this book so much more if you read 44 Scotland Street first.Book Review: More tales of the absurd
Summary: 3 Stars
I love a clever, witty, funny book, and this is another great one from Alexander McCall Smith. It was fun to hear the continuing saga of the denizens of 44 Scotland Street, and it's amazing to think that Smith wrote this in installments for the local paper. I particularly enjoyed the story of Bertie and his antics at school, including his new friends Tofu, Merlin, and Hiawatha.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first -- the sections about Ramsey Dumbarton were incredibly boring and I ended up skipping them -- but it was still quite entertaining.
Book Review: Not at all like "The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series
Summary: 2 Stars
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed several books in McCall Smith's "#1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series, I purchased the audio version of "Espresso Tales" to accompany me during frequent long drives, hoping for similar entertainment. I was sorely disappointed.
Although I had not previously read any of the "44-Scotland Street" novels, I expected the intriguing characters, subtle but satisfying humor and engaging plots ubiquitous in the "#1 Ladies Detective Agency" books.
Instead, other than 6-year old Bertie, a clever and delightful boy, I found the characters boring and not unlike the very-ordinary-to-the-point-of-mind-numbing people in Ann Tyler novels. The wonderful bits of dry British wit (e.g., Ramsey's dreary memoirs, the boy named Tofu and the pursuits of his parents, and Bruce's conceit and utter lack of introspection) were sprinkled far too sparsely to keep the novel moving along.
I assumed the title of the novel was indicative of the lift one gets from a cup of espresso, not that the reader would do well to fortify himself/herself with several cups of espresso to get through it! The book would make a great gift for bedtime reading insomniacs, or for readers who appreciate good British literature but don't necessarily read for entertainment.
Book Review: Only Bother if you loved 44 Scotland Street
Summary: 3 Stars
There's only one reason to buy this sequel to 44 Scotland Street - to see what happens to Bertie. Otherwise it adds little to the tales already told, and the new characters are boring, to say the least. I was suprised to find I didn't like it - it's the only Smith book I haven't totally enjoyed so far. Anything but this, that's what I recommend.