Very enjoyable.

"Sunday Express, 27 March 2005
'a hilarious yet sharply insightful tale of middle-class Edinburgh ... a joyous, charming portrait of city life and human foibles'

Times, 20 August 2005
‘Addicts of McCall Smith’s Precious Ramotswe novels will recognise the gentle humour … of his latest work’"

I am sending this out on a bookray. Try and read the book within a month and please contact me if you need a bit longer. The participants are:

Jesmondgirl – UK
Loribee – UK
Flanners – UK
Herrgirl – UK
Molekilby – UK
calalilly - UK
Aava – Finland
Katyan – Finland
Bookreadera – US
lyraness - US
Satnam - US
Purple-lilly - Australia

Sent to me as a bookray by Pennywhistler. Really looking forward to reading this. Thank you so much for the lovely card and bookmark too!

Lovely book. He writes with such a light gentle touch. I always feel that he must be a lovely chap to meet. I loved the way that writing the books in daily episodes for the newspaper meant that there was an incident of interest in each chapter and it moved along at a merry pace. I finished it the day after it arrived I enjoyed it so much. Will send it on to Loribee

Oooh, what a treat to find on the mat when I got back home on a rainy afternoon having waited far too long for my buses! Many thanks to Pennywhistler and to Jesmondgirl!
I too just love this man, he was on a late night news/discussion last week and so warm, sensible & reassuring.

Glad to have had the chance to read it but felt it didn't quite live up to its initial promise. Maybe it read better as a serial in The Scotsman. I do hope, however that there will be a second volume to pick up, knit together & tie up loose ends!
I was glad I knew a little about Scottish painting and now would like to know more!
On its way to flanners today.

I enjoyed this book as much as and more than many others I have read this year; it’s certainly well on a par with The No 1 Ladies’ Detective series and tons better than the disappointing Sunday Philosophy Club. I didn’t know anything about it before receiving it so the format was a complete surprise. I thought it held up perfectly well as a novel, although I imagine it was a wonderful serial! I am also a great fan of the Tales of the City books so it was nice to see their (acknowledged) influence.

Edinburgh is one of my favourite places in the world and I felt you really got a flavour of the city. I don’t know how representative of its citizens these characters are - Angus and Domenica are exactly the kind of people I always wanted to meet in my teens, but only seemed to encounter in novels - but they are a very vivid and memorable bunch. I particularly liked the dog! Any book that references Vettriano, Ian Rankin and the new Scottish Parliament building and makes you laugh out loud is worth five stars as far I’m concerned!


On its way to Herrgirl now.

Ooh, the lovely satisfying thump of a book landing on the doormat - thanks, flanners, for sending it on. I'm about half way through my current read so will be on to this as soon as possible.

Like flanners, I was unaware that this book had originally been serialised in a daily newspaper, but I found it very readable as a novel and really enjoyed it. However, I hope there's a sequel, as I want to find out what happened to them all, particularly poor little Bertie.

Thanks for introducing me to it. On its way to molekilby shortly.

Received today. Arrived with another book ring and I have one on the go so it may be a few weeks to read. Thanks pennywhistler for running the bookray and to herrgirl for sendng it to me.

I wanted to read this as I regularly travel to Edinburgh with work. I was surprised as to how much of the locations I could relate to.

This was a superb read (finished today) and I'm already looking forward to Espresso Tales.

Posting to calalilly on Wednesday.

Sorry everyone thought I had done the journal for this when it arrived. Will be starting it today. Hope it is as good as his other books.

Just got the book. Sometimes it just doesn´t take too much to feel happy:the sun is shining, I´m meeting my friend for coffee and I have this book to read while waiting. Thanks pennywhistler for setting up this ring.

There´s something in MCall Smith´s style of writing that makes me think I´m on holiday while reading them. They´re funny and wise and comfortable and lovely...The bookmade me feel warm even though it´s really freezing cold here in Finland right now.

So thank you pennywhistler for the ring.

The book will go next to katyan, only a short trip as she lives in the same city as I.

This little book arrived to me yesterday! I didn't notice it at fist when I came home in the evening, because it was not in an envelope, but in a paper back, and my husband had put it on a chair. But later in the night I found this book with a cute cute teddy bear (who also looked just like Satya!)(Valentines day celbrations!), and it made me very happy! Thank you aava so much for bringing this book & teddy for me!:) Also Satya was very happy for the packet, mostly the teddy bear made her happy... So above there's "mami's" version of a picture we took of Satya and the book, and down there's a picture that Satya preferred...Happy Valentine's Day to all!


Note! No teddies were harmed when making this picture! The one in Satya's mouth was saved soon after taking the picture.

I really loved this book, the author has a genious style of writing. Even this book was completely different from the Mma Ramotswe -series that I've read before from the autor, it created equally enchanting atmosphere for the story to develop. And I truly loved the characters of the book, and the fact that they were just normal people living their normal lives, but still, at the same time, so special parts of the complete story. Satya, of course, preferred Cyril over the others, and was thinking it would be nice to meet him and see the tooth, as she is also missing one tooth and started to think should se also go to see the dentist... well, probably not, in her case...

When reading this book I felt often that I would love to go to the Big Lou's to read this book, have a latte & enjoy... It also made me to wish to study arts more, I always feel an urge to study arts, but somehow I never find time for it. I love to go to see art exhibitions, so it would be great to know more about the painters and their work.

Thank you for sharing this book, it will continue its journey soon to US!

RELEASE NOTES:

I send the book to bookreadera this morning. Enjoy!

rec'd in the afternoon post and very much appreciated as it was the only good news there ; )

Thanks for the postcard too. I have no idea what it says, but the picture still makes me smile : )

Will begin this evening.

I enjoyed the style of writing and the format of the book. I wish newspapers here would do something of this sort-I love the idea of reading just a little bit more of the story every day.

The character development in his books always makes me feel as if I know everyone in the book. In this case it made me want to slap about 1/2 of them. Still, I ended up invested in them and would really like to know what comes next.

pming lyraness for address and will post out shortly.

Thanks for sharing the book : )

posted out today-thanks for sharing the book : )

Sorry, I've had this awhile and not journaled it, and I don't think I'll have a chance to read it, so I'll just send it along.

This came in the mail yesterday. I'll try to read it soon.

I'm sorry this has taken me so long to get in the mail, but I did read it and enjoyed it very much. I had previously tried to read the first book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective series and the Sunday Philosophy Club and was disappointed. So when I picked this one up, I thought, three stikes and you're out! I agree that the format and the need for something interesting every day probably helped a lot.

I, too, really liked the characters Angus Lordie and Domenica. I love the passage where Domenica says, "We live in such a humorless age...Well, now there are all sorts of censors and killjoys. Earnest, ignorant people who lecture us on what we can think and say."

Angus Lordie says, "In such a way is freedom of thought lost. By small cuts. By small acts of disapproval. By a thousand discouragements of the spirit." Reminds me of what sometimes happens in a relationship that eventually kills it.

Thank you very much pennywhistler for sharing this book with us! Now it's heading Down Unda!

UPDATE 10/26/06 - Went to the post office today to mail, and they said I need purple-lilly's last name. Have PMed to get full name.

UPDATE 1/4/07 - PMed purple-lilly a few times and got no response. Pennywhistler said if I didn't hear from her to do as I wished with the book. Since I just received a RABCK from a BCer with this on their wishlist, I've PMed them to see if they want it.