Synopsis
The story revolves around the comings and goings at No. 44 Scotland Street, a fictitious building in a real street in Edinburgh. Immediately recognisable are the Edinburgh chartered surveyor, stalwart of the Conservative Association, who dreams of membership of Scotland's most exclusive golf club. We have the pushy Stockbridge mother, and her prodigiously talented five-year-old son, who is making good progress with the saxophone and with his Italian. Then there is Domenica Macdonald who is that type of Edinburgh lady who sees herself as a citizen of a broader intellectual world. In McCall Smith's hands such characters retain charm and novelty, simultaneously arousing both mirth and empathy. 44 Scotland Street is vintage McCall Smith, tackling issues of trust and honesty, snobbery and hypocrisy, love and loss, but all with great lightness of touch. Clever, elegant and funny, this is a novel that provides huge entertainment but which is underpinned by the moral dilemmas of everyday life and the characters' struggles to resolve them.

This must be a series because I read the second book and liked it a lot. So I'm looking forward to reading this one now. Thanks, Giz.

This arrived and I got it last night after a hard day's work. Looking forward to reading it!

Sorry, I didn't realized I wasn't logged in when I made my first journal entry. Of course this is Rororosie. Thanks for the book!

I found this a very enjoyable read -- a collection of stories about some eccentric Edinburgh characters. This book makes Edinburgh seem more accessible to me than did my other recent Smith read (Sunday Philosophy Club) but both books have Edinburgh as a type of character just as Smith's other series (1st Ladies Detective Agency) has Botswana in particular and Africa in general as a character.
This book kept my interest even with its meandering plot and its jumping from character to character. It was the type of book that can be enjoyed more than once -- I think I could definitely read it a second time to see if I could pick up more of its nuances -- but it is also enjoyable just as a surface read. Sort of reminds me a of good TV series -- don't laugh, I mean a REALLY good one -- with an ensemble cast of characters whose lives entertwine and whose realities are so different. Like Smith's other books, there is sort of a moralistic, ethical cant to the stories, that honestly I enjoy.
I have a feeling reading it that there are a few Edinburgh in-jokes I am not getting and maybe some of the characters are based on real-life Edinburgh characters.
I never wanted to visit Edinburgh before but now I do!
I will have to release this soon as I am moving. However, I might pick up a different copy sometime a couple of years from now and re-read.

Mailing as surprise RABCK to Frangi in Australia!

Thanks Rororosie!! This is the first truly random act of kindness I have ever received and it arrived on Valentine's day too!! Always exciting to get a parcel but even more so when it's not expected.

An enjoyable read but not a book I had to rush back to! Although I enjoyed it, I think The Number One Ladies Detective Agency is a better series. I already have Espresso Tales waiting to be read. Thanks again Rororosie and I will find someone to send it to as a RABCK to as well as it is my first anniversary in the next few days and I am going to celebrate by sending a few RABCKs!

Sent to Twynnie as a RABCK for my first BC birthday. Enjoy!!

Wow a RABCK! Thanks so much frangipani08! I love the cute little koala notebook too!

I must confess=s I had already succumbed to a copy of this and I probably didn't take it off my wishlist. I hadn't actually read it yet so I will release that copy in your honour and read this one as it is much more special, being a RABCK!

Edited as I forgot to make a new journal entry: I loved this book, but I knew I would as I always love anything by Alexander McCall Smith! His books are just so easy to read and so satisfying. I'm looking forward to reading the next two in the series on Heaven-Ali's bookrings...

This arrived from the UK today - thank you so much. I've signed on to the ring of the 2nd and 3rd books in this series... for once I've got the first one first, thanks to Twynnie! Coincidences being what they are, as I write this I see the other two books in the "recently released" column to my left! Released by Heaven-Ali whose ring I've joined...How weird is that?
Anyway, I'll be reading this one before the other two catch up with me. Thank you so, so much Twynnie. Would you like it back after I've read it?

I was intrigued by the fact that this was written as a serial for a newspaper, and I felt that added interest - thinking about which threads need picking up again, how things might be less random if the author could look back and change or polish things... we'll see what happens in the subsequent books. At anyrate although I prefer the Botswana series I have enjoyed this.
I'll PM to sort out what to do with this next.

RELEASE NOTES:

This ray which ended with me/RABCK is now riding piggyback on a ring to Germany, rather than sitting around bored on my bookshelf. Enjoy!

It just arrived safely here. Thanks for the piggy-back surprise!