The Scotland Street books are serial novels first published in The Scotsman newspaper & then in book form. All of McCall Smith's writing is funny, affectionate, gentle & sensible. I use sensible as a compliment! There are several passages in this latest book where the author gently satirizes the tendency of the authorities to put up signs warning citizens not to do various dangerous things. Obviously they don't want to be sued but isn't it a shame that we can no longer rely on the common sense of people not to do stupid things & then, when they hurt themselves doing those stupid things, rely on them taking the blame for their own stupidity rather than suing the nearest local authority? There's so much affection for all the characters in this book that I found myself smiling as I read, often sighing with complete satisfaction.
McCall Smith has often said that he's surprised & touched by the interest readers have in Bertie Pollock, the put-upon 6 year old son of ineffectual Stuart & horrendous over-achiever, Irene. In this instalment, Bertie, with the help of his computer-savvy friend, Ranald Braveheart Macpherson, decide to put himself up for adoption on eBay. Bertie hopes a nice family in Glasgow (where he has several friends) will put in a bid for him. When eBay, understandably, take down their post, the boys decide to go to Glasgow & find an adoption agency themselves. Bertie has come to the end of his tolerance for the saxophone, Italian conversazione & visits to yet another psychotherapist. He wants to play rugby & go to Cub Scouts, although even there he has to put up with Tofu & Olive.
Art gallery owner Matthew & his lovely wife, Elspeth, are now the parents of triplets - Rognvald, Tobermory & Fergus. Matthew asks his former assistant (& sometime girlfriend), Pat Macgregor, to help out at the gallery so he can spend more time at home. All is going well, apart from the sleep deprivation, until Matthew removes the babies' ID bracelets & they can't tell them apart. Salvation comes in the form of an angel from Denmark, nanny Anna, who saves their sanity.
Angus Lordie's engagement to Domenica Macdonald hits a snag when they try to decide where they're going to live. Domenica wants to sell Angus's flat but, as it's also his studio, he's resisting the idea. Then there's the fate of their friend, Antonia, who suffered an attack of Stendhal syndrome on a trip to Italy & is still there, cared for by the nuns of a convent in Tuscany.
Big Lou, owner of the local coffee shop, is also looking for change in her life. Lou has never had much luck with men & when she decides to try Internet dating, her first date with a man with a curious job may lead to better things. Pat Macgregor accompanies Lou on this date for moral support & runs into her former boyfriend, Bruce Anderson, "surveyor, perfect narcissist, user of clove-scented hair gel, Lothario". Pat is helpless to resist Bruce but, after he is unable to meet her for dinner because he slipped on his tube of clove-scented hair gel as he got out of the shower & ended up in Casualty with a broken leg, his flatmate, Neil, arrives to save the day.
McCall Smith's gentle, humorous style, is so reassuring. Even the awful characters like Bruce & Irene are treated with affection. Bruce's leg isn't too badly broken & he doesn't really mind missing his date with Pat because he's so self-involved that he's forgotten all about her already. Irene may be misguided but she loves Bertie & wants him to have the best opportunities. She just doesn't listen to him. At the end of the book, there's some hope that things are about to change for Bertie when Irene hears some home truths & buys him some jeans instead of the pink dungarees he's always hated. Like the books of P G Wodehouse, nothing too bad ever happens in McCall Smith-land. I can't wait for the next instalment.
Interesting, thanks Lyn. I've picked up the books and read the backs and wondered -- they are definitely going to be my sort of read.
ReplyDeleteI can see from your synopsis I've fallen behind in Bertie's adventures and am reminded how delightful they are. I heard a CD of the author reading excerpts from one of the earlier stories and was enchanted by how he started laughing at the funniest parts.... Susan E
ReplyDeleteLike Susan, I've fallen behind with Bertie, too, and your lovely review has reminded me of how much I enjoyed the Scotland Street books, so...
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you managed a visit to Edinburgh, albeit a brief one! You certainly packed plenty into it! It's our favourite town (after Dunblane!) and we're often there. How lovely it would be to meet you there one day!
I'm so far behind in this series - I still have to read the one before this!!
ReplyDeleteScotland Street is perfect comfort reading. I'm not surprised AMS laughed at his own reading, Susan, he's a very giggly man! I've heard him interviewed at festivals & he just seems to find the world amusing, which certainly comes across in the books. Rose, they're very easy reading. I read this one in a day. Penny, it would be lovely to meet up one day. Maybe on my next trip(whenever that may be). Karen, the books are so lovely, I'm sure you could easily catch up when the mood takes you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I hadn't realised that there is a new Scotland Street book out, despite the fact that I live just half an hour from Edinburgh! I love Bertie.
ReplyDeleteI think Bertie is everyone's favourite character, Katrina. I just want him to have the life he wants & maybe in the next book, he'll be a little closer to his ideal. Fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteLyn, knowing you to be a fellow fan of this series, I bookmarked this post to come back to when I had finished reading BPtB. I then read the book quite slowly to savour the pleasure. I enjoyed it every bit as much as I thought I would. I think you have summarised it quite neatly too. I don't think it is giving too much away to reveal that for both Bertie and Big Lou things seem to take a turn for the better. Another way of summing this one up might be to quote the title of a Beth Neilsen Chapman song "It All Comes Down to Love." The narrator says as much on more than one occasion, and three cheers for that say I.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I agree. Irene loves Bertie but needs to learn to listen to him & stop relying on theory. She needs to learn to trust her own instincts & maybe she will now. Big Lou & Pat both seem to be on a happy path at the end of this book which is a good thing, I like both of them very much. I can hardly wait for the next book!
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