Synopsis
Just as Armistead Maupin's San Francisco Chronicle serial Tales of the City recorded the doings of the inhabitants of 28 Barbary Lane, so did Alexander McCall Smith (author of the bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series) serialize the happenings of the residents of 44 Scotland Street, Edinburgh, five times a week from January to June, 2004, in the Scotsman. The multi-character saga kicks off with the introduction of Pat, a somewhat adrift 20-year-old. After her first "gap year" (a year taken off between high school and university) proves to be an abysmal failure, she starts a fresh one, which includes a job at an art gallery and a new residence at the rundown apartment building of the title. Her quirky fellow tenants both help and hinder Pat when she realizes that one of the gallery's paintings may actually be quite valuable and subsequently misplaces it.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2005-06-14 | | Illustrator: | Iain McIntosh |
| Size | | Length: | 325 pages | | Height: | 8.0 in | | Width: | 5.3 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 9.6 oz |
Publisher's Note
Bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith brings all the warmth of his extraordinary No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books and the Sunday Philosophy Club series to this witty novel chronicling the lives of the residents of 44 Scotland Street in Edinburgh. Originally serialized in The Scotsman, 44 Scotland Street is already an international sensation.
When twenty-year-old Pat rents a room from handsome and cocky Bruce, she inherits some delightfully colourful neighbours: Domenica, an insightful and eccentric widow; Bertie, a five-year-old who’s mastered both saxophone and Italian; and Irene, his overbearing mother. Pat’s new job at a gallery seems easy enough. Her boss spends most of his time drinking coffee in a local café and discussing matters great and small, and Pat’s duties are light. That is until she realizes that one of their paintings may be an undiscovered work of a renowned Scottish artist and she discovers that one of their customers may be in on the secret. Add to this a fancy ball, love triangles and an encounter with a famous crime writer, and you have Alexander McCall Smith’s entertaining and witty portrait of Edinburgh society.
Industry Reviews
"Sheer readerly bliss." (starred review)
Kirkus (03/15/2005)
"The possibility of romance, the ongoing ups and downs of the large, well-drawn cast of characters, the intricate plot and the way Smith nimbly jumps from situation to situation and POV to POV...works beautifully in book form." (starred review)
Publishers Weekly (04/25/2005)
"McCall Smith...is a pro, and he delivers sharp observation, gentle satire and a surprising plot twist as well as the expected romantic complications. It is clear even to an outsider that someone who knows Edinburgh would recognize many people and places in 44 SCOTLAND STREET. But an outsider can still relish McCall Smith's depiction of this place 'of angled streets and northern light,' and enjoy his tolerant, good-humored company."
New York Times Book Review - Elsa Dixler (09/04/2005)
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