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After creating two incredible series, critically acclaimed novelist, and author, Alexander McCall Smith once again brings to the readers a superbly written series, the 44 Scotland Street series. The idea of creating this series came to the author after meeting with the creator of the Tales of the City, Armistead Maupin. Armistead Maupin suggested to Smith that he could borrow a San Francisco apartment house and then transplant the house, to the trendy and new neighborhood in Edinburgh, Scotland Street. The 44 Scotland Street series follows the lives of individuals who reside in Edinburgh during the modern times. The lives of this people intersect due to the proximity. In the series, each not only makes a discovery about themselves but also experiences some adventures. The series’ characters are not only charming but also exceedingly interesting.
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Order of 44 Scotland Street Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 Scotland Street | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Espresso Tales | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Love Over Scotland | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The World According to Bertie | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | The Unbearable Lightness Of Scones | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | The Importance of Being Seven | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | Bertie Plays the Blues | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | Sunshine on Scotland Street | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 10 | The Revolving Door of Life | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 11 | The Bertie Project | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 12 | A Time of Love and Tartan | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 13 | The Peppermint Tea Chronicles | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
| 14 | A Promise of Ankles | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
| 15 | Love in the Time of Bertie | 2021 | Description / Buy | |
| 16 | The Enigma of Garlic | 2023 | Description / Buy | |
| 17 | The Stellar Debut of Galactica Macfee | 2024 | Description / Buy |
Alexander McCall Smith’s writing style in this series is exceedingly interesting, while the characters that he has created are quite charming and also extraordinarily interesting. The first book in this series, 44 Scotland Street was first written as a serialized fiction for a local newspaper. The daily installment in the local newspaper was written in such a manner that would make the reader come back the next day since it always ended in a cliffhanger. All the novels in this series have been written in the third person; however, it shifts the focus from one tenant to another, specifically those who reside in the apartment.
44 Scotland Street Awards
Despite the fact that this series has not been nominated for any awards, the books still performed extremely well after publication.
44 Scotland Street Books into Movies
The 44 Scotland Street series is yet to be adapted for screenplay.
Best 44 Scotland Street Books
44 Scotland Street: The first book and also one of the best performing books in this series shares the same name as the series. In this book, the author, McCall Smith, provides a diversionary and light comedy while being gentle, sympathetic and intelligent. 44 Scotland Street begins as one girl, who is on her second-year gap, resolves to share an apartment in an eponymous building. The protagonist, Pat works in a local art gallery since she is on a break from the local University. The gallery owner, Mathew is not only good-natured but also Kind. He is also exceedingly sympathetic and has a soft spot for the main character.
Other characters whom the author introduces in this book include Bertie, a 5-year-old genius who can speak Italian fluently and play the saxophone. Irene is Bertie’s high achieving, controlling and bossy mother. Irrespective of the fact that most of the chapters in this book are short, the author still manages to maintain a perfect balance, especially when tackling philosophical questions and big idea.
Espresso Tales: Apart from 44 Scotland Street, another book that performed extremely well in this series is Espresso Tales, which is the second book in this highly entertaining series. In this installment, everything begins to change for all the residents. The book’s protagonist, Bertie still requires a little bit of space, and as expected, the mother does not truly understand this. Bruce is back in this installment and is still arrogant and full of himself.
Apart from Bruce and Bertie, the other characters are back. They include Domenica, the anthropologist, Angus Lordie, a philosopher and portrait painter, Mathew who is destined for greatness and Dr. Fairbairn, Bertie’s therapist. If you have ever visited Edinburgh or you are a resident, then you are going to relate well to these characters, together with the locations discussed in the book.
Other Books That You May Like
If you are looking for an amazing cozy mystery, then you are going to fall in love with “Oxford Tea Mysteries”. This series is about an English tearoom, which is located in a rural British town, a walking distance from Oxford. All the books in this series have well-developed and intriguing stories, exceedingly funny and bizarre characters. The first installment in this series is A Scone to Die for and is an excellent introduction to the series.
In this installment, we are introduced to one Gemma, who has just opened a tearoom. Gemma serves exceedingly delicious and traditional English cake with tea in beautiful Chinese porcelains. The atmosphere that the author has created is exceedingly perfect and is just located a few meters from the local University; thus mostly tourists visit the tearoom. Business begins to pick up hence; this is a great thing because Gemma needs money so that she can live on her own. However, a tourist is killed within her tearoom; thus Gemma needs to figure out what really happened so that she could save the reputation of her tearoom.
What Is The Next Book in The 44 Scotland Street Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The 44 Scotland Street Series. The newest book is The Stellar Debut of Galactica Macfee and was released on May, 14th 2024.