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    Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers
    Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers
    Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers
    Audiobook9 hours

    Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers

    Written by Alexander McCall Smith

    Narrated by Robert Ian Mackenzie

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Alexander McCall Smith's wildly popular 44 Scotland Street series chronicles life in a corner of Edinburgh brimming with wit and humor. Newlywed painter and sometime somnambulist Angus Lordie might be sleepwalking his way into trouble with Animal Welfare when he lets his dog Cyril drink a bit too much lager at the local bar. The longsuffering Bertie, on the cusp of his seventh birthday party, has taken to dreaming about his eighteenth, a time when he will be able to avoid the indignity of unwanted girl attendees and the looming threat of a gender-neutral doll from his domineering mother Irene. Matthew and Elspeth struggle to care for their triplets, contending with Danish au pairs and dubious dukes to boot, while the narcissistic Bruce faces his greatest challenge yet in the form of an over-eager waxologist. As ever, when Alexander McCall Smith visits 44 Scotland Street, fun is sure to follow.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 17, 2015
    ISBN9781490661872
    Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers
    Author

    Alexander McCall Smith

    Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the award-winning series The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and he now devotes his time to the writing of fiction, including the 44 Scotland Street and the Isabel Dalhousie series. He is the author of over eighty books on a wide array of subjects, and his work has been translated into forty-six languages. Before becoming a full-time writer he was for many years Professor of Medical Law at Edinburgh.

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    Reviews for Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers

    4.5/5

    13 ratings7 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Another charming installment in this series. A lot happens in this book and the best part is that Bertie who turns seven finally gets some respite and joy.
    • 4/5
      This is a continuation of the rather humorous and hapless lives of a small group of neighbors living on Scotland Street. By far my favorite of all of McCall Smith’s series.
    • 2/5
      I can;t find a great deal in this to praise. It is competent, but I'm not sure I see the point. One of those books that focus on a location, and the characters that inhabit the house and those they interact with. So Bertie is about to turn 7 and has a most ridiculous woman as his mother. She is determined he will not have anything gendered that he gets bought an "action toy" for his birthday (read a doll) when he wants a swiss army knife and a fishing rod. She's clearly the figure of fun (and deservedly so, this boy will not grow up into a male feminist, he'll grow up resenting all women if she carries on), while managing to be not in the least bit funny. The other characters are equally cartoon like. There's no real progression or resolution, it's just a series of events that take place in the same location and at about the same time. It was mildly diverting, but instantly forgettable.
    • 5/5
      It's easy to label "44 Scotland Street" series as "light" reading. But the more observant of us won't. Curious and everyday things happen to the residents, and almost each event leads to such simple and accessible ruminations that one simply can't help admiring the author's astute logic. This 9th installment in the series is no exception. Precocious Bertie finally turns seven, and his awful domineering mother is swept away by a hilarious incident. And what about that visiting Italian nun with her absurd "aphorisms" - reminds you of anyone?... Without disclosing much more, I just want to say - enjoyed it, as usual. Here is one of the best quotes, put very simply: "We stumble... We try our best in this life, but we stumble. Then we pick ourselves up again, and the dance continues".Alexander McCall Smith is obviously passionately in love with his country - Scotland - and everything Scottish. And I was particularly taken by how he describes the language: "The Scots language can do that - can effortlessly transform the mundane into the poetic, giving the dignity of profound truth to the most banal of observations, making even a weather report sound dramatic."
    • 5/5
      Alexander McCall Smith has really done it with this installment of his Scotland Street series by including the most startling turn of the plot that one could ever imagine. I'll certainly not give it away by saying anything about what happened, but suffice it to say that I can hardly wait for the next installment to see where the regular characters are by that time. All of the regulars are here with Bertie preparing to celebrate his seventh birthday. What great fun!
    • 5/5
      Wonderfully Insightful while cozily comforting! Alexander McCall Smith’s novels are like picnicking on a lovely hillside looking out upon a quaint village and a field of wildflowers!
    • 4/5
      Book #9 of this series, and another cute one! I always enjoy catching up with this eclectic group of characters in Edinburgh!