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    Bertie Plays the Blues
    Bertie Plays the Blues
    Bertie Plays the Blues
    Audiobook10 hours

    Bertie Plays the Blues

    Written by Alexander McCall Smith

    Narrated by Robert Ian Mackenzie

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Domestic bliss seems in short supply at 44 Scotland Street. Over at the Pollocks, dad, Stuart, is harbouring a secret about a secret society and Bertie is feeling kind of blue. Having had enough of his neurotic hot-housing mother, he puts himself up for adoption on eBay. Will he go to the highest bidder or will he have to take matters into his own hands? Will the lovelorn Big Lou find true love on the internet? And will Angus Lordie and Domenica make it up the aisle? Catch up with all your favourite faces down in 44 Scotland Street as we follow their daily pursuit of a little happiness.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateOct 8, 2013
    ISBN9781470392383
    Bertie Plays the Blues
    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 Plays the Blues

    4/5

    212 ratings55 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Another great read from Alexander McCall Smith. A fantastic set of characters from the likeable to the not so likeable. I think it's been a while since he was last in Aberdeen though - Big Lou's reflection about how it's too cold up here for girls to go staggering around in short skirts are a bit out of date!
    • 3/5
      This is the book of the novel serialised in [i]The Scotsman[/i]. An Edinburgh version of Maupin's Tales of the City. A light read, I enjoyed but it fades rapidly, the Ma Ramotswe books and Sunday Philosophers Club made much more of a lasting impression.
    • 3/5
      This book was originally published as a daily serial for a newspaper, inspired by meeting Armistead Maupin at a party, the author of the "Tales of the City" books. As in Maupin's "Tales of the City", it is centred around the occupants of the flats in a single house, although this house is in Edinburgh rather than San Francisco. An easy read, but neither as interesting nor as funny as the No. 1 Ladies' Detective agency series.Another Edinburgh novelist, Ian Rankin, appears as himself in the book, so I wonder if Alexander McCall Smith will turn up in one of Rankin's books one day, maybe as a murder suspect.
    • 3/5
      Honestly this novel was a little hard to get into, but once you're in the thick of it you are addicted! Not as wonderful as his Ladies Detective series, but equally charming in it's own rights. The author creates a brilliant quilt of characters in this quaint little apartment building, some you hate and some that steal your heart away.
    • 4/5
      Incredibly readable and perfect for dipping into on the move. It's full of great character studies and vivid images of Edinburgh.
    • 2/5
      Good, light read. It has loose ends, though. Not a terribly satisfying ending. - GregI thought the book was really good. Good character development. - Ali
    • 1/5
      I have liked some of Smith's work. I enjoy listening to the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency and I have enjoyed reading several of teh Saturday Philosopher's Club books. This one, 44 Scotland Street I put down half way through because I grew weary of the little moral dilemmas that Smith poses through his characters and the rough fun he has at their expense. It becomes predictable and unpleasant.I will continue to read some of his work but with a readiness to drop it if more of this cruel fun occurs.
    • 4/5
      This book is one of the coolest I've ever read. It really offers you an escape from your own life and a peek into the lives of those who live on Scotland Street. There is no "plot" in the modern sense, but the characters are so lovely and delicious that it hardly seems to matter. Will definitely be recommending it to people.
    • 3/5
      First book by this author, and I was only just interested enough to keep going. The ending was pretty much a non-event after sticking with it ...... probably won't try another.
    • 5/5
      More fun with my favorite people! Start from book one and take a long stroll on Scotland Street!
    • 4/5
      I am a big fan of Alexander McCall Smith and this book did not disappoint. I will be honest and say that I approached reading this with some trepidation as I wasn't sure how the episodic nature of the writing would affect my reading, and it didn't. I particularly liked the epsiode around the portrait of the the Moderator of the Wee Free Reformed Presbyterian Church (Discontinued). I will be looking out for the next installment in the series.
    • 2/5
      This is one of McCall Smith's slightest works. The characters are one-dimensional and unsympathetic, and the plot is a series of contrivances. Originally written as a newspaper serial, it suffers from having been composed in self-contained units of a few hundred words. Avoid; head to the Botswana series.
    • 3/5
      Decent book, not awe inspiring or a must read for me. I have gotten the second book in the series to actually see if I could figure out just what was going on in the first book. We shall see.
    • 3/5
      If you're looking for a companion series to No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, this isn't it. The only thing in common is the author. However, if you want a light and gentle read with some lovely funny characterizatons, this IS it. I'm several books behind on the sequels, but looking forward to catching up.
    • 3/5
      The gentle, slow pace of his writing is perfect for a slow afternoon when nothing else is going to happen. He develops his characters slowly, tantalizing us with the psyches of a very disparate group of residents. I'm particularly fond of little Bertie, the precocious saxophone playing, train loving 5 year old with an absolutely obnoxious mother. Bertie just wants to find another 5 year old friend, and detach from his momma - not learn Italian and all the other silly things his mom has in store for him. I definitely want to follow these adventures to see what happens to Bertie. I finished this in two afternoons, and am now anxiously awaiting my next trip to the library to pick up the second in the series.
    • 4/5
      This is a neat collection of stories about the people who shared the rental of 44 Scotland Street in Edinborough and their connections, friends, and neighbors. The subjects range from the gap year of a young woman and her job in an art gallery to a handsome but conceited young man, to an elderly rich woman making a life among artists and intellectuals, to the education of a somewhat gifted child and the foolishness of his parents' ideas for child rearing. There is also a small cast of interesting background characters who have memorable stories that further reveal the human condition. It is quite a good character study, and Smith wrote it well. Sentences flow, and there are no unnecessary details. Although not really exciting, I can hardly wait to read more.
    • 4/5
      The book was originally published as a daily newspaper seriel - with each chapter containing some action, yet remaining short.I involves a group of people living in old apartment building at 44 Scotland Street, Edinbourgh, Scotland. The plot is slow and really goes nowhere, but the characters are generally interesting.
    • 5/5
      Full of wisdom, humor and a certain kind of gentleness.
    • 4/5
      The many short chapters determined by the original publication of this novel as a series of daily newspaper columns does not diminish the work as a single book. I found the many characters to be richly engaging and the result stands the obvious comparison with Maupin's Tales of the City.
    • 5/5
      This is my visit to the 44 Scotland Street books and it just confirms my reason for choosing Alexander McCall Smith as one of my favourite autors. It is easy going but draws you into the lives of the characters. You could almost live in Scotland Street - grinning at Bruce's narcissim; feeling for Pat's unrequited love and wishing desparately to look through Big Lou's book collection!
    • 4/5
      I love McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, I like the Isabel Dalhousie series, and I thoroughly enjoy the Professor von Igelfeld books. This was my first foray into the 44 Scotland Street series. It provided a different reading experience than the books I've read from the author's other series.I found this book harder to put down at the end of a chapter when I needed to move on to other activities. The novel was originally serialized in the Scotsman newspaper, and in the preface McCall Smith discusses how he adapted his writing style for the serial format. The chapters are shorter than those in his other novels, and there are more of them -- 110 in all. Each chapter ends with an unresolved situation in order to keep newspaper readers hooked and eager for the next installment. I found myself reading in longer stretches than I intended to because there didn't seem to be a good place to stop!The book reminds me of a soap opera, where all of the characters are connected in some way to 44 Scotland Street. Some of the characters live there, and the others are connected to one or more of the residents by work, social, or family ties. Just as in a soap opera, some plot lines are more interesting than others. The two threads I liked the most involved Pat, the 20-year-old girl who has just moved away from home, and Bertie, a 5-year old prodigy. Both of these characters are learning how to make their way in the world -- Pat as a newly independent young woman taking on adult responsibilities and forming adult relationships, and Bertie chafing under his mother's pressure to excel while all he really wants is to be like other boys his age. I look forward to reading more about Pat and Bertie as the series progresses!
    • 3/5
      This is my first McCall Smith and I was disappointed in it. I thought the characters were boring and the plot was dull. I was tempted many times to stop reading. The ending was slightly better than I expected. It will be a long time before I can bring myself to try another book of his.
    • 4/5
      I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this, I expected to miss the backdrop of Botswana, but once the story got going I was perfectly happy with Edinburgh! Written originally as a serial, this has a soapy feel, an extensive cast, and a pleasing hint of farce.There was a lot that reminded me of the 'Ladies' Detective Agency' series - not least the air of Granny's Homespun Wisdom which creeps in from time to time, and the simplistic style in which it is written. It could almost be a children's book but for the sly adult humour, which finds its mark particularly well when aimed at the various political parties and personalities of Scotland.Several strands of the story are left partially unresolved, and mysteries not yet explained, so there is plenty to look forward to in the next instalment of this series, and I'm pretty sure I'll be reading it.
    • 4/5
      What a delightful read of the people living at 44 Scotland street and all the people that they are involved with. My favorite characters are a very wise 5 year old and a 60 year old woman who seems to love life.
    • 4/5
      A funny, heartwarming story based around a collection of eccentric characters all living in Edinburgh. The story centres around Pat as she is accepted as a new tenant at No.44. There is an element of mystery as she and her new employer seek to discover whether a painting could really be a valuable Peploe but essentially the focus of the story are the characters she meets - including a brief guest appearance by Ian Rankin.Initially the exceptionally short chapters (the book was originally serialised in the Scotsman) were a distraction but in the end I felt they added to the charm.
    • 3/5
      The reminded me a lot of Tales of the City. Although it was published as a serial, I could see that McCall Smith had written a lot of it all at once, parsed it out, and then got a little frantic near the end to add to the story (as he mentions in the Intro). The characters certainly have many faults, but I like that it ends on a positive note, even when it directly follows a disaster!
    • 4/5
      This book was thoroughly enjoyable; when it ended I had that feeling of mild sadness! However, that didn't last long as the great thing is, it is part of a series of books, so thankfully, there is more to come. The setting is perfect, the characters are fantastically quirky in their own individual ways and the many stories threaded through the book seam together nicely. As an expectant mum, I found Isabel Pollock frightful! Bruce, for all his narcissistic tendencies is likeable, and Pat is more complex and endearing as the book moves on. Bertie is a great character; he just wants to be a little boy, doing little boy things. Light and breezy.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this book. Lite reading with short amusing chapters.
    • 5/5
      Loved it! I laughed out loud several times. The characters in this book are entertaining and surprising. Like after reading most of McCall Smith's books, I felt better about the world and the people in it when I finished.
    • 3/5
      I am not as enamoured with the Scotland Street series as The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency; it might be as simple as my not being remotely interested in more than three of the fifteen or so recurring characters (a ratio that makes the whole book seem wildly overpopulated). The author’s writing is still engaging, but without the depth of character, there is nothing to pin this interest on. More disappointingly, the philosophy with which The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency was so redolent is either missing from Scotland Street, or stale in its execution. The characters that do work are very well written; and certain patches of introspection on the principal character’s part make her less cardboard that she might otherwise seem – and the ‘serial’ feel of the chapters is interesting (and probably what kept me reading). As I have a copy of the next book, I will probably read it… but unless it really picks up, I won’t be hunting down any more of this particular series. Not my cup of tea.