Meet the residents of Edinburgh's 44 Scotland Street... On the top floor lives Bruce. A narcissistic young man, Bruce thinks of nothing but himself...and how good looking and just generally brilliant he is. He's working as a chartered surveyor, and has just got a new flatmate, 20 year old Pat... Pat is doing a second gap year, dithering about what she wants from life. She has just started working at an art gallery, with a boss Matthew who never fails to surprise her with his lack of knowledge about art. She has taken the spare room at Bruce's place despite the fact it was left in a fairly grotty condition by the previous occupant. Although Bruce is ...  Read the complete review

Alexander McCall Smith author of the Best selling No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency has shown he can write as well about his native Edinburgh as he can about Botswana. Written originally as a serial for the Scotsman newspaper this book is excellent to read a chapter and put it down for another day - if you can that is! I read it on holiday and found it difficult to put down. The story starts as Pat rings the door bell at No 44 Scotland Street, where she is going to look at a shared flat and be looked at! Will it be suitable, will she be suitable, and what will her flatmates be like? The door was in need of paint and not as "posh" as some in ...  Read the complete review

Take one house, and a pocket full of characters who all rent rooms in the house. The house in number 44 Scotland Street, situated in a rather bohemian part of Edinburgh's New Town. The characters are a real mixture of society, often pushing the boundaries of the word 'norm' to the extreme. It is the principal characters which reside in the house, but along the way other characters are introduced and cultivated, to produce an interesting and enjoyable novel called 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith. The story is more like an number of interlocking short stories. Firstly there is Pat, a 21 year old student who is on her second gap year. She seems lost ...  Read the complete review

44 Scotland street - Alexander McCall Smith Fabulous !!, thats what I thought when I finished reading this wonderfully written book, and if you have lived in Edinburgh or just have a love of the city, I'm sure you'll love it too. It is written by Alexander McCall Smith,who is also the author of the best seller "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency". He ahs a brilliant way of describing the interesting characters in the book which include a young woman called Pat, who is on her second gap year and the trials and tribulations she encounters when she moves in to a new flat in Scotland Street with the vain Bruce, who is a chartered surveyor who ...  Read the complete review

After reading the fantastic Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency books, I decided to give the 44 Scotland Street Novels a go - the idea initally started out as a coloumnin the Scotsman if my memory serves me correct. 44 Scotland Street I feel is designed to introduce us to the characters and gain an understanding of their personalities and querks during each chapter. The charachters are: Bruce who is portrayed as having a rather large ego and a fondness for hair gel. Pat who moves out of home and rents a room in Bruces flat and developes crush on him. Irene the overbearing mum with a 5 year old son called Bertie who ...  Read the complete review