The Unbearable Lightness of Scones: 44 Scotland Street Series (5)

The witty and utterly delightful new novel in the national bestselling 44 Scotland Street series. Featuring all the quirky characters we have come to know and love, The Unbearable Lightness of Scones , finds Bertie, the precocious six-year-old, still troubled by his rather overbearing mother, Irene, but seeking his escape in the Cub Scouts. Matthew is rising to the challenge of married life with newfound strength and resolve, while Domenica epitomizes the loneliness of the long-distance intellectual. Cyril, the gold-toothed star of the whole show, succumbs to the kind of romantic temptation that no dog can resist and creates a small problem, or rather six of them, for his friend and owner Angus Lordie. With his customary deftness, Alexander McCall Smith once again brings us an absorbing and entertaining tale of some of Scotland's most quirky and beloved characters—all set in the beautiful, stoic city of Edinburgh. Publishers Weekly The fifth book in McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series re-visits the quirky characters of a tiny neighborhood of Edinburgh: aging Angus and his dog, young Matthew with his new bride, precocious six-year-old Bertie and his overbearing mother, and others. The dry humor and Wodehousian wit in the descriptions and observations of the eccentric characters give them charm, but the book is a study in ordinary people living ordinary lives, and the narrative is slow paced. Robert Ian Mackenzie's deep, sonorous voice is ideal for the exposition and the voices of the male characters, but that same rich masculine voice is a drawback when used for the dialogue of the female and child characters, who end up sounding stilted and impaired. An Anchor paperback (Reviews, Nov. 9). (Jan.) [Trial version] Cover......Page 1 [Trial version] About the Author......Page 2 [Trial version] Other Books by this Author......Page 3 [Trial version] Title Page......Page 4 [Trial version] Dedication......Page 5 [Trial version] Preface......Page 6 [Trial version] Chapter 1 - Love, Marriage and Other Surprises......Page 7 [Trial version] Chapter 2 - By the Side of the Bridal Path......Page 10 [Trial version] Chapter 3 - Wedding Daze, and a Hint of Doubt......Page 13 [Trial version] Chapter 4 - Answers to the East Lothian Question......Page 16 [Trial version] Chapter 5 - Almost a Perfect Summer Night......Page 19 [Trial version] Chapter 6 - Still Life, with Cyril......Page 22 [Trial version] Chapter 7 - Art of the Matter......Page 25 [Trial version] Chapter 8 - Puppy Facts......Page 28 [Trial version] Chapter 9 - Scout’s Honour......Page 31 [Trial version] Chapter 10 - A Setback for the Bertie Project......Page 34 [Trial version] Chapter 11 - A Spoiled Secret......Page 37 [Trial version] Chapter 12 - Of Love and Lies......Page 40 [Trial version] Chapter 13 - A Poser for Bruce......Page 44 [Trial version] Chapter 14 - From Arbroath with Love......Page 47 [Trial version] Chapter 15 - When Even Puppy Love Has Its Limits......Page 50 [Trial version] Chapter 16 - Paradise Found......Page 53 [Trial version] Chapter 17 - A Dream of Love......Page 56 [Trial version] Chapter 18 - The Blind Biker of Comrie......Page 59 [Trial version] Chapter 19 - Heavenly Thoughts......Page 62 [Trial version] Chapter 20 - Be Prepared for a Little White Lie......Page 65 [Trial version] Chapter 21 - Lost Opportunities......Page 68 [Trial version] Chapter 22 - Room for Misunderstanding......Page 71 [Trial version] Chapter 23 - Omen Away......Page 74 [Trial version] Chapter 24 - The Sea, the Sea......Page 77 [Trial version] Chapter 25 - Mothers and Other Incomprehensible Mysteries......Page 80 [Trial version] Chapter 26 - Gender Agendas......Page 83 [Trial version] Chapter 27 - Pink for Danger......Page 86 [Trial version] Chapter 28 - Unmarried Bliss......Page 90 [Trial version] Chapter 29 - An Unwelcome Message......Page 93 [Trial version] Chapter 30 - Edinburgh Noses Through the Ages......Page 96 [Trial version] Chapter 31 - Selling a Pup (or Six)......Page 99 [Trial version] Chapter 32 - Last Thoughts......Page 102 [Trial version] Chapter 33 - The Longest Hour......Page 105 [Trial version] Chapter 34 - Mirror, Mirror on the Wall .........Page 108 [Trial version] Chapter 35 - The Seriously Sexy Face of Scotland......Page 111 [Trial version] Chapter 36 - Watson the Watsonian......Page 114 [Trial version] Chapter 37 - Life Lines......Page 118 [Trial version] Chapter 38 - Stuart Is Stupefied......Page 121 [Trial version] Chapter 39 - The Teacup Storm Revisited......Page 124 [Trial version] Chapter 40 - A Delivery that Leads to Temptation......Page 127 [Trial version] Chapter 41 - Police Questioning......Page 131 [Trial version] Chapter 42 - Beach Bureaucracy......Page 134 [Trial version] Chapter 43 - Marching Orders......Page 138 [Trial version] Chapter 44 - Moving Stories......Page 141 [Trial version] Chapter 45 - Apposite Posers for a Poseur......Page 144 [Trial version] Chapter 46 - Rank Insiders in the Pecking Order......Page 147 [Trial version] Chapter 47 - The New Pretender......Page 150 [Trial version] Chapter 48 - Loyalties Tested......Page 153 [Trial version] Chapter 49 - A Subtle Knife Question......Page 156 [Trial version] Chapter 50 - Portrait of the Artist as a Surprised Man......Page 159 [Trial version] Chapter 51 - Prodigious Fibs......Page 163 [Trial version] Chapter 52 - Scouting for Girls......Page 166 [Trial version] Chapter 53 - Be Prepared, Be Very Prepared......Page 169 [Trial version] Chapter 54 - Badge of Honour......Page 172 [Trial version] Chapter 55 - Profile of a Talented Talent-Spotter......Page 176 [Trial version] Chapter 56 - A Bit of a Poser......Page 179 [Trial version] Chapter 57 - Uncle Jack’s Visit......Page 183 [Trial version] Chapter 58 - At the Tanglin Club......Page 186 [Trial version] Chapter 59 - Cat People......Page 189 [Trial version] Chapter 60 - Huddles, Guddles, Toil and Muddles......Page 193 [Trial version] Chapter 61 - Portrait of a White Lie......Page 196 [Trial version] Chapter 62 - The Marrying Kind of Man......Page 199 [Trial version] Chapter 63 - A Dug’s a Dug for a’ That......Page 202 [Trial version] Chapter 64 - Childhood Memories......Page 205 [Trial version] Chapter 65 - From Hero to Zero in One Simple Word......Page 208 [Trial version] Chapter 66 - Greed All About It......Page 211 [Trial version] Chapter 67 - A Private View......Page 214 [Trial version] Chapter 68 - Entrances and Exits......Page 217 [Trial version] Chapter 69 - Death of a Gangster......Page 220 [Trial version] Chapter 70 - Life, Death and the Road to the Isles......Page 223 [Trial version] Chapter 71 - A Threat from Irene......Page 227 [Trial version] Chapter 72 - The New Psychotherapist......Page 230 [Trial version] Chapter 73 - Of Men and Make-Up......Page 233 [Trial version] Chapter 74 - The Jacobite Rally......Page 237 [Trial version] Chapter 75 - Bruce Discovers His Feminine Side......Page 240 [Trial version] Chapter 76 - A Changed Man......Page 243 [Trial version] Chapter 77 - Up for the Cup......Page 246 [Trial version] Chapter 78 - Antonia’s Big Secret......Page 250 [Trial version] Chapter 79 - On the Way to a Funeral......Page 253 [Trial version] Chapter 80 - Let Us Now Praise a Rather Infamous Man......Page 256 [Trial version] Chapter 81 - Best-Laid Plans......Page 259 [Trial version] Chapter 82 - Lessons in Leadership......Page 263 [Trial version] Chapter 83 - A Shot in the Park......Page 266 [Trial version] Chapter 84 - Meet the Archers......Page 270 [Trial version] Chapter 85 - Gangsters, Drugs, Dreams – and Dogs......Page 273 [Trial version] Chapter 86 - To Catch a Dealer......Page 277 [Trial version] Chapter 87 - Deceptive Appearances......Page 280 [Trial version] Chapter 88 - Illicit Skills......Page 283 [Trial version] Chapter 89 - Confession Time......Page 286 [Trial version] Chapter 90 - Transvestites Rescued in the Minch......Page 289 [Trial version] Chapter 91 - Fathers and Sons......Page 292 [Trial version] Chapter 92 - A Complex Complex......Page 295 [Trial version] Chapter 93 - A Dinner Invitation......Page 298 [Trial version] Chapter 94 - Bruce Amazes Himself......Page 301 [Trial version] Chapter 95 - The Deepest Secret Edinburgh Has to Offer......Page 304 [Trial version] Chapter 96 - A Scorched-Earth Wardrobe......Page 307 [Trial version] Chapter 97 - Olive Is Outraged......Page 310 [Trial version] Chapter 98 - The Lightness of Scones......Page 313 [Trial version] Chapter 99 - A Civilised Menu......Page 316 [Trial version] Chapter 100 - A World Put Back in Balance with Love......Page 319 [Trial version] Copyright......Page 323 44 SCOTLAND STREET - Book 5 The residents and neighbors of 44 Scotland Street and the city of Edinburgh come to vivid life in these gently satirical, wonderfully perceptive serial novels, featuring six-year-old Bertie, a remarkably precocious boy--just ask his mother. Featuring all the quirky characters we have come to know and love, The Unbearable Lightness of Scones, finds Bertie, the precocious six-year-old, still troubled by his rather overbearing mother, Irene, but seeking his escape in the Cub Scouts. Matthew is rising to the challenge of married life with newfound strength and resolve, while Domenica epitomizes the loneliness of the long-distance intellectual. Cyril, the gold-toothed star of the whole show, succumbs to the kind of romantic temptation that no dog can resist and creates a small problem, or rather six of them, for his friend and owner Angus Lordie. With his customary deftness, Alexander McCall Smith once again brings us an absorbing and entertaining tale of some of Scotland's most quirky and beloved characters--all set in the beautiful, stoic city of Edinburgh. From the Trade Paperback edition. * The fifth volume of Alexander McCall Smith's wonderful serial novels set in Edinburgh's New Town. To the casual observer, the great enlightened city of Edinburgh, home of no-nonsense philosophers and cream teas, might appear immune to the rollercoaster of strong emotions. But at 44 Scotland Street, as Matthew and Elspeth embark on the risky enterprise of married love, the raffish portrait painter Angus Lordie has a premonition of disaster. And soon enough Irene Pollock is shocked to learn that her small son Bertie harbours a highly unsuitable ambition; the gloriously vain Bruce discovers a wrinkle and confronts rejection; and Angus finds himself facing the grave consequences of unbridled bliss, not to mention a large Glaswegian gangster bearing gifts .. At 44 Scotland Street, six-year-old Bertie seeks escape in the Cub Scouts; Matthew rises to the challenge of married life; Domenica epitomizes the loneliness of the long-distance intellectual; and Cyril, the gold-toothed star of the whole show, succumbs to the kind of romantic temptation that no dog can resist and creates a small problem, or rather six of them, for his friend and owner Angus Lordie