The Unbearable Lightness of Scones

March 29, 2010
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).

Robert Ian MacKenzie has a secret smile in his voice as he takes listeners back to 44 Scotland Street for the fifth time. He knows these characters well, and his affection for them shines through his impeccable narration. Newlyweds Matthew and Elspeth deal with the uncertainties of matrimony, lonely Domenica becomes obsessed with an allegedly purloined teacup, narcissistic Bruce is too full of himself to notice his fiancée's preoccupation, and precocious Bertie thwarts his oppressive mother and discovers an ally in his father. Alexander McCall Smith has a gentle touch as he arranges ordinary, occasionally hilarious, challenges for his assortment of unpredictable flesh-and-blood characters. Listeners will be especially rewarded if they begin at the beginning of this delicious series, all of which is expertly performed by MacKenzie. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine