| Espresso Tales | 
 enlarge | Author: Alexander Mccall Smith
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy Used: $2.49
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Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 20926
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0307275973
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.917
EAN: 9780307275974
ASIN: 0307275973
Publication Date: July 11, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Smith does it again August 14, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Alexander McCall Smith has a knack for capturing characters, breathing life into them and making you want to know more about them. The only complaint I could have is that you want more..but then again even if the book was 1000 pages, I would still want more. I can't wait until the next volume to see what happens to Pat, Bertie, Irene, Domenica, Big Lou and yes, even Bruce.
Maybe his best yet August 9, 2006
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I thoroughly enjoyed Espresso Tales, Alexander McCall Smith's followup to 44 Scotland Street...and I can't wait to read the next book in the series, which he is now writing.
I thought 44 Scotland Street was weakened a little by the sheer number of characters, but here the focus seemed tighter. We get to reunite with Bertie, the boy genius who just wants to be a regular kid; Bruce, the indefatigable narcissist; Pat, the understated gallery worker/college student; Matthew, who has now made a profit at the gallery, and has his gentle eye on Pat; Domenica, the sharp-tongued elderly woman who may be a porteparole for McCall Smith himself; and Angus, the eccentric painter whose dog, Cyril, gets a charming chapter of his own.
Everything that happened to these characters just seemed right, and it was such an enjoyable ride.
Perfect sequel to 44 Scotland Street July 27, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith is the type of book that restores your faith in literature. For everyone who says that good books aren't being written anymore, send them to Smith, because everything he writes is wonderful. Smith returns us to 44 Scotland Street to update us on the goings-ons of its denizens. It took me a couple of chapters to remember who was who and slide back into the rhythms of their lives, but once I was there, it was nearly impossible to leave. Poor Bertie is back with his horrible mother Irene. Bruce has returned with his clove hairgel. Just about everyone has returned, except the pair who hung around Big Lou's. Smith has several surprises in store for his characters, and I don't want to give any of them away. The writing is smooth and seamless as he moves from character to character. If only they made movies like this, my faith would be restored in the movie industry!
A Sequel That Tops 44 Scotland Street! July 27, 2006
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
If you haven't yet read 44 Scotland Street, I recommend that you read it first before Espresso Tales. Although Alexander McCall Smith does an excellent job of sneaking in the back story in Espresso Tales, some of the delicious humor won't fully tickle you if you haven't read the origins of the hilarious situations that have been set up for this book.
If you don't know the background of this series, you should be aware that this novel was written on a daily basis as a serial in The Scotsman newspaper. That means that the story is broken up into 105 two to three page segments . . . almost all of which have a cliff hanger element to them. Many of the segments are illustrated with black and white drawings that enlarge the story.
If you haven't read 44 Scotland Street yet, please read no more of this review.
Espresso Tales is a looser story with more extreme situations and humor. I found myself holding my sides laughing so hard that I was in pain in several places.
Here are brief updates on some of the main characters:
Bertie takes matters into his own hands in terms of trying to get free of his overbearing mother. Bertie's father awakens to the idea of helping Bertie enjoy being a little boy of six. What happens to Irene's vision of her perfect son? You'll love the answers. The visit to Glasgow is one of the finest pieces of humorous writing that I've ever read. Enjoy it!
Dr. Fairbairn comes up against his repressed past in a most revealing episode.
Pat decides to go to Edinburgh University, which pleases her father. She also meets an intriguing new man . . . with a most unusual pastime.
Domenica finds a new purpose for her life.
Big Lou has a large surprise in her life.
Matthew's life is turned upside down when he father becomes interested in a younger woman, Janis.
Bruce rouses himself from his depression over losing his job to find a partner and goes into business for himself.
Each story is, of course, much more complicated than that. Alexander McCall Smith is the master of irony and understatement. So the endings are often not quite what you might expect. Be ready for a tsunami of giggles!
I Love This Series July 26, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
There is one problem with Smith's '44 Scotland Stree' series...and that is that you don't want the books to end. I am pacing myself reading 'Espresso Tales' to make the pleasure last. I'm an avid reader, and I know no other author who mixes pure entertainment with deep insights--and humor--and does it in such a gentle way. The fact that Smith wrote these stories for continuing newspaper publication--sometimes on the fly--just illustrates what a master he is. When does the next book in this series arrive?
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