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The World According to Bertie By Melissa J Wantuck  |
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 Now available from Anchor Books is The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith, the fourth book in McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street series. If McCall Smith doesn’t sound familiar to you, he’s the author of the popular No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. Readers who enjoy that series won’t want to miss this one.
44 Scotland Street started out as a serial novel in The Scotsman newspaper. The first title in the series, its namesake, was a collection of the first 110 stories. Espresso Tales and Love Over Scotland followed.
From the beginning, McCall Smith has delivered a charming array of characters that have amused and enlightened. His usual stock have returned and with fresh antics. Thankfully he left some old ones behind who were only slowing down the amusing pace McCall Smith practices with an uncanny ability.
Child prodigy Bertie has a new baby brother who we wishes away on other parents for Ulysses benefit: freedom from their overbearing mother, Irene. She continues to pursue the best for her children while her husband Stuart loses more ground after his attempts to be more assertive fail. One still can’t help but root for his success. As he sits by, Bertie is subjected to play dates and more eye-opening sessions with Dr. Fairbairn.
Unimaginative and predictable Matthew finally has the girl, Pat. But they lack a spark and their relationship is a yawn. They left behind their amateur sleuthing in the first book but now they’re looking for a relationship that will satisfy their desires.
Pat has again escaped the clutches of a man completely wrong for her, and wrong for most women. Matthew is a good guy but she doesn’t seem excited about him. Her role is diminished in this fourth book, which is disappointing after everything in the first three. Does McCall Smith have more plans for her down the road?
Bruce, the narcissistic male Adonis, returns and finds himself in an uncompromising situation yet still comes out smelling like…cloves. How does he do it, is the question that can’t escape being pondered where Bruce is concerned. One can’t help admiring his good fortune while at the same time wanting to strangle him.
Domenica and Angus are the amateur philosophers who continually bemoan the current state of affairs of Edinburgh society. In “their day” it was different, and somehow better than what’s happening today. Their philosophizing lends to the slower moments of The World According to Bertie, not unlike the “fillers” McCall Smith used in the previous books in the series.
What would a book full of a variety of characters be without a canine conscience to bring in a bit of the animal kingdom? Angus’ dog Cyril has his own dramatic tale and his thoughts on it will add to the laughs.
From miss parked Volvos to a wrongly-accused man’s best friend, The World According to Bertie is another comical novel from the talented pen of McCall Smith. His unequivocal ability to capture a character and endear them all to his readers is the mark of an understanding writer who knows how to convey the unique qualities of a culture through his characters to his audience.
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