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Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers

A 44 Scotland Street Novel

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Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers

By: Alexander McCall Smith
Narrated by: David Rintoul
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About this listen

As summer blooms in Edinburgh's gardens and Bertie Pollock's birthday appears on the horizon, all at 44 Scotland Street is not cake and sunshine.

Newlywed Angus Lordie has been booked by his bride into what he must not call the loony bin; Bruce's first encounter with hot wax brings more anguish than he bargained for; and Bertie's birthday dreams of scout camp and a penknife look set to be replaced by a game of Royal Weddings and a gender-neutral doll.

But fate, an amorous Bedouin and the Dubai Tourist Authority conspire to transport Bertie's mother Irene to a warmer - if not a better - place, and once again in Scotland Street the triumph of human kindness over adversity gives cause for celebration.

©2013 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2014 Hachette Audio Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction Scotland Celebration Funny Witty

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All stars
Most relevant  
So well written and read. I listen while I'm walking my dog and I gets some strange looks as I laugh out loud!

I love this series!

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Alexander gets you laughing out loud when listening. Glad to see a happy birthday for Bertie

Yet another laugh out loud listen

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Engaging and very enjoyable. Can't wait for the Bertie story. Very clever writing really loved it.

Love it

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If you could sum up Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers in three words, what would they be?

funny, poignant intriguing

What did you like best about this story?

the way Bertie is portrayed and his wealth of knowledge and experience

What does David Rintoul bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

he brings the characters to life

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Bertie's reaction to the doll going in the river

Any additional comments?

Bertie has always been my favourite character in this series but I love the way the author interweaves all the characters and their lives. The insights you get into the way they live and their essential character grows with each novel and here we find Bertie maturing whilst still remaining a little boy. Your heart goes out to him as he suffers the indignities his mother forces on him.

Poor Bertie

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As always, a gentle story, full of daily normal struggle of life of a dog, a young boy and adults who interact each other. It was written so beautifully and full of empathy, and read superbly by David Rintoul. Each chapter makes me smile and reflect on my own life.
Let us be gentle to each other.

Beautiful story

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I love the 44 Scotland Street stories and they are so well narrated by David Rintoul, they are even better on Audible. Loved this one and the hilarious antics of Bertie’s mother on her trip to Dubai had me laughing out loud. Still chuckling, so well written.

So witty

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Brilliantly written, funny and well scripted. Characters bought to life by excellent narration. The short chapters made it ideal for my holiday.

Perfect holiday reading!

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Where does Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a really good read and makes me laugh out loud. I can't wait for the next instalment. I wonder what happens to Irene & I love Bertie it a great characterisation!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers?

Irene trying to eat breakfast wearing a hijab!

What does David Rintoul bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I love his change of voice for the different characters

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes i would like to

My Favourite 44 Scotland St so far

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Full of enjoyable adventures and positive messages with a lovely poem at the end as a bonus.

Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers

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The monotonous tone of the reader made this book heavy going. Not as good as the others in the series.

not the best in the series

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