Poor Bertie! ( )

What was all that about? Two people who looked alike, exchanging identities and ended up sharing prize money, and a dog that was, in a way, bounced from one place to another plus a young boy suffering under the tyranny of his mother. Quirky. (I am reevaluating this book after reading The End of Your Life Book Club. I still find the plot quirky but more acceptable now. Jonathan proposed to swap identity with Bruce because he was bored with life and trying to find meaning in it through living someone else's life, while Bruce was goaded into it as he didn't want to admit he is not up to it.) ( )

In this 8th Scotland St novel, we find Angus & Dominica finally getting married. However, Angus has forgotten to buy a ring or book a honeymoon. It’s up yo best man, Matthew to sort everything out & get Angus to the church on time

Bertie, who has been six for ever so long, has been charged to take care of Angus’ dog Cyril while he and Dominica are away, but as usually happens, Bertie’s awful mother, Irene, spoils everything & Bertie must find Cyril other accommodations

Matthew’s au pair introduces him to Bo who wants to make a documentary of him & Elspeth, but soon finds Big Lou more interesting & she goes viral

And Bruce meets his doppelgänger in an exchange that turns out to be incredibly lucrative.

As usual, McCall Smith serves up a cast of characters that quickly become like old friends who quickly find a place in the reader’s heart ( )

The same extraordinary cast of characters and a few new ones in some philosophical and funny (or both) adventures. Bertie and his smart-stupid mother, Irene, Matthew, Big Lou, Angus and, of course, Bruce never disappoint!

A very good, and now more necessary than ever, a distracting read.

This is the first bump I've experienced in the 44 Scotland Street series where I've had to force myself to power through and finish. Most of the time these books are over far too soon, but for some reason this one was actually ... well, a bit boring. Perhaps it was because two of my favorite characters, Angus and Domenica, are largely absent.

On the other hand, this is book 8 and it's the first time I've been bored with the 44 Scotland Street series ... so I'd say that's a really good sign. I'm looking forward to reading the next one! ( )