The Bertie Project
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley September 22, 2016
Author Alexander McCall Smith
Distributor: New South Books
ISBN: 9781846973598
Publisher: Polygon
Release Date: August 2016
Website: http:/www.newsouthbooks.com,au
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Once again were are gently transported to 44 Scotland Street via a meandering conversation between Angus Lordie and Matthew at the Cumberland Arms one Friday evening. As these end of week conversations over a beer go, the topics are there to be discussed but require no resolution, creating a pleasantly relaxing hour with a like-minded friend.
Stuart is once again facing a dilemma, along with Bertie and Ulysses, as Irene has definitely returned from her time in a Bedouin Harem and is setting about returning life to normal, at least in her eyes. That Ulysses was allowed to suck on a dummy and Stuart failed to see Ulysses eating the parts of the Wallace Monument jigsaw puzzle is simply unexplainable.
Big Lou is also facing the slow and painstaking process of wanting to adopt young Finlay, who she has recently fostered, while at the same time, coming to terms with the emotional turmoil of what being a mother, all-be-it not his natural mother, is all about.
Bruce is finally in love with someone other than himself, finding the experience curious, startling and interesting as the love of his life is an amazon of an Aussie woman, Clare by name, who enjoys the pursuit of extreme sport. This is an area that can hardly be left unexplored, just waiting there for Bruce to discover.
Defenestration, Scottish style, comes into the story in the most amazing way as Angus Lordie, while opening a stuck window in their upstairs apartment, suddenly becomes defenestrated, completely to his amazement, managing to discover, whist falling, the sky is really a neutral shade.
But in the meantime, back in Bertie’s house things seem to be going about the same as usual with Irene once again laying out the rules for what she calls Project Bertie, Stuart making a deeply personal discovery and Ulysses finally attempting to speak his first word; the problem is he tries to all Bertie’s psychoanalyst, Dr Fairburn, Da…….., over coffee at Glass & Thompson.
While life in town is proceeding in its usual manner, Matthew, Elspeth and the triplets are settling nicely into life at Nine Mile Burn; the Danish au pairs are behaving badly, once again. Rognvald, one of the triplets, suddenly breaks out in blisters which turn out to be the childhood condition of Foot and Mouth; the Danish au pairs react badly, yet again, deciding to leave immediately, plunging the family into dire straits.
Nicole, Stuart’s mother finds, via a beautifully written letter, she is now one of a was a pair, deciding to live her life in Scotland rather than in the Mediterranean, which gives her more time to spend with Bertie and Ulysses. She also observes that something is troubling Stuart; Bertie has told her he saw him in a cafe with a young woman and Nicole begins to put two and two together in the hope that Stuart will somehow man-up to Irene and her dictatorial, bullying ways.
As always with a McCall Smith novel there are layers, within layers, within layers and not to be outdone The Scottish Association of Nudists are once again facing issues caused, they are sure by ‘those tiresome people from Glasgow’ and others, and although they, the Edinburg chapter, had a political victory, there still seems to be a great divide in opinion over many issues. But what to do!
Life as always moves steadily onward at 44 Scotland Street; through he eyes of a Master we are once again treated to a wonderfully descriptive character analysis and narrative of people simply going about their lives, 44 Scotland Street style.
Storytelling at its absolute best!