Customer Reviews
Perpetually Six, Bertie Shows More Maturity Than the Adults - By: Donald Mitchell, 23 Nov 2008 
Please, if you haven't read any of the novelsin the 44 Scotland Street series, you should immediately go order & read 44 Scotland Street & then move on to Espresso Tales & Love Over Scotland before reading The World According to Bertie. Before making that decision, let me explain a little about the series. It began as a serial novelin The Scotsman newspaper. As a result, the writing is broken up into little vignettes that are loosely tied to each other by the relations the characters have with each other.
There's no doubt about it, Bertie Pollock makes this series work. He is the young (perpetually six so far), & blameless, example of what we all aspire to be . . . honest, fair, serious, humble, & considerate. Bertie has a problem (and we have a source of humor)in Bertie's mum, Irene, who wishes to make Bertie into a PC version of what a 21st century boy should be . . . despite Bertie's preferences & instincts to the contrary. As a result, Bertie's bedroom is painted pink, his mother encourages him to play with girls rather than boys, he takes Italian, saxophone, & yoga lessons, & he sees a psychotherapist. Irene also organizes his life . . . over much.
In this book, Irene decides that she wants to encourage Bertie to play with Olive, his nemesis at school. The consequences reverberate throughout the book.
In addition, Bertie's little brother, Ulysses, is someone Irene wants Bertie to have a close relationships with. Bertie finds an unexpected surprise while changing Ulysses' diapers that reveal fundamental flawsin his parents.
Bertie also has questions about the birds & the bees . . . but not the ones you expect.
Another major themein the book is the genuine concern that the painter Angus Lordie has for his dog, Cyril, who faces legal proceedings for biting. You'll notice that no onein the novel cares for another human being nearly as much.
Big Lou's boyfriend is tied upin a Jacobite group & is devoted to Bonnie Prince Charlie.
After flaming outin London, Bruce is back & quickly puts the touch on an adoring young woman. Pat notices him . . . & finds she still feels excited.
Domenica is finding it very annoying to have her friend Antonia living across the hall. Antonia learns to communicate with her Polish builderin ways she hadn't expected.
Matthew still drinks a lot of coffee & feels like he needs to make changesin his romantic life. He also develops a bit of whimsy when it comes to modern art.
For me, the parts where neither Bertie nor Angus were present didn't work nearly as well. Without a lot of those two, this would have been a four-star book. The humor was aimedin more directions than usual . . . & touched on some very sensitive (and thus, very funny) topics that I didn't expect to findin the book. Two of the scenes involving Irene are ones that I'll laugh about for the rest of my life.
Enjoy!
"Bertie wanted...to be the average boy, but he knew that this would forever be beyond his reach--[because of] his mother." - By: Mary Whipple, 11 Nov 2008 (4.5 stars) Alexander McCall Smith always succeedsin charming his readers with warm & humorous tales of almost normal life, lived by people who care about each other & share the values that make life worth living. Like the other novelsin this series, the "plot" here consists of episodesin the lives of several loosely connected characters from 44 Scotland Street as they face separate problemsin their everyday lives. In real life, real people live their own lives & deal with their own problems, & for McCall Smith & his millions of devoted readers, that is plot enough.
Little Bertie Pollock, six years old, "just wants to be normal." Forced by his domineering mother Irene to go to advanced music classes, yoga, & psychotherapy once a week, he cannot be a rough-and-tumble boy. Irene has even enlisted his help when she pumps breast milk for the baby. In the past Bertie has found some comfort from Cyril, a dog with one gold tooth, who belongs to Angus Lordie, a painter who livesin the building, but Cyril isin the pound, & Angus isin the midst of legal proceedings to reclaim him.
Other characters at 44 Scotland Street & its neighborhood are also dealing with problems. Matthew, a quiet young man who runs an art gallery, hopes that Pat, who worksin his gallery, may become fond of him--and he with her--given enough time. Bruce, a devastatingly handsome narcissist with few financial resources, takes advantage of Julia by movingin with her. Big Lou Brown, who runs the local coffee shop, fallsin love with a construction worker who wants to return the Stuarts to the throne, & Antonia, who has previously rented Dominica's flat, buys her own placein the building & finds new "love."
McCall Smith's "ordinary" characters with almost-ordinary problems are just absurd enough to keep the reader interestedin their lives while remaining just "normal" enough that the reader can smilein recognition at their folly. Far too gentle to be considered a satirist, McCall Smith nevertheless pokes fun at Edinburgh life--the clubs, intellectual pretensions, & social activities--placing his charactersin the context of the city & using irony to give their problems perspective & humor. Occasionally, he shares wry asides with the reader so subtly they feel like "throwaways." A guest at the home of an art "connoisseur" suggests, for example, that "Perhaps there are minimalist things here already--it's just that we can't see them."
Ultimately, the characters' domestic problems are resolved--for now--and the reader is left to reflect on the comfortable "old-shoeness" of McCall Smith's novels with their gentle good humor. As one resident of 44 Scotland Street says, "Every so often,in a moment of insight that can be very nearly mysticalin its intensity, we see others...in a way which makes us want to cherish them as joint pilgrims on a perilous journey." McCall Smith's characters feel like joint pilgrims with the reader. n Mary Whipple
The Miracle at Speedy Motors (No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency), 2008.
Portuguese Irregular Verbs, first of the Dr. von Igelfeld Entertainments, 2003
The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel, 2008
Love Over Scotland (44 Scotland Street), 2006
Wonderful book - buy the series and enjoy - By: C. Macdonald, 26 Oct 2008 This is a delightful book. Alexander McCall Smiths writing is wonderfully observant & you feel that he genuinely cares about his characters. If you are familiar with the No 1 ladies detective series novels & enjoy his writing & obvious love for Botwswana, then you will enjoy his thoughts on his home town of Edinburgh & the superb characters he has created. Start at the first novel 44 Scotland street & work forward to the latest. The characters are all recognisable for those familiar with Edinburgh society. I love the wayin which the author can portray what Bertie is thinking as he tries to make sense of his mother Irene with her desire to treat Bertie as a project. From painting his room pink to avoid gender stereotyping, his visits to the psychologist Dr Fairbairn & Irene's attempts to explain his behaviourin Klenian terms, & his friends at the Rudolph Steiner school; the naughty Tofu, Bossy Olive & Larch & Hiawatha. All Bertie wants is to join the cubs & own a penknife!
Bertie & Irene are just two finely drawn charactersin this series - whether it is Cyril the dog, Bruce the surveyor or the Glasgow Gangster Lard, all are perfect observations. Read & enjoy!
Gentle satire on self-absorption - By: Deborah, 01 Oct 2008 
This series has been criticised elsewhere for the characters being too self-absorbed, but for me that is half the pleasure. A lot of people are self-absorbed, & it is fascinating to see that people are often really thinking about themselves & their own concerns when they appear to be thinking something completely different - perhaps most clearly seenin the clash of egos of Bruce & Julia, where Bruce is so caught upin his own self-centred plans that it doesn't occur to him that Julia,in pursuit of 'good stock', is just as single-minded.
My only criticism is that although this is called 'The World According to Bertie' there isn't quite enough of Bertiein it for me, though his essay, from which the title is taken, is well worth waiting for. I would have liked more of Irene & Bertie because Irene is so awful that reading about her always makes me feel that maybe I'm not doing such a bad job as a mother after all!
Better than any soap opera! - By: A. Nicholson, 14 Jul 2008 This is the first book I have read of the series, & I found it did not matter that I had not read the others (although it has left me very eager to do so!) It is easy to be drawn into the lives of the characters who are thoroughly believable & far more entertaining than any soap opera!Some of the remarks little Bertie comes out with are absolutely priceless & made me laugh out loud!!
You will enjoy this wherever you come from, but if you have ever livedin or known Edinburgh well (I grew up there) this is a delightful bonus & makes it all the more entertaining & amusing, it captures the 'essence' of Edinburgh life superbly well,andin a gently amusing way.
I would highly recommend this book for its' ability to portray characters & its' pure entertainment value, we all need a bit of light relief these days, & this book certainly gives us that!
