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linda_edwards's review against another edition
4.0
I love this series of books and they are still as good as each other. I love to read about poor Bertie and his horrible mother. However in this book Bertie spends time away from her as she is in stuck in Dubai( ha ha).
jembody's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
thesgtrekkiereads's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely this series... now I'm waiting anxiously ... impatiently for the next one.
In this one. .Irene has a bit of a misadventure but it looks like her bossiness saves her..
bertie as always is a real sweetheart.. just wanna hug and squeeze him and ulysses and Cyril lol
Michael reminds me of jamie (isabel dalhousie)... but what I've noticed is by reading you can tell what AMS likes.. For example..olive oil lol.. It is always mentioned in his books..
anyway. . moving to corduroy mansions trilogy... hope it is as good:)
In this one. .Irene has a bit of a misadventure but it looks like her bossiness saves her..
bertie as always is a real sweetheart.. just wanna hug and squeeze him and ulysses and Cyril lol
Michael reminds me of jamie (isabel dalhousie)... but what I've noticed is by reading you can tell what AMS likes.. For example..olive oil lol.. It is always mentioned in his books..
anyway. . moving to corduroy mansions trilogy... hope it is as good:)
coolcurrybooks's review against another edition
3.0
Bertie’s Guide to Life and Mothers is the ninth book in Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street series. I don’t think you need to have read all the preceding novels (I haven’t), but I think a large part of the appeal of these books stems from familiarity with the characters.
The problems the characters of Bertie’s Guide face are those of everyday existence. Bertie’s worrying about his mother’s plans for his seventh birthday. Pat’s met a young man she fancies. Matthew and Elspeth are dealing with being the parents of young triplets. Angus and Dominica have agreed to host their former neighbor for three weeks. Bruce appears for only one or two chapters (thank goodness!).
Bertie has long been my favorite character in the series, a beleaguered six year old who just wants to have fun and be a kid but who’s forced into a variety of things by his mother, Irene. Thus, Bertie finds himself enrolled in saxophone class, Italian lessons, yoga, and mandatory psychotherapy. Irene calls him “The Bertie Project,” as she’s into the sort of pseudoscience psychology that my professor loves to rant about. While for the most part she does have good intentions, the end resulting is nonetheless terrifying and hysterically funny. In some ways she reminds me Portlandia’s Women’s First Bookstore skits.
On the whole, Bertie’s Guide to Life and Mothers is a cozy book about a returning cast of Edinburgh characters, filled with philosophic musings on life.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
The problems the characters of Bertie’s Guide face are those of everyday existence. Bertie’s worrying about his mother’s plans for his seventh birthday. Pat’s met a young man she fancies. Matthew and Elspeth are dealing with being the parents of young triplets. Angus and Dominica have agreed to host their former neighbor for three weeks. Bruce appears for only one or two chapters (thank goodness!).
Bertie has long been my favorite character in the series, a beleaguered six year old who just wants to have fun and be a kid but who’s forced into a variety of things by his mother, Irene. Thus, Bertie finds himself enrolled in saxophone class, Italian lessons, yoga, and mandatory psychotherapy. Irene calls him “The Bertie Project,” as she’s into the sort of pseudoscience psychology that my professor loves to rant about. While for the most part she does have good intentions, the end resulting is nonetheless terrifying and hysterically funny. In some ways she reminds me Portlandia’s Women’s First Bookstore skits.
On the whole, Bertie’s Guide to Life and Mothers is a cozy book about a returning cast of Edinburgh characters, filled with philosophic musings on life.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
evieomills's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
terryliz's review against another edition
5.0
I just can't get enough of the people on Scotland Street! Alexander McCall Smith is just a master at gently and humorously portraying everyday people with all of their weaknesses and strengths. He also knows how to leave the reader on the hook at just the right time from sub-story to sub-story as well as at the end of the book. I hope we don't have to wait for the next installment of this satisfying series.
anjana's review against another edition
4.0
https://superfluousreading.wordpress.com/2017/09/05/berties-guide-to-life-and-mothers-44-scotland-street-9-by-alexander-mccall-smith/
katebelt's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the book. I’d tried a few of the author’s other novels couldn’t get into them. In this story, the writing style, characters, and observations about social life, customs, and politics reminds me of Armistead Maupin’s series, Tales of the City. It was hard to put down, but at first it seemed like the book was very anti-female; nearly all of the females, young & old, had nasty streaks. However, my final assessment is there were very strong and very flawed individuals of both genders. I didn’t see any gender fluidity in this book ... maybe it’s there in others from the series. I am tempted to read the entire series to see what happens to those I liked in the book. It’s like a soap opera.
jlrmac's review against another edition
3.0
Delightful at times. Lots of pithy sayings. Is #3 in series. probably better to read in order. The ending makes sense if I know the story is a piece of a continuing and ongoing story. A little of the whimsy of Where'd You Go, Bernadate