The Bertie Project

The Bertie Project

ISBN: 9780525433002
Publisher: Anchor Books (Penguin Random House)
Publication Date: first published 7 February 2017 by Anchor Books (Penguin Random House)
The eleventh book in the 44 Scotland Street series

Our beloved cast of characters are back in The Bertie Project, as are the joys and trials of life at 44 Scotland Street.

Bertie’s mother, Irene, returns from the Middle East to discover that, in her absence, her son has been exposed to the worst of evils—television shows, ice cream parlors, and even unsanctioned art at the National Portrait Gallery. Her wrath descends on Bertie’s long-suffering father, Stuart. But Stuart has found a reason to spend more time outside of the house and seems to have a new spring in his step. What does this mean for the residents of 44 Scotland Street?
The winds of change have come to the others as well. Angus undergoes a spiritual transformation after falling victim to an unexpected defenestration. Bruce has fallen in a rather different sense for a young woman who is determined to share with him her enthusiasm for extreme sports. Matthew and Elspeth have a falling out with their triplets’ au pair, while Big Lou continues to fall in love with her new role as a mother. And as Irene resumes work on what she calls her Bertie Project, reinstating Bertie’s Italian lessons, yoga classes, and psychotherapy, Bertie begins to hatch a project of his own—one that promises freedom.

Reviews

“This might be the darkest novel yet in Alexander McCall Smith’s seemingly open-ended tale of the doings at 44 Scotland Street. While “dark” is not a word one usually associates with him, people who love his novels for their gentleness and generosity of spirit may be in for a bit of a shock as he takes on the subjects of infidelity and death”
Sydney Morning Herald