Anchor Books, 2006

Espresso Tales is the second novel in a series by best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, famous for The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. The novel is a continuation of the first book in a new series, 44 Scotland Street. Both works are a homage to the writer’s adopted home of Edinburgh, and McCall does his home justice, lovingly detailing the atmosphere and vibrancy of the streets and cafés, the people and the places that populate what seems to be a very fine city. The writing swirls in adoring gusts around the lives of the characters first created in this novel’s precursor, detailing their lives amidst brilliant and tantalizing description of the Scottish city.

The novel focuses on the tenets of a large Georgian townhouse located at 44 Scotland Street, the inspiration for the eponymous title of the first book. The characters are fluidly crafted and exceedingly likeable; their lives are interesting and almost enviable, though the beauty of the novel lies in the humanity of their flaws and the compassion with which they are portrayed.

The book opens as Pat, a young woman coming off her second gap year, is sitting down to lunch with her stodgy, lonely father, a psychiatrist named Dr. Macgregor. After being relieved of his fear that his daughter and only confidante is moving to Australia (she has decided to enroll in Edinburgh University), the two share a gossipy lunch and part ways. On her stroll home, Pat passes a street fair and encounters Domenica, an adventurous woman with a blithe spirit, and a fellow occupant of 44 Scotland Street. The novel continues thus, moving elegantly and effortlessly from character to character and from each beautifully rendered locale to the next, gracing the reader with the presence of many interesting and witty characters along the way.