Espresso Tales

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Praise for Alexander McCall Smith’s 4 4 S C O T L A N D S T R E E T

The First Novel in the Series

“This soulful, sweet [book] will make you feel as though you live in Edinburgh, if only for a short while, and it’s a fine place to visit indeed. . . . Long live the folks on Scotland Street.” — The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

“McCall Smith’s generous writing and dry humor, his gentleness and humanity, and his ability to evoke a place and a set of characters without caricature or condescen-sion have endeared his books . . . to readers.”

— The New York Times

“Entertaining and witty. . . . A sly send-up of society in Edinburgh.”

— The Orlando Sentinel

“A welcome addition to the McCall Smith repertoire. . . .

Few writers are better than McCall Smith at making the telling observation. . . . [And] it is far more fun to read

[than] Flaubert.”

— The Miami Herald

“Alexander McCall Smith is the most genial of writers and the most gentle of satirists. . . . [The] characters are great fun . . . [and] McCall Smith treats all of them with affection. . . . Life’s lessons are laid on in this novel with the lightest of touch.”

— Rocky Mountain News

“Pure McCall Smith. . . . A finely judged blend of wit and wisdom.”

— Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

“Amusing. . . . Endearing. . . . The possibility of romance, the ongoing ups and downs of the large, well-drawn cast of characters, the intricate plot and the way McCall Smith nimbly jumps from situation to situation work beautifully.”

— The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne)

“Intelligent writing. . . . McCall Smith’s cast of characters is varied and well-drawn. . . . It’s a pleasure to read a novel that exercises your mind.”

— The Oakland Tribune

“[McCall Smith’s] sense of gentle but pointed humor is once again afoot in 44 Scotland Street. . . . The short chapters make for perfect bedtime reading.”

— The Seattle Times

“A joyous, charming portrait of city life and human foibles, which moves beyond its setting to deal with deep moral issues and love, desire and friendship. Without resorting to cliched cliff-hangers, McCall Smith has mastered the short, episodic chapter endearingly.”

— Sunday Express

A l e x a n d e r M c C a l l S m i t h E S P R E S S O TA L E S

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the huge international phenomenon, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, and The Sunday Philosophy Club series.

He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe, and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana and at Edinburgh University. He lives in Scotland. Visit his Web site at www.alexandermccallsmith.com.

books by Alexander McCall Smith

In The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Tears of the Giraffe

Morality for Beautiful Girls

The Kalahari Typing School for Men The Full Cupboard of Life

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies

Blue Shoes and Happiness

In The Sunday Philosophy Club series

The Sunday Philosophy Club

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate

In the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series Portuguese Irregular Verbs

The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs

At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances In the 44 Scotland Street series

44 Scotland Street

Espresso Tales

The Girl Who Married a Lion and Other Tales from Africa i

E S P R E S S O T A L E S

ii