The sequel to 44 Scotland Street continues to follow the residents of the converted Edinburgh townhouse, as young Bertie prepares for kindergarten, former surveyor Bruce contemplates a new career, and Pat embarks on a new life at the university.

The World According to Bertie is the fourth in the series and revolves around the many colorful characters that come and go at No. 44 Scotland Street. McCall Smith handles the characters with his customary charm and deftness-the stalwart Tory chartered surveyor, the pushy mother, and, most importantly in this novel, the beleaguered Italian-speaking prodigy, Bertie. This is classic McCall Smith-clever, witty and entertaining- and beautifully illustrated....

To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose; it is summer in Scotland Street (as it always is) and for the habitués of Edinburgh's favourite street some extraordinary adventures lie in waiting. For the impossibly vain Bruce Anderson - he of the clove-scented hair gel - it may finally be time to settle down, and surely it can only be a question of picking the lucky winner from the hordes of his admirers. The Duke of Johannesburg is...

"This new addition to the 44 Scotland Street series finds its residents up their usual amusing antics, including young Bertie Pollock, whose starry-eyed explorations of Edinburgh's New Town are a reminder that life is an adventure and there is joy wherever you choose to look"--