THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BERTIE

Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series is a masterpiece of quiet domestic drama, and Robert Ian Mackenzie's narration of the latest installment is a triumph. His performance—especially his various accents and carefully portrayed emotions—is modulated to give just the right flair to each of the many characters' personalities. The story celebrates the little intrigues, trials, ironies, and tribulations of the oh-so-normal lives of the residents of 44 Scotland Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. There are no intense or action-packed events. Yet the combination of McCall Smith's comforting prose and Mackenzie's soothing narrative is riveting. M.L.K. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2009]