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The Importance of Being Seven
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
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44 Scotland Street: The Complete Series 1-5
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The complete BBC radio adaptations of Alexander McCall's bestselling series. Inspired by Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, 44 Scotland Street started life as a serial in The Scotsman. It was a huge hit, and was soon novelised, adapted on stage and dramatised for BBC Radio 4. Collected here are all five radio series, in which we follow the interconnected lives of the residents of adjoining flats in a tenement in Edinburgh's Georgian New Town.
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Messed up timeline.
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Publisher's summary
Perhaps best known for his No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, #1 New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith delights fans around the world with his warmhearted 44 Scotland Street novels. In the series’ sixth entry, the residents of 44 Scotland Street grapple with problems both trivial and severe, but none so great as when six-year-old Bertie Pollock - who longs to be seven - mislays his mum and learns a valuable lesson about wish fulfillment.
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44 Scotland Street
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Iris Grey rents a quaint cottage in a picture-perfect Hampshire village, looking to escape from her crumbling marriage. She is drawn to the neighboring Wetherby family and is commissioned to paint a portrait of Dominic Wetherby, a celebrated crime writer. At the Wetherby's Christmas Eve party, the mulled wine is in full flow - but so are tensions and rivalries among the guests. On Christmas Day, the youngest member of the Wetherby family, Lorcan, finds a body in the water. A tragic accident? Or a deadly crime?
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In "Books and Roses", one special key opens a library, a garden, and clues to at least two lovers' fates. In "Is Your Blood as Red as This?", an unlikely key opens the heart of a student at a puppeteering school. "'Sorry' Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea" involves a "house of locks", where doors can be closed only with a key - with surprising unobservable developments. And in "If a Book Is Locked There's Probably a Good Reason for That Don't You Think", a key keeps a mystical diary locked (for good reason).
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clever
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Introducing Stuart, Gillian and Oliver. One by one they take their turn to speak straight out to the camera - and give their side of a contemporary love triangle. What begins as a comedy of misunderstanding slowly darkens and deepens into a compelling exploration of the quagmires of the heart.
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The Narrative Gimmick Works
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Past Imperfect
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Damian Baxter is hugely wealthy and dying. He lives alone in a big house in Surrey, England, looked after by a chauffeur, butler, cook and housemaid. He has but one concern--his fortune in excess of 500 million and who should inherit it on his death.
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Read Snobs instead
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The Good Liar
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Veteran con artist Roy spots an obvious easy mark when he meets Betty, a wealthy widow, online. In no time at all, he's moved into Betty's lovely cottage and is preparing to accompany her on a romantic trip to Europe. Betty's grandson disapproves of their blossoming relationship, but Roy is sure this scheme will be a success. He knows what he's doing. As this remarkable feat of storytelling weaves together Roy's and Betty's futures, it also unwinds their pasts.
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Hope the movie is better than the book?
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Mrs. Tim of the Regiment
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Christine Rendel
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Vivacious, young Hester Christie tries to run her home like clockwork, as would befit the wife of British Army officer, Tim Christie. However hard Mrs Tim strives for seamless living amidst the other army wives, she is always moving flat-out to remember groceries, rule lively children, side-step village gossip and placate her husband with bacon, eggs, toast and marmalade. Left alone for months at a time whilst her husband is with his regiment, Mrs Tim resolves to keep a diary of events large and small in her family life.
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Life as a military wife
- By Jerri C on 03-09-13
By: D. E. Stevenson
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Three Daughters of Eve
- By: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: Alix Dunmore
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Set across Istanbul and Oxford, from the 1980s to the present day, Three Daughters of Eve is a sweeping tale of faith and friendship, tradition and modernity, love and an unexpected betrayal. Peri, a wealthy Turkish housewife and mother, is on her way to a dinner party at a seaside mansion in Istanbul when a beggar snatches her handbag. As she wrestles to get it back, a photograph falls to the ground - an old polaroid of three young women and their university professor.
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Review 3 daughters of Eve
- By CA on 04-28-18
By: Elif Shafak
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The District Nurses of Victory Walk
- By: Annie Groves
- Narrated by: Alex Tregear
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Alice Lake has arrived in London from Liverpool to start her training as a District Nurse, but her journey has been far from easy. Her parents think that she should settle down and get married, but she has already had her heart broken once and isn’t about to make the same mistake again. Alice and her best friend, Edith, are based in the East End, but before they’ve even got their smart new uniforms on, war breaks out, and Hitler’s bombs are raining down on London.
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A Look at the Role of the District Nurse
- By Jean on 04-30-19
By: Annie Groves
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Lavender Road
- By: Helen Carey
- Narrated by: Annie Aldington
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Lavender Road boasts a pawnbroker, a pub, two rows of terraced working class homes, and, at one end, the big house owned by the local brewer. When war breaks out, the lives and fortunes of the families who live in Lavender Road are changed out of all recognition.
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Great story with wonderful, believable characters!
- By Kathleen Bailey on 03-27-24
By: Helen Carey
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Cold Hand in Mine
- By: Robert Aickman
- Narrated by: Reece Shearsmith
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Cold Hand in Mine stands as one of Aickman's best collections and contains eight stories that show off his powers as a 'strange story' writer to the full. The listener is introduced to a variety of characters, from a man who spends the night in a Hospice to a German aristocrat and a woman who sees an image of her own soul. There is also a nod to the conventional vampire story ("Pages from a Young Girl's Journal") but all the stories remain unconventional and inconclusive, which perhaps makes them all the more startling and intriguing.
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Aickman is unique
- By Stark on 08-19-23
By: Robert Aickman
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Staying On
- By: Paul Scott
- Narrated by: Paul Shelley
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Tusker and Lily Smalley stayed on in India. Given the chance to return ‘home’ when Tusker, once a Colonel in the British Army, retired, they chose instead to remain in the small hill town of Pankot, with its eccentric inhabitants and archaic rituals left over from the days of the Empire. Only the tyranny of their imposing landlady threatens to upset the quiet rhythm of their days.
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A Pleasant Meander
- By Ian C Robertson on 09-22-14
By: Paul Scott
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Hero: A Simon Serrailler Short Story
- By: Susan Hill
- Narrated by: Steven Pacey
- Length: 51 mins
- Unabridged
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When Simon Serrailler was a rookie constable with the Met, he did something reckless in the course of a night's work which caused a man's death. But his act was praised by his colleagues, and he was called a hero. Years later, now a detective chief superintendent who has been badly injured in the course of duty, he receives a medal for bravery at Buckingham Palace while recollecting that fateful night of his early career, when chance disguised itself as bravery.
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This 'story' makes no sense to me
- By Pamela Donaldson on 05-10-17
By: Susan Hill
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Us: A Novel
- By: David Nicholls
- Narrated by: David Haig
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Douglas Petersen may be mild-mannered, but behind his reserve lies a sense of humor that seduces beautiful Connie into a second date...and eventually into marriage. Now, almost three decades later, they live more or less happily in the London suburbs with their moody seventeen year-old son, Albie. Then Connie tells him she thinks she wants a divorce. The timing couldn’t be worse. Connie has planned a month-long tour of European capitals, a chance to experience the world’s greatest works of art as a family, and she can’t bring herself to cancel. And maybe going ahead is for the best anyway? Douglas is privately convinced that this landmark trip will rekindle the romance in the marriage, and might even help him to bond with Albie. Narrated from Douglas’s endearingly honest, slyly witty, and at times achingly optimistic point of view, Us is the story of a man trying to rescue his relationship with the woman he loves, and learning how to get closer to a son who’s always felt like a stranger.
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Great novel - my favorite in years
- By Mark on 07-21-15
By: David Nicholls
What listeners say about The Importance of Being Seven
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kathy
- 10-24-12
Terrific fun!
Bertie is back in great form, and romance is blooming among the elderly. Just when you think 44 Scotland Streeet couldn't get any better, any funnier or any sweeter, it has. You'll be cheering for Bertie's dad, feeling anxious about Matthew's impending parenthood and getting weepy when Angus finally makes his move. Enjoy!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Rio Delta Wild
- 12-31-12
I love Bertie!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I've already bought a copy of this for my daughter. Each of the characters in McCall Smith's books are complex and imperfect, as are we all. I look meeting them. Anyone who has wanted to adopt Bertie in past books, as I have, will be gratified by little "Ullyses," who innocently brings the revenge of Bertie upon their mother.
Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?
There is a minute-to-minute on-the-edge-of-your-seat-"ism" with each of the books in this sequence, as there are always several plots interwoven.
Have you listened to any of Robert Ian Mackenzie’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
His performances are great, as was this one!
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Absolutely, I would probably have glued on my headphones, if that were a feasible option.
Any additional comments?
More Bertie! More Bertie!
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1 person found this helpful
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- SW Clemens
- 10-30-12
Like visiting with old friends
Would you listen to The Importance of Being Seven again? Why?
Yes, I actually have listened to parts of it again. I'm fascinated by the way in which McCall Smith effortlessly weaves philosophy into the story.
What other book might you compare The Importance of Being Seven to and why?
Since this is a series, it can be compared with any of the other books in the series. As in other series (take Ann B Ross's Miss Julia series, for instance) the characters are recurring, and half the fun is in finding out how they've progressed from the last book.
What does Robert Ian Mackenzie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I have read some of the books, as opposed to listening to them. I find the audible versions tend to put me more convincingly in Edinburgh. Robert Ian Mackenzie can turn on a Scotch brogue in a way I can't. He's particularly effective as Angus Lordie.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Many laughs, many smiles. Maybe even a tear or two.
Any additional comments?
I love the way he sees the world through his characters' eyes, be it six-year-old Bertie, or Cyril the dog, or the twenty-something Matthew. These are well-delineated characters. Too many fictional characters are caricatures. McCall Smith's characters are wonderfully low key, each with his or her own limitations and self-perceptions, navigating a world filled with other human beings with their own foibles — people who are narcissistic, overbearing, dishonest, self-deluded, self-sacrificing, gullible, hopeful, sad, funny and sweet. They each come with the sort of mild eccentricities and self-doubt that you'll recognize in members of your own family. In other words, they're believable.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Ralph
- 10-09-12
Mr. Smith triumphs again.
Would you listen to The Importance of Being Seven again? Why?
no, too many other wonderful books to read, including the upcoming Isabel Dalhousie books.
Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?
Just waiting for the next bon mot.
Which character – as performed by Robert Ian Mackenzie – was your favorite?
Elspeth
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
A smile for the soul
Any additional comments?
a book of kindness and smiles
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jennifer
- 04-15-13
Blissful Bertie
Just buy this book. Please. It is beyond wonderful, totally adorable in so many ways. I loved it.
Bertie, a small boy about to turn 7 years old, is lumbered with one very strange, over-bearing mother, and a well-meaning, but ineffectual father. He's a bright boy, who is forced into fulfilling his mother's ambitions, but who longs to be a regular boy. In this book, he finally finds true happiness for a short period of time. This book will bring joy to your heart.
This is a serial novel, and Bertie is only one of many interesting characters. Very highly recommended.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Writer Within
- 08-27-13
Glad to have found it!
If you could sum up The Importance of Being Seven in three words, what would they be?
sincere, funny, real
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Importance of Being Seven?
When Bertie made a friend.
What about Robert Ian Mackenzie’s performance did you like?
the whole book was real because of him. it always takes awhile to get into a voice and then you are hooked!
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The love that each character had for each other. Loyalty. When Matthew does everything he can to show love for Elspeth from timing her eggs, fluffing her bed, and buying her a home it really gives a person a wonderful feeling inside.
Any additional comments?
I wish I had started with the first in the series. not sure if going backwards would help or matter. hmm.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Andrea M.
- 06-08-23
Fantastic addition to the series
I loved the summary of so many characters lives in a positive way. Narration was impeccable as always.
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- Sharon
- 09-25-12
I want to move to 44 Scotland Street!
Where does The Importance of Being Seven rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Hard to place it--I love all the 44 Scotland Street books (and many others)
What does Robert Ian Mackenzie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I love his intonations which change depending upon the character. And, of course, his accent helps make the story more Scottish.
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9 people found this helpful
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- AudioAddict
- 10-18-14
Good book, but not what I expected
STORY (fiction) - This story takes place in Scotland, sometime near the present day. When I bought this book, I was expecting a heartwarming family-oriented story about a six-year-old child. There is that component to the story and it's very sweet (Bertie and his overbearing mother), but there's two other story lines of equal importance -- a story about some newlyweds and another about two women vying for the attention of one man. The stories are all basically about navigating through life's various ups and downs, and there's lots of character development. I almost returned this book after about an hour or so of listening to it because there wasn't enough going on to hold my interest, but I persevered. Soon I became involved with the characters and their various personal journeys.
PERFORMANCE - Good job.
OVERALL - Recommended for adults only. Even though there's no sex or profanity, children would find it boring. It's part of a series, but the story stands alone. This book is basically rambling around in the daily lives of richly developed characters. I prefer a little more "going on" in books so I won't be continuing with the series, but I enjoyed this book nonetheless.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Michelle
- 03-11-15
Alexander McCall Smith hits the mark again
Alexander McCall Smith hits the mark again as usual. If you enjoy everyday storytelling, you will probably enjoy these tales.
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