“Bertie wanted only that people should be kind to one another; but they never were. That was not the way the world was, and sometimes, as he thought about it, his small soul, composed as it was of pure goodness, felt overwhelmed by the nature of the world in which he was obliged to live.”

The Stellar Debut of Galactica MacFee is the seventeenth book in the popular 44 Scotland Street series by Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith. The audio version is narrated by David Rintoul. Fans will welcome another update in the lives of the residents of 44 Scotland Street, their families, friends and associates.

Does Irene Pollock’s part-time return to Edinburgh spell the end of fun for Bertie? Luckily, Stuart’s mother, Nicola is still very much in the picture Irene almost doesn’t make it back when she partakes in cold water therapy on her own. As Irene is being sized up for the role of a fisherman’s wife in Peterhead, back in Edinburgh Nicola Pollock guiltily enjoys composing an obituary.

Seven-and-a-half-year-old Galactica MacFee arrives in Miss Campbell’s class from Stirling: the very self-assured daughter of snobbish Georgina and her neurologist husband. Galactica seems to have her life neatly mapped out, and has a criticism for everyone she meets. Bertie watches her interaction with the imperious Olive and her loyal lieutenant Pansy: trouble on the horizon!

While walking Cyril in Drummond Place Gardens late in the evening, a case of mistaken identity sees Angus Lordie privy to confidential information from a whistle-blower. In lives that sometimes lack drama, it’s hard to reject such tidbits about possible city amalgamations, and car ferries that can’t reverse and have doors at only one end.

An innocent remark from young Finlay sees Fat Bob vowing to lose weight. A personal trainer assures him they will achieve their goal, but will he really have to give up Big Lou’s mouth-watering bacon rolls? An incident during his fitness regime results in a loss of dignity and consciousness, and another bizarre side effect.

Bertie makes a case for the reintroduction of wolves in Glasgow, and when his best friend, Ranald Braveheart MacPherson’s birthday party, with Galactica, Olive and Pansy in attendance, ends in disaster, when Bertie’s denial of his engagement results in an unpalatable outcome, escape to that favourite city seems the best option.

While Matthew and Elspeth consider themselves to be exceedingly lucky to be alive and living where they do, Elspeth does wonder if this, triplets and domesticity, is to be her life. Matthew and Bruce are tempted to invest in a project promoting Pictish History awareness, and are excited to uncover a stone tablet with Pictish writing. Feeling lonely, Bruce realises that he has nobody and “it’s your own fault for being in love with yourself for so long.”

Characters muse on or discuss plenty of topics: politically correct terminology on steroids; discuss stand-offishness to Glasgow in Edinburgh; that discourtesy and aggression seem to be infecting public life; novels aimed at specific gender readers; rules about Icelandic names for children; xenoglossy; the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation; and the possible amalgamation of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Matthew and Angus opine on conceptual art. Big Lou sympathises with the Scottish nudists: “…if you were a nudist, and you lived in Scotland, wouldn’t you complain? Temperature, rain, midges…” Matthew decides that “snorl” is one of those Scots words of which the general sense was completely, even if you had never encountered the word before and had no idea what it meant. As always, Sister Maria-Fiore dei Fiore di Montagna offers aphorisms at every opportunity, often banal and sometimes blindingly obvious, but which are kindly tolerated by all who hear them.

Tradition, about which Angus states “the safest thing to do is to continue it until it is shown to cause harm to others or to impede defensible progress”, states that the final pages offer the reader a thoughtful poem. It’s no surprise that this serial novel, with its gentle philosophy and often tongue-in-cheek humour, is still hugely popular after twenty years, and more instalments are eagerly awaited.
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and Bolinda Audio.