The story revolves around the comings and goings at No. 44 Scotland Street a fictitious building in a real street in Edinburgh. Immediately recognisable are the Edinburgh chartered surveyor stalwart of the Conservative Association who dreams of membership of Scotland’s most exclusive golf club. We have the pushy Stockbridge mother and her prodigiously talented five-year-old son who is making good progress with the saxophone and with his Italian. Then there is Domenica Macdonald who is that type of Edinburgh lady who sees herself as a citizen of a broader intellectual world. In McCall Smith’s hands such characters retain charm and novelty simultaneously arousing both mirth and empathy. 44 Scotland Street is vintage McCall Smith tackling issues of trust and honesty snobbery and hypocrisy love and loss but all with great lightness of touch. Clever elegant and funny this is a novel that provides huge entertainment but which is underpinned by the moral dilemmas of everyday life and the characters’ struggles to resolve them.

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THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE is recognised as one of the most influential books ever written. In this seminal work Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic integrated principle-centred approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness integrity honesty and human dignity – principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates. The 7 Habits have become so famous because they work. From Habit 1: Be Proactive and Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind millions of people have worked their way through the 7 and found in them a key to transforming their lives. Translated into thirty-four languages THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE has been the key to the success of legions of business leaders and individuals the world over.

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