The Stellar Debut of Galactica Macfee is the 17th 44 Scotland Street novel by Alexander McCall Smith. Released 14th May 2024 by Hachette on their Abacus imprint, it's 272 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. Library binding format due out in Aug 2024 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

This is such a gently written, slow, introspective series. It's an ensemble cast of quirky and (mostly) appealing oddballs and the books more or less revolve around their lives and experiences and the lives of the people in their orbits who live at 44 Scotland Street, and others who live in the village and/or colleagues. The narrative moves along quite slowly and the overall effect is of a long and unhurried visit with old friends.

It's not necessary to have read the books in order, however, the large changes which occur (marriage, children, etc) will be obvious if they're read out of order. It's such a long running series at this point that the characters really live and breathe.

Especially with the desperate struggles, illnesses, upheavals, and sadness which seem universal in the world right now, this series and these characters are a balm to the soul. It's full of music, food, humor, and Scottish sensibility. Wonderful.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours, 24 minutes and is beautifully read by Robert Ian Mackenzie. He has a cultured, smooth baritone and does a wonderful job with the disparate accents of the characters of both sexes and a range of ages. Sound and production quality are very high throughout the read.

“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.”

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Heading back to 44 Scotland Street is like heading back to meet old friends. This is the 17th book in the series, and most of the familiar faces are once again sharing their lives with us.

We catch up again with the Pollock Family: Irene has decided to return to Edinburgh at least part time until she takes a cold therapy session on her own at the beach, only to be swept out to sea and rescued by a fishing trawler. After spending time recovering with the fishermen and their families, she is considering becoming a fisherman’s wife. Bertie’s life changes with the arrival of a new girl a school – Galactica MacFee. She is very assertive, and we finally see Olive and Pansy being put in their place. However, Galactica now sets her sights on Bertie.. Bertie’s friend Ranald host a birthday party and it doesn’t go well.

Bruce is still a changed man since his stay in the Monastery, and is tempted to invest in a project to promote Pictish History, along with Matthew. Matthew and Elspeth are still very busy with the triplets.

Big Lou meanwhile is enjoying married life with Fat Bob, who decides he needs to lose weight after a chance remark from their foster child Finlay.

I love all the philosophical debates, the small humorous elements, and most of all the wonderful characters in this series. McCall Smith manages to keep introducing unusual twists and turns in the lives of the folk of the street, and the series is always entertaining. I have enjoyed every one of them.

This time I listed to the audiobook, narrated by Robert Ian Mackenzie. He brought the book to life and sounded ‘right’ for the characters that I have heard only in my head up until now!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a stitch. So many quirky characters that do such funny things, especially the younger members of Scotland Street, yet everything so thought provoking. It was a fun book yet also calm I find that was so many bucks. Alexander McCall Smith writes in a way that makes you think that the words just flow from his pen effort list sleep but that is just attributes to his skill.

Practically perfect, but not quite for me. I do always particularly enjoy the musings of Ranald Braveheart Macpheson, a simply delightful child who has been my favorite. I listened to this book and love the longtime Narrator, Ian Mackenzie.. My thanks to Abacus, via NetGalley, for the download copy of this previously released book, for review purposes.

“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 Robert Ian Mackenzie. 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 RB Media.