Reviews
‘The book is vintage McCall Smith and if anyone is looking for an early Christmas gift, they should look no further. A reader may wonder whether if there were no Alexander McCall Smith, he would have to be invented’ – Washington Times
‘These stories are full of insight and empathy...the first two, "Sister Flora’s First Day of Freedom" and "Angels in Italy" are works of depth and beauty that would not be shamed in the company of the world’s great short stories’ – Kerryn Goldsworthy, Fairfax Papers
‘[This book gives] that feeling of pure unadulterated pleasure that a piece of my favourite chocolate gives me when it starts melting in my mouth’ – Breakaway Reviewers
About the Book
In this beguiling book, Alexander McCall Smith casts his eye over five chanced-upon photographs from the era of black-and-white photography and imagines the stories behind them. Who were those people, what were their stories, why are they smiling, what made them sad?
What emerges are surprising and poignant tales of love and friendship in a variety of settings - an estate in the Highlands of Scotland, a travelling circus in Canada, an Australian gold-mining town, a village in Ireland, and the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. Some will find joy and fulfilment - others would prefer happier endings.Each of them, though, will find love, and that is ultimately what matters.
