Pianos and Flowers Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind by Alexander McCall Smith

 

These are charming, and mostly soothing stories which are sometimes witty, such as the one about Iron Jelluloid tablets. Occasionally they have an edge, for example, there is a story about a secretly gay man and there are tales about poverty. Alexander McCall Smith always writes simply and beautifully, and manages to put layers of meaning into a few words.

These clever stories concern the imagained lives of people in photos from the Times of London archives. It's a brilliant idea and they are certainly enjoyable. I hope that he continues to write this kind of story, and that other writers will take up the idea.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.