In this latest installment of McCall Smith’s Isabel Dalhousie series, when an Australian philosopher named Jane Cooper comes to Edinburgh, she asks Isabel to trace her family history. Jane knows almost nothing of the woman who gave her up for adoption 40 years earlier, except her name and that she is deceased. Isabel gladly jumps in to help, eventually finding former college friends, boyfriends, and lovers. Narrator Davina Porter—who has read many McCall Smith titles—is, as always, perfection. She rolls out a Scottish brogue and a variety of regional accents, renders an acceptable Australian accent, and creates believable voices for the novel’s many characters. Her voice is soft and smooth, pleasingly musical, and endlessly enthralling. The story doesn’t rely on action-packed thrills or volatile emotional drama, but on the thought-provoking and touching contemplations of Smith’s protagonist—and for this Porter is the ideal narrator, making for a gentle but entertaining listen.A Pantheon hardcover. (Dec.)
In this eighth installment in Alexander McCall Smith's captivating Isabel Dalhousie series, our irrepressible heroine tries to untangle complex questions about both the past and the present. Isabel's new friend Jane Cooper, a visiting Australian philosopher who was adopted as a small child, has come to Edinburgh searching for information about her biological father. Naturally, Isabel is more than happy to offer her services. At the same time, she must find time for her own concerns: her young son Charlie, who's leaving babyhood further behind each day; her housekeeper Grace, who has recently begun getting financial advice from her spiritualist; her niece Cat, who's in a new relationship, and the most pressing question of all: when and how Isabel and Jamie will finally get married. As she investigates the forgotten affairs of youth Isabel begins to wonder what those affairs lead to in the present, and in the process she discovers a whole new understanding of the meaning of family.
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The Forgotten Affairs of Youth
In this eighth installment in Alexander McCall Smith's captivating Isabel Dalhousie series, our irrepressible heroine tries to untangle complex questions about both the past and the present. Isabel's new friend Jane Cooper, a visiting Australian philosopher who was adopted as a small child, has come to Edinburgh searching for information about her biological father. Naturally, Isabel is more than happy to offer her services. At the same time, she must find time for her own concerns: her young son Charlie, who's leaving babyhood further behind each day; her housekeeper Grace, who has recently begun getting financial advice from her spiritualist; her niece Cat, who's in a new relationship, and the most pressing question of all: when and how Isabel and Jamie will finally get married. As she investigates the forgotten affairs of youth Isabel begins to wonder what those affairs lead to in the present, and in the process she discovers a whole new understanding of the meaning of family.
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Editorial Reviews
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940171223632 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Recorded Books, LLC |
| Publication date: | 12/06/2011 |
| Series: | Isabel Dalhousie Series , #8 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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