Book 40 - 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Book 40

52 Books in 52 Weeks

The Forgotten Affairs of Youth

Alexander McCall Smith

2011

Another Alexander McCall Smith book - oh, my! Love them!

"In this latest installment of the beloved Isabel Dalhousie series, our inquisitive heroine helps a new friend discover the identity of her father..

Isabel and her fiance know who they are and where they come from.  But not everybody is so fortunate.  Jane Cooper, a visiting Australian philosopher on sabbatical in Edinburgh, has more questions than answers.  Adopted at birth, Jane is trying to find her biological father, but all she knows about him is that he was a student in Edinburgh years ago.  When she asks for Isabel's help in this seemingly impossible search ......... well, of course Isabel obliges.

But Isabel also manages to find time for her own concerns: her young son, Charlie, already walking and talking; her housekeeper, Grace, whose spiritualist has lately been doubling as a financial advisor; her niece Cat's latest relationship; and the pressing question of when and how Isabel and Jamie should finally get married.

Should the forgotten affairs of youth be left in the past, or can the memories help us understand the present?  In her inimitable way, Isabel leads us to a new understanding of the meaning of family." 

There are seven more in this series, this one the latest. The first one is The Sunday Philosophy Club. Who knew that Philosophy and philosophers could be so entertaining?! If you've read any of McCall Smith's books, you'll no doubt enjoy these too.  Of course, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series is probably the most well-known, but it's very easy to get attached to the characters in each of his series.  I just hope he keeps on writing!