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Published Jan 2010
368 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
To the casual observer, the great enlightened city of Edinburgh, home of no-nonsense philosophers and cream teas, might appear immune to the rollercoaster of strong emotions. But at 44 Scotland Street, as Matthew and Elspeth embark on the risky enterprise of married love, the raffish portrait painter Angus Lordie has a premonition of disaster. And soon enough Irene Pollock is shocked to learn that her small son Bertie harbors a highly unsuitable ambition; the gloriously vain Bruce discovers a wrinkle and confronts rejection; and Angus finds himself facing the grave consequences of unbridled bliss, not to mention a large Glaswegian gangster bearing gifts . . .
"Starred Review. [A] superlative fifth entry ...neatly interwoven story lines...particularly evocative of P.G. Wodehouse, though Smith’s characters are less broadly drawn and more multidimensional than, say, Jeeves and Wooster." - Publishers Weekly
"The elevated proportion of reminiscences, facts and opinions to incremental new developments suggests that Smith's prodigious invention for gently pointed incidents may be flagging. But no fan of this civilized and civilizing soap opera will want to skip an installment." - Kirkus Reviews
"Starred Review. Who wouldn’t want to live among this endlessly lively crew?" - Booklist
This information about The Unbearable Lightness of Scones was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Alexander McCall Smith began the now highly successful 'No 1 Ladies Detective
Agency' series in 1996, after being inspired by the sight of a 'traditionally
built' Botswanan lady chasing down a chicken for a meal. The first book in
the series - 'The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency' was published in the UK
in 1998 but didn't arrive in the USA until 2001.
Known to his friends as Sandy, McCall Smith describes the Botswanans as 'genuinely courteous people' He knows Botswana well as he grew up there and also spent several years on the law faculty of the University of Botswana;
his volume on the legal system of Botswana (The Criminal Law of Botswana) remains
the definitive and in fact, only book on the subject.
In 2004 he published the first in a...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Alexander Mccall Smith's Website
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