Chance Developments: Unexpected Love Stories (paperback)
ISBN:
9781846973703
Publisher:
Polygon
Publication Date:
11 May 2017 by Polygon
In this beguiling book Alexander McCall Smith casts his eye over five chanced-upon vintage photographs from the era of black-and-white photography and imagines the stories behind them. The images are ‘orphaned’—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.
Reviews
‘Alexander McCall Smith has transformed five forgotten photos into a discovery of delight’
Lovereading.com
‘Vintage McCall Smith and if anyone is looking for an early Christmas gift, they should look no further’
The Washington Times
“These stories trust in the liberal, humane values that are at the heart of all McCall Smith’s fiction. Can one have too much of that hopefulness? I doubt it”
New York Times Book Review
“These stories are full of insight and empathy … Works of depth and beauty that would not be shamed in the company of the world’s great short stories”
The Sydney Morning Herald
‘the stories are filled with the weight of real life and how chance finds its way in, no matter how we attempt to plan otherwise. Both uplifting and at times bittersweet and emotional, this collection is sure to delight both Smith fans and newcomers alike.’
Publishers Weekly
“The two most memorable stories are Angels In Italy and He Wanted To Believe In Tenderness. It’s impossible to say much about the former without giving away the ending, but the latter is a profoundly moving exploration of the idea that, sometimes, love really can conquer all”
The Scotsman
‘Alexander McCall Smith and his wonderful imagination delights my soul. I just read Chance Developments and made even more new friends’
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