Book Review - Chance Developments - Alexander McCall Smith
"It is said that a picture may be worth a thousand words but an old photograph can inspire many more"
What a gem of a book!
A small pocket-size hardback book, beautifully bound and tactile.
OK, apologies to those who are embracing the electronic medium however even though I like Kindle, a real book can't be beaten in my humble opinion.
I admit I had four reasons to buy this one:
- I like the author and had previously enjoyed The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency and 44 Scotland Street
- He has used an idea I had, damn he beat me to it, of using photographs as a prompt for my writing. I was curious if he had succeeded, goes without saying, he did
- This is a really well produced little book
- I love books, OK so not truly unique to this book, but hey still a good reason, right?
Overview
This is a small collection of short stories, all of which are engaging and, as usual, with this author well written.
The characters are immediately believable and the links to the imagined people in the pictures cleverly thought out and surprisingly were not predictable.
I really don't want to spoil any of the stories so won't go into detail but do highly recommend this for a holiday read, it's ideal to dip into although I wouldn't want to get sand in this beautiful little book so maybe it's more a cuddle up with a brew in the afternoon and escape on a romantic interlude.
Opportunity Missed
It's not just one for the romance fans, so please don’t write it off if that isn’t your usual genre. It’s too imaginative and well written to be cast aside as chic-lit.
It's not going to change the world, it doesn't need to.
I wish the publisher had not added "Unexpected Love Stories" as a byline, as I think it may restrict those who pick it up, which would be a shame.
It's a lovely little book to be read with a brew or give as a gift to anyone who enjoys short stories.
The author advises 'Love transforms the people in these stories, as it may transform any of us'
Highly highly recommended!