Description

Book Synopsis

In Pianos and Flowers we are invited to glimpse a world long departed. In these stories, inspired by long-lost photographs, the lives of the people in the frame are imagined and then explored, layer by layer.

Three sisters brought up in Penang, caught in the tide of war.

A group of small boys in a Glasgow slum – their childhood blighted by poverty, their adult lives taking very different paths.

A young woman’s search for love in the unlikely realm of Egyptian antiquities.

And through all of these photographs, and all of these stories, there runs the same refrain: the possibilities of love, of friendship, of happiness lie before us.



Trade Review

'McCall Smith’s expert handling of conflict and rich imagination make this one his fans will enjoy'

* Publisher's Weekly *

'The beloved author invites us to glimpse a world long departed... from Glasgow slums to Egyptian relics, love, friendship and happiness are the central themes'

* Scots Magazine *

'A picture paints a thousand words ... this book demonstrates the imagination and skill of McCall Smith to be able to create personal stories from something as simple as a photograph'

* Dundee Courier, Scottish Book of the Week *

'A delightful compendium of short stories'

* Edinburgh Life *

Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the

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    £8.54

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £8.99 – you save £0.45 (5%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Mon 22 Jun 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Alexander McCall Smith

    1 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the by Alexander McCall Smith

      Publisher: Birlinn General
      Publication Date: 02/02/2023
      ISBN13: 9781846975783, 978-1846975783
      ISBN10: 1846975786

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      In Pianos and Flowers we are invited to glimpse a world long departed. In these stories, inspired by long-lost photographs, the lives of the people in the frame are imagined and then explored, layer by layer.

      Three sisters brought up in Penang, caught in the tide of war.

      A group of small boys in a Glasgow slum – their childhood blighted by poverty, their adult lives taking very different paths.

      A young woman’s search for love in the unlikely realm of Egyptian antiquities.

      And through all of these photographs, and all of these stories, there runs the same refrain: the possibilities of love, of friendship, of happiness lie before us.



      Trade Review

      'McCall Smith’s expert handling of conflict and rich imagination make this one his fans will enjoy'

      * Publisher's Weekly *

      'The beloved author invites us to glimpse a world long departed... from Glasgow slums to Egyptian relics, love, friendship and happiness are the central themes'

      * Scots Magazine *

      'A picture paints a thousand words ... this book demonstrates the imagination and skill of McCall Smith to be able to create personal stories from something as simple as a photograph'

      * Dundee Courier, Scottish Book of the Week *

      'A delightful compendium of short stories'

      * Edinburgh Life *

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