The first standalone novel to be published by Pantheon from the bestselling author of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series a delightful and moving story that... » 

The first standalone novel to be published by Pantheon from the bestselling author of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series a delightful and moving story that celebrates the healing powers of friendship and music. It is 1939. Lavender, La to her friends,decides to flee London not only to avoid Germanbombs, but also to escape the memories of her shattered marriage. The peace and solitude of the small town she settles in are therapeutic . . . at least at first. As the war drags on in need of some diversion and to boost the
towns morale La organizes an amateur orchestra drawing
musicians from the village and the local RAF base. Among the
strays she corrals is Feliks; a shy proper Polish refugee who
becomes her prized recruit and the object of feelings
she thought shed put away forever. Does La's orchestra save
the world? The people who come to hear it think so. But what
will become of it after the war is over?And what will become of La herself? And of La's heart? With his
all embracing empathy and his gentle sense of humor
Alexander McCall Smith makes of La'slife and love a tale to
enjoy and cherish unlike anything else in McCall Smiths work.
The Independent and The evocation of war torn England with
its palpable mood of defiance determination and survival is beautifully caught .. . An excellent recreation of a woman of her time. «