From the beloved and best-selling author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, a charming collection of stories about life and romance

In these fourteen delightful tales, Alexander McCall Smith imagines the lives and loves behind some of the everyday people featured in pictures from the London Sunday Times photographic archive. A young woman finds unexpected love while perusing Egyptian antiquities. A family is forever fractured when war comes to Penang, in colonial Malaysia. Iron Jelloid tablets help to reveal a young man's inner strength. And twin sisters discover that romance can blossom anywhere—even at the altar.

Throughout Pianos and Flowers, McCall Smith employs his indomitable charm to explore the possibilities of love, friendship, and happiness.

Praise for Alexander McCall Smith


“Alexander McCall Smith is a master at using the economy of the short story to highlight the amplitude of the imagination.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A writer who charms many readers . . . McCall Smith’s characters are well drawn and alive.” —The Providence Journal

“McCall Smith writes with clarity, humor, and thoughtfulness.” —The Christian Science Monitor

“A vivid observer and an elegant writer.” —The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

“There’s not a more charming author on the face of the Earth.” —The Seattle Times

“An excellent old-fashioned storyteller.” —The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)