A line that caught my eye: "...but then so much that went through our minds was odd in one way or another: unexpected, unconnected, unimportant; mental flotsam swilling around with sudden moments of clarity and insight. A hotch-potch of memories, plans, dreams, random bits of silliness: the very things that made us human." - Chapter 9
Hardback blurb: Happy in her Edinburgh kitchen with her husband-to-be and beloved son, Isabel Dalhousie, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics and resident of the most humane of cities, has feelings about parenthood that grow more tender daily.
So when Jane, a visiting academic adopted and sent to Australia as a baby, asks for help in tracing her Scottish origins, Isabel cannot refuse.
However, in these investigations, habitually upright Isabel finds herself beset by temptation: first, to count her own blessings when the unhappiness of others is all too clear.
Then, the perennial temptation to suspicion - of the iniquitous Professor Lettuce's latest subterfuge, and of her niece Cat's weakness for the wrong man when a new assistant begins work at her delicatessen.
Meanwhile, the search for Jane's parents turns troubling, and Isabel can hardly prevent herself from interfering a little too forcefully in family secrets.
As she steers a course between love and laissez-faire, Isabel succeeds in resisting all temptations but those which must be answered and, among Edinburgh's green gardens and thoughtful inhabitants, our philosopher heroine teases a solution from every problem.
My take: The Forgotten Affairs of Youth rounds up the entertaining Isabel Dalhousie series read which I started a few months ago. This particular series is full of wit and wisdom. It may make for some slow reading but hey, do reserve it for buffer reads or something or other. You will enjoy it once you get going. This one has a happy ending. I will now explore another book series by the esteemed author.
For more information, go to www.alexandermccallsmith.co.uk
A short and sweet review by The Mystery Gazette.
Rating: 3/5
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