Hardback: Matthew smiled at the memory. This was exactly what the same English teacher had meant when he talked to them about intertextuality, about how one piece of writing lives on in another; how one thought prompts another, until a tapestry of association and cross-reference results. - Chapter 22, A Very Strange Hotel
At the bottom of a sharply descending street - in the topographical sense - in Edinburgh's Georgian New Town, new residents have moved in to number 44 Scotland Street, joining the already well-known and much-loved denizens of that remarkable building. They appear to be a bit of a mystery, but so, too, do other things.
What exactly did Sister Maria-Fiore, the aphorism-coining socialite nun, find on the No 23 bus?
Could it be the remains of a hitherto unknown Neanderthal, homo Watsoniensis?
On the romantic front, long-suffering Stuart's hopes of kindling a new relationship are dashed, thanks to chino-wearing narcissist Bruce, effortlessly exercising his powers of charm. The Promised Land beckons for Bertie who is off to Glasgow for a school exchange that takes him doon the watter.
Back in Edinburgh, the Duke of Johannesburg's desire to learn a new language, involving his Gaelic-speaking driver Pàdruig, has gone horribly wrong; to be immersed in a language, it seems, can be a captivating linguistic mistake. And the patrons of Big Lou's cafe are in for a gastronomic treat. In other words, everything in Edinburgh is absolutely normal.
Every chapter of A Promise of Ankles (2020), the fourteenth instalment in the world's longest-running 44 Scotland Street series, will have you laughing out loud. With deft charm, affection and wit, these, now familiar, characters come alive on each page.
About the author: Alexander McCall Smith, often referred to as ‘Sandy’, is one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors. His various series of books have been translated into forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the highly successful The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the popular 44 Scotland Street novels, the Isabel Dalhousie novels, the von Igelfeld series and the new Detective Varg novels. He also writes stand-alone novels, children's fiction and libretti for short operas.
Alexander has received numerous awards for his writing and holds thirteen honorary doctorates from universities in Europe and North America. He is Professor Emeritus of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In 2007, he received a CBE for services to literature and in 2011 was honoured by the President of Botswana for services through literature to the country. In 2015, he received the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction and in 2017, The National Arts Club (of America) Medal of Honour for Achievement in Literature. In 2020, he received the honorary fellowship of the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival.
Rating: 5/5
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