The Forgotten Affairs of Youth
An Isabel Dalhousie, Sunday Philosophy Club Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith
Not Reviewed: Lack of a review here may mean that the narrative and/or characters of this book did not capture the reviewer's imagination or interest within the first few chapters (or by page 31). It may also mean that, given current time constraints, the reviewer simply chose another crime novel over this one to review. No inference should be made on the merits of this book based it not being reviewed here.
This page exists on this site to acknowledge receipt of the book for review. In no instance was a promise implied or given that this book would be the subject of an endorsement or review, either positive or negative.
Acknowledgment: Random House provided a copy of The Forgotten Affairs of Youth for this review.
Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author …
The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party
Pantheon (Hardcover), March 2011
ISBN-13: 9780307378392; ISBN-10: 030737839X
Location(s) referenced in The Forgotten Affairs of Youth: Edinburgh, Scotland
— ◊ —
The Forgotten Affairs of Youth by Alexander McCall Smith
Publisher: Pantheon
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 0-307-37918-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-307-37918-4
Publication Date: December 2011
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): Isabel and her fiancé know who they are and where they come from. But not everybody is so fortunate. Jane Cooper, a visiting Australian philosopher on sabbatical in Edinburgh, has more questions than answers. Adopted at birth, Jane is trying to find her biological father, but all she knows about him is that he was a student in Edinburgh years ago. When she asks for Isabel’s help in this seemingly impossible search … well, of course Isabel obliges.
But Isabel also manages to find time for her own concerns: her young son, Charlie, already walking and talking; her housekeeper, Grace, whose spiritualist has lately been doubling as a financial advisor; her niece Cat’s latest relationship; and the pressing question of when and how Isabel and Jamie should finally get married.
Should the forgotten affairs of youth be left in the past, or can the memories help us understand the present? In her inimitable way, Isabel leads us to a new understanding of the meaning of family.