The Conditions of Unconditional Love is the 15th Isabel Dalhousie novel by Alexander McCall Smith. Released 16th July 2024 by Knopf Doubleday on their Pantheon
imprint, it's 256 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback,
audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook
format has a handy interactive table of
contents as well as interactive links.
This is such a gently written, slow, introspective series. The main
character is a philosopher and the books more or less revolve around her
life and experiences and the lives of the people in her orbit: her
husband Jamie, her sons Magnus & Charlie, her niece Cat, her
housekeeper/factotum/nanny Grace and others who live in the village
and/or academic colleagues. The narrative moves along quite slowly and
the overall effect is of a long and unhurried chat with an old friend.
It's not necessary to have read the books in order, however, the large
changes which occur (marriage, children, etc) will be obvious if they're
read out of order. For readers who are unfamiliar with the author's style, the stories are episodic and not directly narrative.
Especially with the desperate struggles, illnesses, upheavals, and
sadness which seem universal in the world right now, this series and
these characters are a balm to the soul. It's full of music, food, and
Scottish sensibility. Relaxing, refreshing, and absolutely wonderful. It's one of the few series which can be revisited over and over without ever getting stale.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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