Praise for the Isabel Dalhousie Series “Charmingly told.… Its graceful prose shines, and Isabel’s interior monologues—meditations on a variety of moral questions—are bemused, intelligent and entertaining.” — The Seattle Times “Genial.… Wise.… Glows like a rare jewel.” — Entertainment Weekly “Full of his insightful but gentle examinations of human nature.… Paints [a] rich portrait of Edinburgh.” — Rocky Mountain News “Endearing.… Offers tantalizing glimpses of Edinburgh’s complex character and a nice, long look into the beautiful mind of a thinking woman.” — The New York Times Book Review “Habit-forming.… Leaves plenty of time for pondering moral conundrums, the drinking of steaming cups of hot brew (coffee, in this case) and … gentle probing into the human condition.” — The Oregonian “Whimsical.… [A] memorable cast of characters.… McCall Smith’s assessments of fellow humans are piercing and profound.… [His] depictions of Edinburgh are vivid and seamless.… His fans … are sure to embrace these moral peregrinations among the plaid.” — San Francisco Chronicle “A witty, ruminative and wise examination of the things that comfort and sustain us.” — The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) “Skillfully written.… Smith’s Scotland … is a place where a profound, humane intelligence is at work.” — New York Daily News “Utterly charming.… Alexander McCall Smith often celebrates the best of humanity—its compassion, its intuition, its empathy.” — The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin)
Alexander McCall Smith
THE LOST ART OF GRATITUDE
Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University