I'm not generally a fan of short stories but I was intrigued by the premise of taking an old photograph and building a story around it. This was in large part, I suspect, by having similar assignments when I was in high school - I found the results fascinating as my classmates and I wrote such different stories about the same picture. I was anxious to see what a professional writer did with the same "assignment" with the additional caveat that it was to be included in a volume described as 'brief encounters of the romantic kind'.

Overall, I would say slightly over half of the stories actually felt in any way 'romantic' to me, and some were simply not what I would have included in such a collection, including my favorite (Pogo Sticks and Man with Bicycle). I also enjoyed "I'd Cry Buckets" and "St. John's Wort". The others were just ok. I had read some of Alexander McCall Smith's novels and have enjoyed them. Based on this collection, I would say he's better suited to novels than short stories.

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley.

Book is charming and sweet with enough melancholy to keep it from being saccharine. I enjoyed some stories more than others, especially I'd Cry Buckets and Urchins, as in any collection of short stories (Pogo Sticks fell short for me in particular). Author does a good job of painting the characters quickly so you get a good sense of who they are; the stories are too short for deep characterization, but I felt like I knew enough about them to understand their actions. Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars so I rounded up.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I love this author's books
There's a charm in his writing that is just unique

Always recommend

Another creative and entertaining book by McCall Smith. I am amazed at the interesting tales he is able to create from an old photograph. Looking at the photos I had no clue where he would good and was always pleasantly surprised. Having read books in McCall Smith's series, I knew I what have an entertaining time reading this collection of short stories. Each story showed off his creative mind and ability to move off in interesting and odd directions. When I requested this book I was expecting a narrative style in the writing - a plot that moved a story along (ie. Ransom Riggs in the Particulars series which wove the photos into a story-line). What I found was a descriptive style - background on the people in the photo and limited plot. Not a bad thing. Just different than I expected which made it feel clunky to read. Well done, for what it was, though a more narrative style would have engaged me more and felt more of a flow.

The concept of this collection of short stories conceived from vintage photographs intrigued me. The author's imagination and insight to the humanity created entertaining and thought provoking tales. I read these as bedtime stories enjoying the different circumstances and characters. Some were definitely better than others "the Spinx" being my favorite. If you love unique, engaging books this is for you. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC and I am thrilled to leave an honest review..

Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind by Alexander McCall Smith
This is a sparkling and imaginative collection of short stories each one inspired by photographs from the Sunday Times archive.
McCall Smith takes these black and white photos and weaves wonderfully rich stories around the people captured in them, frozen in time. He creates lives for them full of hope and disappointment, grief and joy.
The stories are varied – some are sad and poignant, others funny or whimsical – but each of them gives you a window into a believable scenario set around life, love, fate, and free will.
I have to say that short stories are not usually my thing. I tend to prefer really getting to know the characters in a book and becoming totally immersed in their tale. Usually, I get frustrated by the brief encounter offered by a short story, but this is not the case with these stories. McCall Smith is so good that he manages to convey great depth to his characters in just a few pages.
This book felt like a delightful box of chocolates that I could dip into for a small but a really rewarding treat – without the calories.
With thanks to NetGalley for a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The idea of this book is quite innovative. Take a vintage photograph and write a story based on the person you see in the image. Quite obviously, this is not as easy as it sounds. But Alexander McCall Smith does a pretty commendable job indeed. Of the fourteen short stories in the book, at least ten are immensely enjoyable. They reveal various aspects of human behaviour and contain a range of emotions. A couple of stories do seem forced and unduly stretched, but overall, it is not a bad bargain to read this book. I must confess that I was on the verge of marking this book as a DNF because the very first story falls in this category. But a flip through some of the later stories made me rethink my opinion. And now I'm glad I didn't abandon it unread. There are some real gems hidden in here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I probably shouldn't review this as I read it over one night during a bout of insomnia - but since I didn't fall asleep that does say something! The premise of using old photographs and telling a short story was novel, but as with any collection of stories some worked better than others. I particularly liked the architect one.

This was a unique book in that it imagined back stories for unidentified people captured in old photographs. I enjoyed some of the stories and found them creative and sometimes amusing (though sometimes they were depressing instead), but I didn't think these stories showcased Alexander McCall Smith's style in the best way. In creating an almost birth-to-grave story for a character that you literally only have a snapshot of, there's very little opportunity to really relate to any of the characters or develop an interest in them.

I love McCall's writing, however believe this book could have been given a stronger start if the first story was a simpler one to get the reader in the flow & style of this book.

The concept of the book is fabulous, and it was fun to see the photographs & their backgrounds brought to life by such a great writer.

My first book by this author and I’ll be reading more. Such lovely short stories and well written.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

The author accomplished an entrancing concept to develop a story from a given photo and make it seem real. Kudos!!

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this ARC.

I love all books by Alexander McCall Smith and this is no exception. The writing is perfection. Just flows so gently, eloquently and always a little witty. What a clever concept and doesn’t he live up to the challenge. Reminds me of sitting in the park with my hubby making up stories as strangers pass us by.

With thanks to netgalley and Knopf Doubleday for a digital copy of this title. I am a great fan of Alexander McCall Smith and looked forward to reading this collection of short stories. As a genre the short story necessarily sets up different expectations in its reader and has to achieve purpose in a short period of time. Smith’s stories all take old photographs as their starting point - how often do we look at photos at a museum or gallery and imagine the stories behind the moment frozen in time? Smith imagines a story behind each picture, stories of war, marriage, love. Some stories I felt were very clever in their simplicity- a young lady who feels pressured to go out with the wrong chap, two street sweepers righting past wrongs. Others I felt were very linear taking the reader on a biography of each person in the photo which felt more historical than literary. The stories are brief, gentle and thought-provoking.

Pianos and Flowers was a delightful dose of bite size pieces of Alexander McCall Smith's writing to consume while waiting for his next novel to be released. Each short story is based on a photograph from The Sunday Times photographic archive and what the author imagined was never what I expected! Some of the stories started in unexpected places, but always wound their way into what the photo depicted at some point in the story. Always entertaining and surprising, I was honoured to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to read and review.

During thiese difficult times we all need a fun bit of escape reading. I can't think of a better choice than Pianos and Flowers. This clever assemblge of more than a dozen stories -- each triggered by a photo from the Sunday Times photo archives. Alexander McCall Smith displays a fertile imagination and a droll sense of humor. Some of the pieces, like "Blackmail" are quite hilarious. The photos are great fun and add to the pleasure of reading this on my ipad. While the stories aren't connected so it's easy enough to fast forward through the collection-- but I found myself reading every piece. What's more, I'm going to read a few of the author's best selling series, The No !. Ladies Detective Agency.

Readable but disappointing. It was hard not to lose interest by the end. But if one is looking for a light and easy read to pass some time this would work.

Pianos and Flowers is the second in a series by Alexander McCall Smith. In this series the author takes various vintage photographs and crafts a short story around each of these captured moments in time. The first book in the series is called Chance Developments. But it is not necessary to read the first book to enjoy this one. The stories can all be enjoyed individually. The author deftly conjures up stories around these photos and makes you quickly invested in the characters. One of the stories even made me gasp at the end because of an unexpected twist. Read this book to lose yourself in a different time and place.

Very interesting concept to write a short story about an old photograph, with no description of where it was taken or who the people are in the photo. I found most of the stories very delightful and insightful. A few were a bit high-brow for my taste, but still I enjoyed them. I just had to focus more since the subject matter was not easy for me to follow.

I definitely recommend this book. It was delightful.

I want to thank Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group - Pantheon and NetGalley for allowing me to read the advance reader copy. My review is my own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.

I (very late to the game) just recently discovered Alexander McCall Smith. I was ecstatic to get access to reading this collection of short stories. Looking at each photo I tried to come up with my own take and it never came close to what I came to read. My favorite were Duty, Students, Iron Jelloids and Maternal Designs. Smith really takes the photo and runs with the story.