Dr. Neil Anderson starts a new position at The University of Edinburgh when he meets a woman named Chrissie and they move in together. Things are fine until a student accuses Neil of an insensitive comment and then his relationship comes unravelled. He leaves for a friend's cabin on the beautiful Isle of Mull off the west coast of Scotland.

Shortly after, a ship arrives in the harbor that has two abandoned wolf cubs. Neil and the veterinarian on the island try to navigate the upheaval that the wolves has caused.

I have read Alexander McCall Smith's Number One Ladies Detective Agency books and have enjoyed them immensely. I love the way he writes and I love the way he makes you think.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Still very cognizant of the real world’s problems and values, Alexander McCall Smith authored another perceptive book. Beginning with the thought ‘almost everything starts in a small way’, the author captivates one’s reading interests.

I found the book to be satisfying as to how he manages to find a comfortable solution to one person’s conflicts in a land where values seem to be defeated.

Thank you Netgalley and the Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor Group for the eArc to review.

The Winds from Further West was somewhat darker than I expected from Alexander McCall Smith. I had been hoping for something lighter and will continue to seek out his books that are more in that vein.

A medical researcher resigns in the face of untrue accusations at work and betrayal at home and heads to the remote Scottish island Mull to ... well, mull things over. He watches the sea, has deep philosophical discussions with the neighbors, attends a ceilidh, and rediscovers who he is.

Although there are romantic interests, this really isn't a romance. But it is a very good read!

The Winds from Further West by Alexander McCall Smith is an interesting examination of romance in an academic setting. The male protagonist, Dr. Neil Anderson, is a medical doctor who does research at an institute at the University of Edinburgh. He becomes romantically involved with a colleague and they move in together. After a time the relationship starts to develop small cracks. His downfall comes from one of the classes he teaches when a student accuses him of biased and questionable comments in one of his lectures. The woman Dr. Neil is living with knows the student and encourages him to report his concerns to University authorities. Eventually Dr. Neil resigns and his ex-girlfriend gets his position. Dr. Neil retreats to the Isle of Mull and spends time thinking things through. He also becomes involved in a local conservation effort and meets the veterinarian who works with it. Eventually he confronts his ex-girlfriend, about falsehoods she and his supervisor perpetrated against him. He is exonerated but decides not to go back to the University. This book is an interesting and fairly accurate delve into the shark tank of university politics with a thorough examination of how brutal they can be in unexpected ways. McCall Smith does a fine job on the setting and the plot. His characters are believable.
Recommended for readers who want a look at the Borgia Court of University politics.