Status
Available
Description
It is 1939. Lavender--La to her friends--decides to flee London, not only to avoid German bombs but also to escape the memories of her shattered marriage. Settling in as small town, she organizes an amateur orchestra from the village and the local RAF base and falls in love with one of her prized recruits.
User reviews
LibraryThing member lilithcat
Not every battle of World War II was fought by soldiers, on the seas and oceans, on the beaches, on the landing fields. And if there were no combatants involved, some were still indeed fought in the fields and the streets, as ordinary English men and women went about their lives, riding out the
This novel, a departure from McCall Smith's usual serial work, is about one such Englishwoman, Lavender Stone, in one small Suffolk village.
Lavender Stone did not go to Cambridge to find a husband, yet she did. While at Girton College, she met and was pursued by Richard Stone. Marrying him, she fell into an ordinary sort of marriage, gradually coming to love him as she had believed he loved her, only to find the idyll shattered when he absconds to live with another woman in France. La retreats to a cottage owned by her in-laws to lick her wounds, but is shortly called to go to France where her husband has been fatally injured in a freak accident. On the way home, her ship stops and the captain informs the passengers that England is at war.
Back in Suffolk, La begins to rebuild her life under the cloud of war. She must learn that life here is different from life in London, that people are different, that customs are different. As we have come to expect from McCall Smith, we are introduced to a variety of interesting folks, from Henry Madder, the arthritic farmer for whom La begins to do a bit of work, to Feliks Dabrowski, the Polish soldier and refugee in whom she takes an interest and who may not be what he seems, to her neighbors the Aggs and their odd son.
Gradually, La settles in. Then a chance word in a conversation with an Air Force officer gives her an idea, an idea that "came suddenly, as perfectly formed ideas sometimes do. She would start an orchestra." And so she does. Villagers and soldiers come together to play music, unifying the community in the face of a crisis that goes on, day after day, until they play a victory concert.
That concert is echoed years later, in the days of the Cuban missile crisis, when La brings the orchestra back together for a concert for peace, a time when, as I well remember, we all thought we were going to die in a nuclear holocaust. She chose "Bach for order; Mozart for healing", good choices, I think.
I don't believe that one can fully appreciate or understand this book if one does not take into consideration the great love that Alexander McCall Smith, a musician himself, has for music**, and his belief in its transformative power. It is music that brings La into her own, after a life that has been mostly reactive, a life that, as she herself says, has been that of a "handmaiden". Music, and the bringing together of others for the purpose of making music, helps her move forward into life and love.
* apologies to Winston for the paraphrasing!
** Surely the fact that he named a character "Leontine Price" is not accidental!
Show More
storm of war, doing the small things that needed doing.*This novel, a departure from McCall Smith's usual serial work, is about one such Englishwoman, Lavender Stone, in one small Suffolk village.
Lavender Stone did not go to Cambridge to find a husband, yet she did. While at Girton College, she met and was pursued by Richard Stone. Marrying him, she fell into an ordinary sort of marriage, gradually coming to love him as she had believed he loved her, only to find the idyll shattered when he absconds to live with another woman in France. La retreats to a cottage owned by her in-laws to lick her wounds, but is shortly called to go to France where her husband has been fatally injured in a freak accident. On the way home, her ship stops and the captain informs the passengers that England is at war.
Back in Suffolk, La begins to rebuild her life under the cloud of war. She must learn that life here is different from life in London, that people are different, that customs are different. As we have come to expect from McCall Smith, we are introduced to a variety of interesting folks, from Henry Madder, the arthritic farmer for whom La begins to do a bit of work, to Feliks Dabrowski, the Polish soldier and refugee in whom she takes an interest and who may not be what he seems, to her neighbors the Aggs and their odd son.
Gradually, La settles in. Then a chance word in a conversation with an Air Force officer gives her an idea, an idea that "came suddenly, as perfectly formed ideas sometimes do. She would start an orchestra." And so she does. Villagers and soldiers come together to play music, unifying the community in the face of a crisis that goes on, day after day, until they play a victory concert.
That concert is echoed years later, in the days of the Cuban missile crisis, when La brings the orchestra back together for a concert for peace, a time when, as I well remember, we all thought we were going to die in a nuclear holocaust. She chose "Bach for order; Mozart for healing", good choices, I think.
I don't believe that one can fully appreciate or understand this book if one does not take into consideration the great love that Alexander McCall Smith, a musician himself, has for music**, and his belief in its transformative power. It is music that brings La into her own, after a life that has been mostly reactive, a life that, as she herself says, has been that of a "handmaiden". Music, and the bringing together of others for the purpose of making music, helps her move forward into life and love.
* apologies to Winston for the paraphrasing!
** Surely the fact that he named a character "Leontine Price" is not accidental!
Show Less
LibraryThing member sarah-e
La's Orchestra isn't really the focus of this book. It's a story about how WWII affected people at their homes in small English towns. La is a woman who was left alone, comfortable, and purposeless, and found ways to give back to her community. If the story had been written by another author, I
Show More
don't think it would be so subtle. Stories like this tend to include grand gestures and flamboyant characters. I appreciate the restraint to tell only the relevant parts of La's story, and to tell them in a way that doesn't add unnecessary embellishment. It seems so simple and honest that I absolutely believed every word. Show Less
LibraryThing member tangborn
A very simple bittersweet story about wartime in rural England. While it was pleasant reading, the lack of careful editing (typos, etc) were a bit annoying. I'm still trying to figure out the first paragraph on page 192: "She was in the garden when he arrived, riding the old bicycle from the farm.
Show More
She saw him from her bedroom window upstairs and she watched him as he walked across the gravel to knock at her door". How is this possible?? Show Less
LibraryThing member melydia
This is, more or less, the story of a young woman's experiences as a civilian in the English countryside during WWII. She helps a local farmer with his chickens, she starts an amateur orchestra, and she falls (somewhat unconvincingly) in love with a man who passes in and out of her life. It's a
Show More
pleasant story, with little drama and almost no character development save La herself. I don't have a whole lot to say about this. Mostly it was just a nice little tale that I likely won't remember in a few months. Show Less
LibraryThing member devenish
With this stand-alone book McCall Smith once again proves just what a diverse writer he is. This story of an ordinary woman living during the time of the Second World War is beautifully told. The events related here are things that could quite easily have happened to anyone at that time and that is
Although this is a book about war and it's effects,it is at the same time a very gentle and moving story and one which I am sure readers will throughly enjoy.
Show More
why this book works so well. La, the way she forms her Orchestra and her interaction with the various characters she encounters (Mrs Agg,Tim,Feliks ) are all so well described,the reader will feel a great sympathy with her.Although this is a book about war and it's effects,it is at the same time a very gentle and moving story and one which I am sure readers will throughly enjoy.
Show Less
LibraryThing member khiemstra631
While I liked this book, I also felt it was a little difficult to latch onto it. I almost wondered if the author tried to cover a little too much ground. Or, it could have been the first chapter would have possibly worked better as the last chapter? I had to go back and re-read the first chapter
Show More
after I finished the rest of the book in order to make any sense out of it. Still, when all is said and done, McCall Smith has written a quiet little tale of one English woman's experiences during World War II and slightly before and after the war. While I enjoyed reading it, I suspect it is a book that I will rather quickly forget. It is different from his usual fare but not quite up to his usual level of quality in terms of engaging reader interest. Show Less
LibraryThing member reannon
A stand alone novel by Alexander McCall Smith. It is about La, short for Lavender. She goes to college where she shows a lot of promise. She meets and marries, though, but a few years into her marriage her husband leaves her for someone else. She moves into a house her in-laws have in the country.
It is a simple and kind story, not terribly exciting, but not everything needs to be.
Show More
When World War II starts, La decides to start an orchestra in order to improve morale of the villagers and the nearby servicemen. She grows to love a member of the Polish air force who works on a farm nearby.It is a simple and kind story, not terribly exciting, but not everything needs to be.
Show Less
LibraryThing member St.CroixSue
McCall Smith is a profuse writer in several genres. I put this one in the category of ‘gentle reads’ with a simple story structure. Taking place in Britain during WWII it follows the life and loves of a woman from young adulthood to old age. I enjoyed the main character, but found the
Show More
supporting characters a little lame and the story lacking in an enthusiasm that could have turned this into a better book. Show Less
LibraryThing member WintersRose
So-so narrative about life of a young widow in the Suffolk countryside during World War II. Includes McCall Smith's usual Sunday Philosophy Club series themes of suspicious and false accusations. Not his best.
LibraryThing member Leonielanguishing
I haven't read any of Alexander mcall smith's before so I was really surprised when I found myself quite riveted to the end..it was well written, sensitive and slightly melancholy . I liked the main character her self inquiry and reserved nature I found appealing and suspenseful.
LibraryThing member BrianEWilliams
This book disappointed me because it was not up to the high standards I have seen in the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series. There's plenty of potential in the story, but most of it goes unrealized. The basics are here (good story, interesting characters and so on) but they are not fully developed.
Show More
Perhaps Mr. Smith should have asked Isabel Dalhousie to edit the book. I believe she could have improved it. Show Less
LibraryThing member mooknits
A beautiful, gentle read. Kind of sad, but most enjoyable. La has such hopes for her life and really it all comes to nothing - such a shame. Well written and a joy to read - I shall certainly attempt some of his other books now.
LibraryThing member lynndp
I quite liked this book. It's quiet and reflective. I found myself thinking along with the protagonist, deciding whether I agreed with her decisions. After completing the story I continued to think about whether the protagonist was a heroine? was this a happy ending? All in all, a good read.
LibraryThing member pmarshall
McCall Smith’s versatility in writing is shown once again in “La’s Orchestra Saves the World.” At one level it reads as a quiet novel of English village life during World War II. La moves to the country following a broken marriage. She settles into a quiet life of reading and music, and as
At the first meeting of the orchestra La’s agreed they will have concerts including a victory concert, but as time passes no one speaks of this. It is avoided like a superstition, but a short time after VE Day La’s orchestra performs a victory concert to a huge crowd. La believes in the power of music and during the Cuban Missal Crisis she calls the musicians together to perform a peace concert.
On another level “La’s Orchestra Saves the World.” is about peace and the need for everyday people to be concerned about it, to nurture and care for it. It is too important to be left in the hands of politicians and armies.
Show More
part of the war effort grows vegetables and takes care of a farmer’s hens. With the help of a British airman she forms an orchestra. An orchestra that helps bring people together and provide some support as the war slowly moves forward.At the first meeting of the orchestra La’s agreed they will have concerts including a victory concert, but as time passes no one speaks of this. It is avoided like a superstition, but a short time after VE Day La’s orchestra performs a victory concert to a huge crowd. La believes in the power of music and during the Cuban Missal Crisis she calls the musicians together to perform a peace concert.
On another level “La’s Orchestra Saves the World.” is about peace and the need for everyday people to be concerned about it, to nurture and care for it. It is too important to be left in the hands of politicians and armies.
Show Less
LibraryThing member velocivore
Charming and affecting. how inadvertent choices make lives and the world. Why does AMS write from women's point of view?
LibraryThing member PensiveCat
Though I did like the story, I didn't love it the way I wanted to. I didn't feel attached to anyone and couldn't understand the point of the orchestra. In fact, the orchestra didn't even come up into the halfway point of the book. Though La was an all right character, I felt that the ease of her
Show More
financial situation felt unrealistic (as I tend to feel for other Alexander McCall Smith's characters at times). Still, finishing the novel was not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Show Less
LibraryThing member TigsW
A slow moving but lovely story of loneliness, betrayal, fortitude and friendship during WW2. A really lovely exploration of these themes.
LibraryThing member edecklund
Apparently, readers familiar with the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series are somewhat disappointed by this book. Not having read the series, I wasn't disappointed at all and was even delighted. That might seem odd considering the story takes place in England in the years leading up to and through
Show More
WWII. Lavender is a rather ordinary heroine. She maintains her poise and perseveres despite setbacks and unexpected events. I think that's the whole point. She embodies her country's spirit as she makes her small contribution to the Women's Land Army by planting a garden at her country home and helping a local farmer for several hours every day. The little orchestra of townspeople and local servicemen she organizes is not so good but great for morale.To me, the strongest characters in the book are Tim, the energetic RAF officer who inspires La to create the orchestra, and Feliks, the injured Polish pilot that Tim finds work for. Their stories, along with the lesser ones, are the world in action around La. She works and does her duty but being a woman of her time and age (she's too old to enlist to study nursing) her options are limited. Her stoic determination and her stolid resilience over the years, endeared her to me. In fact, all the characters are so well written and believable they are likable. The whole book is well written. The style is easily understandable making for a quick read and a clear conclusion. Show Less
LibraryThing member mbmackay
A deftly told tale by Alexander McCall Smith. The story is simple, but the first chapter starts at the end, and the then the rest of the story unfolds from the beginning. The writing style has a light touch - like a water-colour - and the result is wonderful. Read April 2010.
LibraryThing member poetreehugger
Drift away into this distant world of simple life and complicated feelings and old world charm threatened by the relentless march of time. This is a story that can keep you lying on your window seat swept up in La's life and situation, while outside the sunshine and beautiful weather remain sadly
Gorgeous. And the ending had me closing the book with a one-word comment: "amazing".
Show More
ignored.Gorgeous. And the ending had me closing the book with a one-word comment: "amazing".
Show Less
LibraryThing member MEENIEREADS
This is actually a small book in size too but has a huge heart. It is a stand alone novel by the writer of The Number One ladies Detective series.
The world usually makes little note o for long remembers people like the main character,La. However,her what seem like small contributions at the time
The many from the Suffolk countryside where most of the book takes place have that tough exterior but true hearts of gold on the inside.
This book is similar to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and the people in the English countryside in James Herriot's tales from All Creatures Great And Small.
A very satisfying read.
The world usually makes little note o for long remembers people like the main character,La. However,her what seem like small contributions at the time
Show More
added to the success of Great Britain surviving the second world war with spirit and dignity.The many from the Suffolk countryside where most of the book takes place have that tough exterior but true hearts of gold on the inside.
This book is similar to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and the people in the English countryside in James Herriot's tales from All Creatures Great And Small.
A very satisfying read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Figgles
Melancholy and gentle story. Not quite as engaging as other books by the same author, neverthelesss I enjoyed the story of what it could be to be one ordinary woman in wartime and of the redemptive power of even amateur music making.
LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
After her husband runs off to France with another woman, 20-something Lavender (La) Stone decides to leave London for the quiet countryside of Suffolk. When World War II breaks out, La searches for a way to join the war effort at home. A chance encounter with a member of the air force leads to two
Although I found parts of this book charming, it was not quite up to par with Alexander McCall Smith’s other books. The majority of the book went by in the slow pacing that McCall Smith usually uses and is especially appropriate for a book set in a quiet countryside village. However, the ending felt suddenly rushed, and I didn’t think it quite fit right with the rest of the book. In addition, I found other bits of the narrative structure troubling. For instance, the book opens up with two men going to visit La’s countryside home, long after she has left. Who are these men? Why are they interested in La? I kept thinking we would hear from them again at the end and they would function as the framing structure for this novel but after that first chapter, they completely disappear. I found this brief section to be not terribly interesting, so I can’t help but wonder why this was chosen as the opening for the book. Later, towards the end of the novel, instead of going along in the third-person narrative in chronological order, McCall Smith jumps to an odd section where La is supposedly talking to a friend many years in the future in what basically becomes a first-person monologue. It is a very peculiar section, completely out of place with the rest of the novel, which then reverts back to the third-person narrative. These seem like newbie mistakes, not something you would expect from an established author like McCall Smith.
Nevertheless, the book contains a number of colorful characters populating the countryside, provides a bit of insight into a historical period, and adds some food for thought type comments through La’s musings. In addition, the narrator of the audio book was excellent. Overall, the novel had its moments, but I’m not that I would recommend it.
Show More
turning points in La’s life. The first is that she decides to establish an orchestra, to be manned by herself, locals, and military men, so that a thing of beauty – music – may persist despite the devastating war. The second is that she is introduced to Polish airman Feliks Dabrowski, with whom she develops romantic feelings.Although I found parts of this book charming, it was not quite up to par with Alexander McCall Smith’s other books. The majority of the book went by in the slow pacing that McCall Smith usually uses and is especially appropriate for a book set in a quiet countryside village. However, the ending felt suddenly rushed, and I didn’t think it quite fit right with the rest of the book. In addition, I found other bits of the narrative structure troubling. For instance, the book opens up with two men going to visit La’s countryside home, long after she has left. Who are these men? Why are they interested in La? I kept thinking we would hear from them again at the end and they would function as the framing structure for this novel but after that first chapter, they completely disappear. I found this brief section to be not terribly interesting, so I can’t help but wonder why this was chosen as the opening for the book. Later, towards the end of the novel, instead of going along in the third-person narrative in chronological order, McCall Smith jumps to an odd section where La is supposedly talking to a friend many years in the future in what basically becomes a first-person monologue. It is a very peculiar section, completely out of place with the rest of the novel, which then reverts back to the third-person narrative. These seem like newbie mistakes, not something you would expect from an established author like McCall Smith.
Nevertheless, the book contains a number of colorful characters populating the countryside, provides a bit of insight into a historical period, and adds some food for thought type comments through La’s musings. In addition, the narrator of the audio book was excellent. Overall, the novel had its moments, but I’m not that I would recommend it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kmaziarz
Lavender…La to her friends…is a widow living a quiet, simple life in the Suffolk countryside, far from the more glamorous and intellectual life she’d lived in London before her husband first betrayed her and then died in an accident. Retreating to Suffolk to put her life back together had
Charming, understated, and resonant, La’s Orchestra Saves the World is perhaps not quite as layered and nuanced as McCall Smith’s popular No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, but should satisfy nonetheless.
Show More
seemed a grand idea at first, but she soon began to feel somewhat at loose ends. When World War II broke out, she dedicated herself to war work, serving as an assistant to a local farmer. Her job? The hens. When a stranded Polish airman joined her in helping out on the farm, La dared to hope that love might find her again…but Felix showed little more than friendliness toward her. Looking for ways to make a bigger difference, La hit upon the idea of putting together a village orchestra and inviting servicemen from the local base to join villagers in making enthusiastic, if amateur, music. The orchestra made her famous, becoming a huge morale-booster for all involved…except La, whose unrequited love for Felix was soon joined by suspicions that he hadn’t been entirely honest about his past.Charming, understated, and resonant, La’s Orchestra Saves the World is perhaps not quite as layered and nuanced as McCall Smith’s popular No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, but should satisfy nonetheless.
Show Less
LibraryThing member pennykaplan
La's husband deserts her and then dies leaving her to put the pieces back together in a small English village. Set during World War II, this is another gentle story from Alexander McCall Smith.