The Pavilion in the Clouds

'The ever fecund Alexander McCall Smith continues to surprise as well as please... This is one of the most enjoyable of his many enjoyable novels'

-- Allan Massie * The Scotsman *

'Most of the historical novels I review are so unrelentingly dark or dramatic that it makes a nice change to read one with so many touches of gentle humour ... The characters are so well observed that I had to remind myself that the book is written by a man from a mostly female perspective, because he captures the nuances of female interactions so well'

* Historical Novel Society *

'this utterly engaging standalone novel shimmers with atmosphere and family tension ... a stirring, evocative psychological mystery set in 1938 as the British Empire limps through its final days'

* Lovereading.co.uk *

'Strong characters and beautiful settings, from the mountainous tea plantation in Ceylon to the rolling hills of the Scottish countryside'

* Asian Review of Books *

'Paints a vivid and atmospheric story of life in a tea plantation towards the end of the British Empire... Cleverly layered with intrigue, suspense, romance, and warmly drawn characters'

* Sixtyplusurfers *

'Offering a child’s perspective, the novel chimes with Harper Lee’s 1960 classic To Kill A Mockingbird'

* Sunday Post *

'Esteemed writer McCall Smith brings us a new and exciting enigma'

* Scottish Field *

'A window to an era when the British knew the time had come for them to leave'

* MintLounge *

'Insightful, sometimes poignant and often humorous, whether his setting is in present day London, Edinburgh, Botswana or pre-war Ceylon, McCall Smith's grasp of people and relationships is superb'

* GoodReads, 5 sta