I am a fan of Alexander McCall Smith’s books and usually love his simple story structure that allows for profound commentary on everyday life. I felt that this particular book fell short of the mark. The book is set at the outbreak of World War II in Great Britain. LA, an abbreviation for Lavender, is living in the country recovering from the betrayal of her philandering husband and his subsequent accidental death. She is the type of person who has a tendency to let life pass her by, being more of an observer than an active participant in life. LA intends to return to London but once the war starts, she decides to stay in the country and try to work for the war effort in whatever little way she can. She is rebuffed when she tries to become a nurse and let’s that setback limit her active participation in the war effort. She joins the Women’s Land Army and helps a disabled farmer take care of his chickens. This is really the full extent of her involvement in the war. She chooses something small and safe as her contribution. She becomes involved with helping an Army major organize a small orchestra consisting of villagers and airmen from a local base that meets once per month to play music. The main story line centers around the theme that by participating in this small cultural ritual, those involved can maintain a sense of normalcy amidst the horrors of war. Unfortunately, we never really connect with the orchestra’s members nor do we get a sense of LA working especially hard to keep this orchestra going. Without a personal sense of the importance of the orchestra or a sense that LA sacrificed or stretched her personal limits to keep the orchestra going, the book falls flat. What could have been special ends up being a sweet, short read.