Alexander McCall Smith. La’s Orchestra Saves the World. New York: Random, 2008. Print.

While we still enjoy the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency stories the best, Alexander McCall Smith for the most part writes enjoyable stories. Whatever one says about Smith, it is clear that he loves people. It does not mean that there is no villain in his tales—think of the ubiquitous and diabolical Violet Sephoto—but he does present his characters with hope and joy.

Lavender (“La”) Stone is no different. She comes of age right before World War II and, like most Brits, did her part. The title comes from her successful attempt to organize a small band or orchestra in her small town (village in England). The band included some men from a nearby Royal Air Force (RAF) base.

She also does her part by changing her lawn into a vegetable garden and helping an aging neighbor care for his chickens. The villain in this story is Hitler, with some support from her unfaithful husband. Her in-laws, on the other hand, treat her well.

There is a lot more, of course. The novel really is an overview of La’s life in college just before the war until her fifties when she gets involved with the British “Ban the Bomb” movement in the sixties.

Does she literally save the world? Of course not, but she like so many citizens does her part to boost morale and keep things going in spite of what may be going on all around her.

The sentiment is not unlike that of Our Town or even Casablanca‘s Rick Blaine who notes that what we do may not amount to a hill of beans. Yes, but many hills of beans can feed a lot of people and otherwise do good. We are created in God’s image and for that reason alone have potential to make a difference in spite of setbacks and circumstances beyond our control.