Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Anchor (2008), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 247 pages
Description
In addition to being the nosiest and most sypathetic philosopher you are likely to meet, Isabel is now a mother. Charlies, her newborn son, presents her with a myriad wonders of a new life, and doting father Jamie presents her with an intriguing proposal: marriage. In the midst of all this, she receives a disturbing letter announcing that she has been ousted as editor of the Review of Applied Ethics by the ambitious Professor Dove. None of these things, however, in any way diminshes Isabel's curiosity. And when she attends an art auction, she finds an irresistable puzzle: two paintings attributed to a now-deceased artist appear on the market at the same time, and both of them exhibit some unusual characteristics. Are these paintings forgeries? This proves to be sufficient fodder for Isabel's inquisitiveness. So she begins an investigation... and soon finds herself diverging from her philosophical musings about fatherhood onto a path that leads her into the mysteries of the art world and the soul of an artist.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Lman
Every time I read one of these books I am astounded at how completely captivated I become with what is merely a series of short interludes in Isabel Dalhousie’s life. There are no earth-shattering events, no mind-blowing mystery, nor are they action-packed: just simply-related anecdotes of
The Careful Use of Compliments again reveals qualities to Isabel not previously offered, as she settles, with equanimity, into motherhood and family life. Her son, Charlie, is three months old and Isabel and Jamie are doting parents despite a hesitancy in the actual status of their relationship, thus causing her housekeeper Grace a little consternation, and her niece Cat a great deal of angst. As Isabel deals with the daily trials of parenting and family interactions, an attempt to remove her from The Review of Applied Ethics discloses Isabel’s fighting ability, and an innate strength in dealing with this hostile takeover. And aside from all this, Isabel becomes intent on following her hunch in regards to the veracity of some paintings by a famous Scottish artist, and his unexpected death eight years previously.
Along with the usual careful deliberations inherent in Isabel, this time we are allowed forthright glimpses into the thought processes and opinions of some of the other characters in her daily life. Jamie’s observations and viewpoints are now regularly interspersed with Isabel’s, and other voices are allowed their direct say. It is interesting to have this alternative stance to complement Isabel’s character, and to see candidly how others perceive her actions and attitudes; and her reactions to that. Somehow this just adds to Isabel’s attraction, and to the total appeal of the book.
Alexander McCall Smith has again delivered another delightful episode in the Dalhousie household. The charm with these books is that, like the author, Isabel is an optimist and has a high regard for the majority of humankind. An astute reader of body language, she also has an uncanny ability to observe the positive in all of us – but the perception to know what is sometimes missing. Basically, Isabel is a consummate detective of life! More importantly, this most affable woman is able to recognise when her life is replete with happiness, and the wisdom to appreciate it to the full. Would that be a lesson we could all learn!
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Isabel's days - complicated somewhat by her moral contemplations and philosophical musings - that overall, project such a feeling of warmth and encouragement into my mind.The Careful Use of Compliments again reveals qualities to Isabel not previously offered, as she settles, with equanimity, into motherhood and family life. Her son, Charlie, is three months old and Isabel and Jamie are doting parents despite a hesitancy in the actual status of their relationship, thus causing her housekeeper Grace a little consternation, and her niece Cat a great deal of angst. As Isabel deals with the daily trials of parenting and family interactions, an attempt to remove her from The Review of Applied Ethics discloses Isabel’s fighting ability, and an innate strength in dealing with this hostile takeover. And aside from all this, Isabel becomes intent on following her hunch in regards to the veracity of some paintings by a famous Scottish artist, and his unexpected death eight years previously.
Along with the usual careful deliberations inherent in Isabel, this time we are allowed forthright glimpses into the thought processes and opinions of some of the other characters in her daily life. Jamie’s observations and viewpoints are now regularly interspersed with Isabel’s, and other voices are allowed their direct say. It is interesting to have this alternative stance to complement Isabel’s character, and to see candidly how others perceive her actions and attitudes; and her reactions to that. Somehow this just adds to Isabel’s attraction, and to the total appeal of the book.
Alexander McCall Smith has again delivered another delightful episode in the Dalhousie household. The charm with these books is that, like the author, Isabel is an optimist and has a high regard for the majority of humankind. An astute reader of body language, she also has an uncanny ability to observe the positive in all of us – but the perception to know what is sometimes missing. Basically, Isabel is a consummate detective of life! More importantly, this most affable woman is able to recognise when her life is replete with happiness, and the wisdom to appreciate it to the full. Would that be a lesson we could all learn!
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LibraryThing member knittingfreak
This is the latest in the Sunday Philosophy Club series by Alexander McCall Smith. The author is best known for his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, which is good. But, if you haven't yet read anything else by this author, you are in for a treat.
I look forward to each new book in this series
Isabel Dalhousie is a moral philosopher and the editor of the Review of Applied Ethics. McCall Smith has a wonderfully dry wit that comes through in all his novels. Isabel is a very well-rounded character, and the reader gets to know her intimately through her interior monologues. She thinks about even the smallest things that happen during her day. She debates with herself the morality of inaction versus taking specific action.
But, where some characters may come across as judgmental or "preachy", Isabel does neither. She is very human and readily admits her faults. At heart, she is an optimist. This book and all the rest of the books in this series are a pleasure to read.
I look forward to each new book in this series
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with anticipation. It is classified as a mystery, but the mystery is really secondary. What stands out is the language, setting, and the main character, Isabel Dalhousie. In fact, I find myself wanting to read this book aloud because the author's descriptions are so vivid. I have never been to Scotland, but I will go some day, and these books just whet my appetite. Isabel Dalhousie is a moral philosopher and the editor of the Review of Applied Ethics. McCall Smith has a wonderfully dry wit that comes through in all his novels. Isabel is a very well-rounded character, and the reader gets to know her intimately through her interior monologues. She thinks about even the smallest things that happen during her day. She debates with herself the morality of inaction versus taking specific action.
But, where some characters may come across as judgmental or "preachy", Isabel does neither. She is very human and readily admits her faults. At heart, she is an optimist. This book and all the rest of the books in this series are a pleasure to read.
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LibraryThing member Doondeck
A continuation of Isabel's interesting life. These characters are very real and appealing, despite the fact that most people do not take Isabel's moral high ground.
LibraryThing member bookheaven
Good continuance of Isabel's story. I always enjoy Mr. McCall's writing.
LibraryThing member edoc
These are a very quaint series of books. At first had to try and get past the fact that the main character is only in her early 40s despite the fact that she sometimes sounds more middle aged.
LibraryThing member veronicab
I enjoyed this book a great deal. The characters were well developed. The visual imagery that the author used made you feel as though you were actually present. A very quick, enjoyable read. I look forward to reading the rest in this series!
LibraryThing member drsyko
This book is yet another score for McCall Smith. Smith is that rare male author who obviously likes women and writes them extremely well. Isabel Dalhousie is a fully realized, complicated female character who is unique. She is kind, smart, highly moral, and in love with a much younger man who used
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to be her neice's boyfriend. Oh, and she just had his baby. In this outing Isabel solves the mystery of a painting that may or may not be a fake, tries to fix her relationship with her neice, engages in a bit of intrigue to keep her job, and contemplates what it is to love her boyfriend and her son. The Isabel Dalhousie series of books are all thoughtful, gentle, well-written, and very understanding of the human condition. Smith has a wholy unique voice that is both comforting and thought provoking. These novels, much like his other popular series, are almost entirely character driven and this book is no exception. There is some plot, but it is mostly used to drive the relationships forward and offer insights into the characters and their motivations. In the wrong hands, this kind of writing can be boring and pretentious. But Smith knows exactly what he's doing and because he is such a keen observer of human nature and has such a beautiful way with words his novels are really mini works of art. This book, and all of his other books, are well worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member riverwillow
This is the fourth book in 'The Sunday Philosophy Club' series which is, for some reason beyond me, not as popular as his other books. The series is centred around Isabel Dalhousie, Edinburgh resident and editor of the 'Review of Applied Ethics' as she struggles with the ethical and moral dilemmas
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that life throws at her. I know that McCall Smith is a prolific writer, but I can assure you that he's no Barbara Cartland, his writing is deceptively gentle but, as he is lawyer and philosopher, his writing is far from superficial. Show Less
LibraryThing member michael09
Irresistible for Dalhousie fans; hard to say that the destinatio is important but the journey is, as always with Macall Smith in Edinborough, charming leisurely (and a bit smug). The move where Dalhousie gets back at her tormentors, is almost as satisfying as the appearance by Marshall Macluhan
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that ends Woody Allen's argument iwhile waaiting outsid.e the cinema Show Less
LibraryThing member TheoClarke
With this installment the Isabel Dalhousie series completes its transition from detective fiction to mainstream social observational novels. There is some mystery as the academic Isabel interferes in the probable suicide of an artist but much more of the book explores the novelty of late
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motherhood, the effects of envy, and the value of money. All this is achieved with a warm witty gentleness; a great affection for human fraility. Show Less
LibraryThing member richardderus
This is the fourth Isabel Dalhousie novel, as I am pleased to note Pantheon is now marketing them, not mysteries. Now I wonder why my library still keeps them in the mysteries...?
It's a lovely, warm way to spend a frustrating day's end, reading a well-written book about quiet, domestic things, and
And how delightedly I received this particular book! The previous entry in the series wasn't very good at all, seeming to me to have been composed on a laptop perched on the author's knee while traveling to signings, clunked onto the never-the-right-height hotel desk for a fast few hundred before passing out, and edited by fax while jouncing over unpaved roads in Botswana. While I'm not quite ready to forget that readerly disappointment, I'm a long way from unhappy after this evening's pleasures.
Isabel does several interesting things in this book, and does them with verve. I think it was this sense of verve that I missed in book three, "The Right Attitude to Rain."
Cat, Isabel's niece, appears again in this book, though she isn't as central a character...this is but one example of the evolution of the series, that natural fading in and out of some characters. It's just like life. Only better...it takes less time. Recommended, no reservations, for anyone needing a quiet place to relax and have a good conversation with good people.
It's a lovely, warm way to spend a frustrating day's end, reading a well-written book about quiet, domestic things, and
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feeling thereby that one has checked in on the doings of some rather remote, but nonetheless cherished, friends. That's the charm of the Isabel Dalhousie novels for me. It's just smooth sailing such as this that gets comparatively little respect, critical or commercial; how glad I am that Precious Ramotswe has given McCall Smith the megaphone that brought these unfashionably serene books to a broad, general market.And how delightedly I received this particular book! The previous entry in the series wasn't very good at all, seeming to me to have been composed on a laptop perched on the author's knee while traveling to signings, clunked onto the never-the-right-height hotel desk for a fast few hundred before passing out, and edited by fax while jouncing over unpaved roads in Botswana. While I'm not quite ready to forget that readerly disappointment, I'm a long way from unhappy after this evening's pleasures.
Isabel does several interesting things in this book, and does them with verve. I think it was this sense of verve that I missed in book three, "The Right Attitude to Rain."
Cat, Isabel's niece, appears again in this book, though she isn't as central a character...this is but one example of the evolution of the series, that natural fading in and out of some characters. It's just like life. Only better...it takes less time. Recommended, no reservations, for anyone needing a quiet place to relax and have a good conversation with good people.
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LibraryThing member Yukikon
I enjoyed following what she thought about things happening to Isabel. Sometimes I dentified with her, others not. Her observation of the world made me think about myself and things surrounding me.
LibraryThing member bibliophile26
This is the third (or 4th?) book about Isabel Dalhousie, 40ish Scottish editor of an ethics journal. Everytime I read one of these books, all I think is the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series is so much better. Anyway, the mystery of forged works of art was rather boring and I found some of
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Isabel's decisions quite unethical. The only part of the book I enjoyed was the tension between Isabel and her niece, Cat, over Isabel's current love and her baby's daddy, Jamie, who happens to be Cat's ex-boyfriend. Show Less
LibraryThing member debnance
I had pretty much given up on Smith’s Isabel Dalhousie books. Then I ran across some encouraging words about this latest Isabel Dalhousie book and I sought it out. I’m glad I did. Smith gives Isabel a little bite in this installment of the series, a bite she (in my vho) needed; Isabel had
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always felt like a bit of a namby-pamby, a person observing life, not living it. Now Smith has tossed her smack dab into life where she can no longer sit on the sidelines and bemusedly watch other people make horrible mistakes in their lives. Show Less
LibraryThing member mbmackay
Formulaic? Yes. Predictable? Yes. A good read? Absolutely! Read April 2010.
LibraryThing member isabelx
I'm not sure how Isabel Dalhousie manages to become more irritating with every book, but somehow she manages it.
In this book she is the most unrealistic new mother ever - completely unfrazzled and apparently getting plenty of sleep.
In this book she is the most unrealistic new mother ever - completely unfrazzled and apparently getting plenty of sleep.
LibraryThing member hklibrarian
This was my first book by McCall Smith. It was very low key and highbrow (characters) at the same time. I felt as if I had walked into the middle of a movie. Apparently this is one series that you need to read from A - Z. I didn't think it was too bad, although I found the leading characters'
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cowtowing ways to her partner demeaning. Hell, she was a Dr. yet she lacked personal self esteem. Oh well, maybe that was her one character flaw... Show Less
LibraryThing member maureen61
A light hearted tale of a femal philosopher who uses her moral delimmas to solves mysteries. She is a wealthy, young, single mother who enjoys her Scottish homeland.
LibraryThing member SMG-LPrice
A delightful book- Isabel's philosophical musings grow more insightful and relevant as the series progresses.
LibraryThing member buildingabookshelf
Another great book in the Isabel Dalhousie series. My favorite part is the little bit of revenge Isabel gets when she uses her considerable wealth to prove a point. The reason it works is because we know that Isabel doesn't flaunt her wealth.
LibraryThing member Marzia22
Another delightful story featuring philosopher, Isabel Dalhousie. I love her continually searching for meaning behind every little act. I love the carefully crafted description of the colors and light that make up the landscapes of Scotland. A fun read.
LibraryThing member lonepalm
Disappointing : This is the first book I have read in this series. His character development for Isabel cannot compare with that for Mma Ramotswe in the Detective series. Based on this novel, I would not read anymore in this series. I just didn't find Isabel, or her perfectly behaved baby,
Even the character of Jamie wasn't well developed (maybe he was more life like in previous novels, but in this one he seems flat, an afterthought, and a bit subservient).
I am very surprised this has averaged 4 stars here. I recommend the Detective series for better developed characters, more engaging plots, and an undercurrent of humor.
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believable. I would forget that the baby was in the scene, since he was most often awake, completely content and completely silent, or asleep, even on weekend-long romantic getaways, at dinner parties, and at galleries. Who is this kid??? Even the character of Jamie wasn't well developed (maybe he was more life like in previous novels, but in this one he seems flat, an afterthought, and a bit subservient).
I am very surprised this has averaged 4 stars here. I recommend the Detective series for better developed characters, more engaging plots, and an undercurrent of humor.
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LibraryThing member jillrhudy
I've been dying to know what would become of Isabel and Jamie, and Alexander McCall Smith definitely did not disappoint me in this latest installment in the Isabel Dalhousie series. At one point, our compusively philosophic Isabel ponders how Tolstoy "punished" Anna Karenina, and Flaubert
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"punished" Madame Bovary, but she has no fear of punishment for her love affair with a much younger man because she is "real." This is a very telling point--AMS is a trustworthy author, one whose stories are sometimes almost childlike in their frankness. Isabel has a baby by Jamie now, little Charlie. Does Jamie really love Isabel less than she loves him, or is this Isabel's inferiority complex at work? AMS leaves us still not quite certain (and eager for installment #5) as Isabel turns her attention to an art mystery and sets a personal injustice to rights by means that may be ethically sticky, but are extremely gratifying to Isabel and to the reader. As for the minor characters, Eddy continues to eddy and Cat to be catty. Show Less
LibraryThing member lhaines56
Interesting book. The concept of the non-dead artist who is going under yet another pseudonym as Isabel hunts down the facts to prove as such is somewhat intriguing, Prof Dove's liason with her niece Cat flops. Now that Isabel has purchased the philosophy journal he lacks the power that he once had
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on the board of directors. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bookish59
Good novel about feeling grateful and blessed for the love in life. Describes the raw and wild beauty of Scotland, and provides a nifty art mystery.
Cool read. I definitely am enjoying this series more than at first.
Cool read. I definitely am enjoying this series more than at first.
Language
Original publication date
2007-08-07
Physical description
247 p.; 5.18 inches
ISBN
1400077125 / 9781400077120
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