The Sunday Philosophy Club

Isabel Dalhousie is a good character. Nevertheless, after reading 7 books of the series, I realized something about her was rankling me. She\’s a philosopher and constantly making decisions using her set of supposedly objectively moral beliefs, but the more I read of her various dilemmas and inquests, the more I realize that, far from making most decisions on ethical/moral bases, she just does what she wants! She can talk herself into a philosophical position for following her emotions almost every time she confronts a dilemma. For example, in The Charming Quirks of Others, Isabel cannot stop herself from meddling even in her fiancé\’s sticky situation with another woman. Reasonably, her fiancé should correct his own behavior towards the other woman, but Isabel convinces herself and him to let her confront her rival. Clearly the problem is with her fiancé, not with the other woman. Isabel is frequently if not nearly always mistaken in her judgments of other people and their problems. Yet she meddles endlessly! I do find the books charming: Isabel is a philosopher with little common sense–it\’s a mistake to take her as seriously as I did for the first few books of the series.

I\’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed all of the No. 1 Ladies\’ Detective books. This book is just as great a pleasure as that series. Isabel Dalhousie is a complex, thoughtful and very human character whose development and further adventures should prove very interesting. The most wonderful aspect of all is that Alexander McCall Smith is able to imbue a world so different from that of Mma. Romatswe with the same abundance of warmth, humanity, wisdom and wit as he does hers. He makes Scotland just as vivid as Botswana, and conveys the same great affection for the place and its people. The writing of Mr. McCall Smith is uplifting in its eloquence and grace, and for me that is a gift to be treasured.

I consumed this book as a tourist does, who has visited the locale and enjoys revisiting a beloved spot. But the premise for the protagonist to pursue a suspicious accident begins and ends weakly. I also could not overcome my awareness that a man was [inaccurately] imagining the inner life of a woman. There was also the potental danger of openly pursuing a potential murderer, ignored until clumsily and inconclusively handled toward the end of the novel. And, as other reviewers pointed out, there was no contact with the police beyond Isabel\’s naive interview, which could have greatly enhanced the story. However, I enjoyed it enough to want to read more of the series and see if the author becomes a little more skilled in the art of mystery writing.

I liked this book, but did not love it only because it moved a bit too slow for me. The main character, Isabel Dalhousie, has a background in Philosophy, which makes for some interesting observations. The story starts with the death of a man who has fallen from the balcony at a theater. Isabel witnesses the fall right in front of her eyes and becomes curious as to what caused it. Something tells her it wasn\’t a suicide nor an accident. Thus begins her expertise as an amateur sleuth-er. As the first in the series, a cast of characters are introduced to us that we can assume will be a part of future stories in this series. The problem is that I\’m not sure I want to move forward. The pace and character development were \”ho-hum\” for me and there wasn\’t much action. Her philosophical observations were the best part and actually made me think about things (e.g. Is littering a moral issue?). I may read the next one to see if McCall Smith turns it up a notch, but there are so many great series out there I will likely wait a while before digging into the next one.

I loved the Isabel Dalhousie series even more than the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. As soon as I finished book 10, I started again on book one and went straight through the whole series. I love these characters and the Edinburgh setting. I love the philosophy and art content, and I can\’t wait for the next book!

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