The Geometry of Holding Hands

I am a devoted reader of everything written by McCall Smith. Love every series but how I miss some of the others. The Dalhousie series is great but not my favorite. There is just a tad too much of erudition, interesting but not edifying or particularly enjoyable . McCall Smith as an ethics authority clearly loves Ms Dalhousie. She is a character obviously dear to his heart. Her troubles are those of the privileged with leisure to indulge in pursuits that few readers will identify with. Her wealth is a panacea for problem solving of the less fortunate. Not quite a lady bountiful type but perhaps a 21st century version of the same with a more developed social conscience. Give us more Forty Four Scotland Street, Corderoy Mansions, Number One Ladies Detective Agency, and the neglected Portuguese Irregular Verbs. Please?

I enjoy and admire this McCall Smith series greatly, and haven\’t missed an episode to date, BUT I sense that Isabel Dalhousie, with her well established humanity, kindness and sense of fair play, may have been pushed over the line of common sense by her author/creator in \”The Geometry of Holding Hands\”. While Isabel very cleverly resolves still another problem involving her niece Cat, she jumps willy-nilly into a second situation that clearly shouts to be left alone. Strangely, her husband Jamie, who is often the flashing amber light when Isabel gets a yenta-like impulse. supports her headlong dash into a situation labeled \”the judgement of Paris\” request. Although this author does not strike the reader as having a sadistic bone in his body, something from that category of behavior does seem to emerge here as Isabel is shown to lack perception and perfect judgement as she bungles, then withdraws from the role of Paris. This has happened in earlier books, and the reader wonders whether McCall-Smith\’s message is that even the most self-reflective and kind among us can make mistakes. In any event, there are plenty of the usual rules for good living on offer in \”The Geometry…\” and a reminder of what the golden rule involves is timely in the age of pandemic, inconsistent social justice and other human ailments.

I\’m a big Isabel Dalhousie fan, and I reread the whole series before this last book arrived. It did not disappoint. Some very interesting new developments. All the beloved characters are here. I love that Alexander McCall Smith can write about ongoing love without trashing the relationships. So many writers don\’t seem to know how to do that. Maybe Smith\’s own relationships work, so he knows how to write about it. Love, love these books!

5, 10, 20 STARS…I LOVE this man\’s books…all of them. Memorable, moving, sensitive, sweet, engaging…lovely. He write characters better than anyone. His stories an plots are engaging from the first word to the last. I so look forward to the next and the next book in any series he writes. For middle readers to mature adults…lessons for us all. I highly recommend his writings to everyone…I would demand that people all over the world read them all, if I could!!!!!! This particular book, in the world we live in now, can offer a respite and the hope we all share that things will be better if we attempt always to do the right thing….an inspiration and a philosophy we can all follow. A masterpiece.

I am a big fan of Alexander McCall Smith as a human being and as a most prolific author. But nothing brings me greater happiness than a new volume in his Isabel Dalhousie Sunday Philospher\’s series. McCall Smith follows a formula in these novels so some people are not impressed. I am not one of those people. I know and love each of his characters and await anxiously to find out what kinds of cheeses will be sold in the deli, what music Jamie will be performing and what vile conduct Professor Lettuce may be up to. That is what makes a series, even if formulaic, a joy. We return to known territory and spend a delightful day or two in the company of these familiars. Keep them coming!

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