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Isabel Dalhousie #2
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate
Isabel Dalhousie thinks often of friends, sometimes of lovers, and on occasion of chocolate. As an Edinburgh philosopher she is certain of where she stands. She can review a book called In Praise of Sin with panache and conviction, but real life is... well, perhaps a bit more challenging - particularly when it comes to her feelings for Jamie, a younger man who should have married her niece, Cat. Jamie's handsomeness leaves Isabel feeling distinctly uneasy, and ethically disturbed. 'I am a philosopher', she thinks, 'but I am also a woman'. And more disturbance is in store. When Cat takes a break in Italy, Isabel agrees to run her delicatessen. One of the customers, she discovers, has recently had a heart transplant and is now being plagued by memories that cannot be rationally explained and which he feels do not belong to him. Isabel is intrigued. So intrigued that she finds herself rushing headlong into a dangerous investigation. But she still has time to think about the things that possess her - things like love and friendship, and, of course, temptation. The last of these comes in many forms - chocolate, for example, or seductive Italians...
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2005
488 people are currently reading
4017 people want to read
About the author
Alexander McCall Smith
673 books12.7k followersAlexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie Series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland. Visit him online at www.alexandermccallsmith.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,235 reviews
December 27, 2024
THE HEART HAS ITS REASONS OF WHICH OUR INTELLECT HAS NO INKLING!
Blaise Pascal, Pensees.
The Isabel Dalhousie series is what my wife would call a delicatesse! But isn't it funny how a European word's meaning morphs with the usage?
When used as a noun, une delicatesse now means something delightfully dainty. But Old French would frame its meaning by a feeling bordering on the voluptuous.
That's the onward march of a more discreet and cultured people into a purer kinda sophistication - and that, by the way, is what the late Sir Kenneth Clark called civilization!
And that urbane approach to mind and matter is the soul of Alexander McCall Smith.
His books are the admitted sans pareil of modern Brit Cozy Mysteries. Each one has its discrete delights, and is most certainly NOT a walk on the wild side.
And the Isabel books are a mystery series - like an intellectual's Rubick's Cube. And this one is no exception.
For here, Smith attempts to demonstrate in concrete terms how the heart (in this case the transplanted physical heart) knows things by which the everyday sleuthing mind is Baffled...
There are stranger things in Heaven and Edinburgh, Horatio, than are dreamt of in our philosophy!
***
In 1991 I travelled with my brother from Mirabel Airport in Montreal to Troon in Glasgow. It was, I believe, via British Airways.
Those of you who remember the Golden Age of Air Travel fondly remember that international flights back then had distinct perks: in this case, an Open Bar for its six hour duration!
(Let's now hear Pink Floyd's happy memories:
My hands have turned into two lead balloons,
Oh I [i-yi-yi] have become Comfortably Numb!)
But (if I can get to the point) upon finishing its taxiing down the runway, our sleek silver aircraft was greeted on the tarmac by a lone piper - in Full Scottish Regalia - and we were accompanied by him into the airport, under bright sunny skies, a welcome fit for kings!
***
But Isabel's Edinburgh knows no such halcyon weather from day to day.
In fact it's downright dour:
For someone she knows has horrid flashbacks in his dreams and daydreams, to an ugly past that is not his own!
And Isabel, in turn, must now put her dour thinking cap on -
To unravel this Mystery of his transplanted Tell-tale Heart!
***
And Solve it She Does.
Four Big Cozy Stars☺!
Blaise Pascal, Pensees.
The Isabel Dalhousie series is what my wife would call a delicatesse! But isn't it funny how a European word's meaning morphs with the usage?
When used as a noun, une delicatesse now means something delightfully dainty. But Old French would frame its meaning by a feeling bordering on the voluptuous.
That's the onward march of a more discreet and cultured people into a purer kinda sophistication - and that, by the way, is what the late Sir Kenneth Clark called civilization!
And that urbane approach to mind and matter is the soul of Alexander McCall Smith.
His books are the admitted sans pareil of modern Brit Cozy Mysteries. Each one has its discrete delights, and is most certainly NOT a walk on the wild side.
And the Isabel books are a mystery series - like an intellectual's Rubick's Cube. And this one is no exception.
For here, Smith attempts to demonstrate in concrete terms how the heart (in this case the transplanted physical heart) knows things by which the everyday sleuthing mind is Baffled...
There are stranger things in Heaven and Edinburgh, Horatio, than are dreamt of in our philosophy!
***
In 1991 I travelled with my brother from Mirabel Airport in Montreal to Troon in Glasgow. It was, I believe, via British Airways.
Those of you who remember the Golden Age of Air Travel fondly remember that international flights back then had distinct perks: in this case, an Open Bar for its six hour duration!
(Let's now hear Pink Floyd's happy memories:
My hands have turned into two lead balloons,
Oh I [i-yi-yi] have become Comfortably Numb!)
But (if I can get to the point) upon finishing its taxiing down the runway, our sleek silver aircraft was greeted on the tarmac by a lone piper - in Full Scottish Regalia - and we were accompanied by him into the airport, under bright sunny skies, a welcome fit for kings!
***
But Isabel's Edinburgh knows no such halcyon weather from day to day.
In fact it's downright dour:
For someone she knows has horrid flashbacks in his dreams and daydreams, to an ugly past that is not his own!
And Isabel, in turn, must now put her dour thinking cap on -
To unravel this Mystery of his transplanted Tell-tale Heart!
***
And Solve it She Does.
Four Big Cozy Stars☺!
February 18, 2024
EXCERPT: 'I asked our mutual friend Peter Stevenson about you,' Ian continued. 'He can tell you just about anything. And he said that you were, well, who you are. He also said that you had a reputation for discretely looking into things.'
'That's a polite way of putting it,' said Isabel. 'Some would call it indecent curiosity. Nosiness, even.'
ABOUT 'FRIENDS, LOVERS, CHOCOLATE': Isabel Dalhousie thinks often of friends, sometimes of lovers, and on occasion of chocolate. As an Edinburgh philosopher she is certain of where she stands. She can review a book called 'In Praise of Sin' with panache and conviction, but real life is . . . well, perhaps a bit more challenging - particularly when it comes to her feelings for Jamie, a younger man who should have married her niece, Cat. Jamie's handsomeness leaves Isabel feeling distinctly uneasy and ethically disturbed. I am a philosopher, she thinks, but I am also a woman.
And more disturbance is in store. When Cat takes a break in Italy, Isabel agrees to run her delicatessen. One of the customers, she discovers, has recently had a heart transplant and is now being plagued by memories that cannot be rationally explained and which he feels do not belong to him.
Isabel is intrigued. So intrigued that she finds herself rushing headlong into a dangerous investigation. But she still has time to think about the things that possess her - things like love and friendship, and, of course, temptation. The last of those comes in many forms - chocolate, for example, or seductive Italians . . .
MY THOUGHTS: #2 in the Isabel Dalhousie series.
There is something soothing about sitting down with Isabel Dalhousie, like a hot cup of tea and a warm buttered scone in front of the fire on a cold winter's day. She is wise, yet thinks random thoughts at inopportune moments. She is kind and generous, yet can be sharp and cutting. She has a subtle and sometimes wicked sense of humour. She has a love of life and people, and of her home city of Edinburgh. She is often to be found debating some moral dilemma with herself. She is a woman, who when asked for help, feels a moral obligation to provide it. I think I make her sound boring. She is anything but.
Although these books contain a mystery, it is not the focus of the story. McCall Smith's acute observations of people and life through Dalhousie's eyes form the basis of the story, the mystery is simply the icing on the very delicious cake - chocolate of course!
I always feel better after spending some time with Isabel, and now I am on a quest to find the next in the series, The Right Attitude to Rain.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.2
I: @alexandermccallsmith @littlebrown
T: @McCallSmith @LittleBrown
#contemporaryfiction #mystery #philosophy #sliceoflife
THE AUTHOR: Alexander McCall Smith is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
'That's a polite way of putting it,' said Isabel. 'Some would call it indecent curiosity. Nosiness, even.'
ABOUT 'FRIENDS, LOVERS, CHOCOLATE': Isabel Dalhousie thinks often of friends, sometimes of lovers, and on occasion of chocolate. As an Edinburgh philosopher she is certain of where she stands. She can review a book called 'In Praise of Sin' with panache and conviction, but real life is . . . well, perhaps a bit more challenging - particularly when it comes to her feelings for Jamie, a younger man who should have married her niece, Cat. Jamie's handsomeness leaves Isabel feeling distinctly uneasy and ethically disturbed. I am a philosopher, she thinks, but I am also a woman.
And more disturbance is in store. When Cat takes a break in Italy, Isabel agrees to run her delicatessen. One of the customers, she discovers, has recently had a heart transplant and is now being plagued by memories that cannot be rationally explained and which he feels do not belong to him.
Isabel is intrigued. So intrigued that she finds herself rushing headlong into a dangerous investigation. But she still has time to think about the things that possess her - things like love and friendship, and, of course, temptation. The last of those comes in many forms - chocolate, for example, or seductive Italians . . .
MY THOUGHTS: #2 in the Isabel Dalhousie series.
There is something soothing about sitting down with Isabel Dalhousie, like a hot cup of tea and a warm buttered scone in front of the fire on a cold winter's day. She is wise, yet thinks random thoughts at inopportune moments. She is kind and generous, yet can be sharp and cutting. She has a subtle and sometimes wicked sense of humour. She has a love of life and people, and of her home city of Edinburgh. She is often to be found debating some moral dilemma with herself. She is a woman, who when asked for help, feels a moral obligation to provide it. I think I make her sound boring. She is anything but.
Although these books contain a mystery, it is not the focus of the story. McCall Smith's acute observations of people and life through Dalhousie's eyes form the basis of the story, the mystery is simply the icing on the very delicious cake - chocolate of course!
I always feel better after spending some time with Isabel, and now I am on a quest to find the next in the series, The Right Attitude to Rain.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.2
I: @alexandermccallsmith @littlebrown
T: @McCallSmith @LittleBrown
#contemporaryfiction #mystery #philosophy #sliceoflife
THE AUTHOR: Alexander McCall Smith is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
November 25, 2007
I'm getting worried. I've read all but two of Alexander McCall Smith's books, and I read faster than he can write. It'll be hard to find another author I can trust for my bedtime reading--one whose books are like slipping into a cozy conversation with a thoughtful, well-read, gossipy friend.
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate, the second book in the Isabel Dalhousie series, explores the intriguing subject of whether memories can be stored in organs other than the brain. Meanwhile, Isabel's intense, Platonic relationship with her niece's rejected lover encounters some complications. Isabel, an ethical philosopher d'un certain age continues her perennial, peripatetic examination of conscience while having fascinating conversations with an assortment of interesting people.
Isabel has read and appreciated many of the same authors I have, such as Oliver Sacks and Antonio Demasio. When she mentions them in passing, I feel like I've known her for a long, long time and that sometime in the past, we must have discussed their books.
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate, the second book in the Isabel Dalhousie series, explores the intriguing subject of whether memories can be stored in organs other than the brain. Meanwhile, Isabel's intense, Platonic relationship with her niece's rejected lover encounters some complications. Isabel, an ethical philosopher d'un certain age continues her perennial, peripatetic examination of conscience while having fascinating conversations with an assortment of interesting people.
Isabel has read and appreciated many of the same authors I have, such as Oliver Sacks and Antonio Demasio. When she mentions them in passing, I feel like I've known her for a long, long time and that sometime in the past, we must have discussed their books.
December 1, 2007
I have really enjoyed this series, and was intrigued by the idea of "cellular memories." But I was so disappointed in the resolution of this book -- I felt like McCall Smith ran out of energy after writing the first 75 percent of the book. The end just petered out. I kept expecting some kind of "kicker," but none ever came.
The writing, as always, is smooth, and the descriptions of Edinburgh compelling. But there wasn't much else to recommend about the book.
The writing, as always, is smooth, and the descriptions of Edinburgh compelling. But there wasn't much else to recommend about the book.
August 13, 2007
Another pleasant mystery, full of interesting philosophical musings rather than melodramatic deaths and red herrings. Like the No. 1 Ladies series, and the previous book in this series, the mystery is almost second place to the lives of the characters, although it's definitely an compelling one this round. Isabel meets a man who has had a heart transplant, and thinks he is having visions of the donor's life--specifically, he keeps seeing a face. Isabel jumps to the conclusion that this face must be the cause of the donor's death, and begins investigating into it.
My favorite thing about Alexander McCall Smith is how cozy his books feel--there's major events going on, but they always end on such a positive note.
My favorite thing about Alexander McCall Smith is how cozy his books feel--there's major events going on, but they always end on such a positive note.
December 4, 2019
No paša “Svētdienas filozofu kluba” vēl arvien nav ne miņas, bet vismaz autors saņēmies un uzrakstījis labāku gabalu par pirmo. Arī šoreiz te ir daudz pārdomu par dzīvi, morāli, draudzību un vēl visādām lietām, kas maisās pa cilvēka galvu arī tad, ja viņš nav filozofs pēc profesijas. Noslēpuma izmeklēšana atkal ir vairāk otrajā plānā, bet gadījums ir interesants, tāpat kā Izabellas pārspriedumi par kārdinājumiem (ne tikai no šokolādes puses). Gana jauki, bet sēriju neturpināšu, jo lasīju tikai Grāmatu kluba tēmas dēļ. Mazliet kaitina autora uzbāzīgā vēlme aprakstīt katru Izabellas ieto maršrutu, uzskaitot katru ielu un pakalnu, un ceļa līkumu. Protams, par atsevišķiem kultūrvēsturiskiem objektiem ir interesanti uzzināt ko jaunu, bet piesaukt katras ielas un krustojuma nosaukumu ir lieki. Bet labi aizpilda lappuses, protams. Visumā gan vairāk pievienotās vērtības, nekā līdzīgās grāmatās, tāpēc tehniski savā žanrā varētu iedot 4 zvaigznes, bet esmu diezgan droša, ka pēc mēneša jau būšu par to vispār aizmirsusi, tāpēc iztiksim ar vidējo aritmētisko.
“Šķiet, visi skotu dzejnieki bija pārāk daudz dzēruši vai rakstījuši par dzeršanu, vai dzeršanas iespaidā rakstījuši muļķības.”
“Šķiet, visi skotu dzejnieki bija pārāk daudz dzēruši vai rakstījuši par dzeršanu, vai dzeršanas iespaidā rakstījuši muļķības.”
December 4, 2008
This should really be a 3.5 star book-- certainly better than The Sunday Philosopher's Club, as its plot has a bit more resolution to it. Isabel, however, begins to wear a bit thin-- a little too self-righteous, and not nearly self-aware enough to really justify it. However, I might be feeling this more from the last two books (The Right Attitude to Rain and The Careful Use of Compliments) than from this particular book. I think she's really at her best in this installment.
March 29, 2018
This was such an easy, amusing little read. The second in a series, the book has a mystery that is tucked so gently among the pages that it barely registers. Instead the reader is treated to sort of a stream of consciousness from the heroine Isabel, who muses to herself about all kinds of subjects including her attraction to a younger man. Along the way, she manages almost effortlessly to solve the mystery. If there is a special category for Relaxing Reads, this one fits the bill.
June 29, 2008
This series just gets better. It's the mystery novel for the thinking person. Our heroine, Isabel Dalhousie is, as ever, distracted from her mystery (which is usually more of an intrigue than a real mystery) by the pressing issues of applied ethics. The real delight in this, of course, is setting the book down in your lap for a bit to think over whether or not it is our moral obligation to respond to all emails, or whatever question may have arisen, and then pop back into the story like nothing ever happened. I flew through this book. Flew.
July 20, 2015
Isabel Dalhousie's niece Cat asks Isabel to mind Cat's deli while she goes off to a wedding in Italy. Isabel is worried Cat will fall in love with an Italian lothario or worse - mafioso. [Um can we say stereotypes?] Isabel would much rather Cat get back together with Jamie who has pledged his undying love for her. Nevermind Isabel's little crush on him- she's far too old. She agrees to run the deli for awhile, putting her own work with the Review of Applied Ethics aside. Then, while eating lunch one day, she meets Ian, a psychologist and recent heart transplant patient. They have a wonderful discussion on cellular memory and other [largely boring] philosophical discussions. Ian's questions aren't merely hypothetical. Since his heart transplant he has had a image in his mind of a man and is convinced it is a memory of the young heart donor. Isabel is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. She's certain there is a deeper mystery here, one that involves murder. Her housekeeper and friend Grace believes in spiritualism but Jamie is more practical minded. Both want to help Isabel get to the truth. She might be momentarily distracted by the Italian man who followed Cat home. Cat seems to be trying to set her aunt up!
After reading his version of Emma, I was curious about Alexander McCall Smith. I liked his writing style in Emma but here I found it very ponderous. There was way too much philosophical discussion and ruminating on whether an older woman can be with a younger man. OK we get it! Isabel doesn't want to be a so-called cougar. I took offense at her stereotypes of Italian men. I know of more supposed Italian-American mafioso (in my own state) than I do in Italy. My parents have friends who fit neither stereotype and I felt Isabel's worries were unfounded. The mystery doesn't happen until about midway through and then it gets interesting. The resolution left me confused and disappointed.
Isabel is a non-nonsense practical type. She's a spinster aunt of the old-fashioned style though she is only in her early 40s. I found it hard to relate to her though she is close to my own age. I thought perhaps the book was set in the past due not only to Isabel's behavior but also the references to Isabel using a corded phone and sending notes in the mail. (Or was Scotland that old-fashioned still in 2005?) Anyway, I found her long philosophical discussions boring and skimmed most of them. She seemed to come alive more when she met Ian, but sadly he's married so no romance there. Her potential romance never gets off the ground unfortunately and that part was kind of superfluous and bizarre.
I didn't care enough about the novel or the characters to want to read more of the series.
After reading his version of Emma, I was curious about Alexander McCall Smith. I liked his writing style in Emma but here I found it very ponderous. There was way too much philosophical discussion and ruminating on whether an older woman can be with a younger man. OK we get it! Isabel doesn't want to be a so-called cougar. I took offense at her stereotypes of Italian men. I know of more supposed Italian-American mafioso (in my own state) than I do in Italy. My parents have friends who fit neither stereotype and I felt Isabel's worries were unfounded. The mystery doesn't happen until about midway through and then it gets interesting. The resolution left me confused and disappointed.
Isabel is a non-nonsense practical type. She's a spinster aunt of the old-fashioned style though she is only in her early 40s. I found it hard to relate to her though she is close to my own age. I thought perhaps the book was set in the past due not only to Isabel's behavior but also the references to Isabel using a corded phone and sending notes in the mail. (Or was Scotland that old-fashioned still in 2005?) Anyway, I found her long philosophical discussions boring and skimmed most of them. She seemed to come alive more when she met Ian, but sadly he's married so no romance there. Her potential romance never gets off the ground unfortunately and that part was kind of superfluous and bizarre.
I didn't care enough about the novel or the characters to want to read more of the series.
April 4, 2018
I’ll admit I bought this book because it was written by Alexander McCall Smith. I had heard of the Isabel Dalhousie series, but McCall Smith and his The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency was the main reason I wanted to read this book.
The story centres round middle-aged divorcee Isabel Dalhousie, a philosopher (and editor of a literary review on applied ethics) who lives in Edinburgh. In love with her oblivious friend Jamie (who is fifteen years or so younger and is still deeply in love with ex-girlfriend Cat, Isabel’s niece), Isabel goes through life wondering if a second chance at love awaits (her first marriage was disastrous). In the meantime, she goes about getting to the root of an odd problem: a chance stranger she gets talking to tells her that he’s recently had a heart transplant—and is now seeing what he thinks are memories of the (unknown) donor.
Considering I’ve read almost all the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels and know their style and their characters very well, it’s perhaps unsurprising that even as I read Friends, Lovers, Chocolate, I was unconsciously looking for similarities between the two series. At first, it seemed as if the books were written by two completely different people. The settings couldn’t be more different (the portrayal of the setting, by the way, is one of the best things about this book—McCall Smith brings Edinburgh and Scotland and Scottishness brilliantly to life). The style of writing is different. The atmosphere, it seemed to me, is different.
And not quite, eventually. Besides the superficial details—single woman protagonist with a bad marriage and a cheating husband in her past; a confident female associate with decided views of her own (interestingly, also called Grace, though Isabel’s housekeeper is a school dropout, unlike the 97%-awarded Mma Makutsi). A not-quite-criminal mystery. Some blundering, some help from unexpected quarters. A lot of philosophy (though Precious Ramotswe’s philosophy comes across as more earthy and more rooted in everyday life than Isabel’s).
This isn’t a bad book, but it’s not a terribly interesting one either. The plot’s a bit weak—I get the message, but I don’t see the need to devote most of a book to it—and besides the main thread of the plot, there’s not enough to really hold one’s attention. Isabel Dalhousie is a likable character (though I’ll admit I like Precious Ramotswe more) and the quotes from WH Auden’s poetry enhance the Scottishness of the book, but I doubt if I’ll be looking out for the next book in the series—or the previous book.
The story centres round middle-aged divorcee Isabel Dalhousie, a philosopher (and editor of a literary review on applied ethics) who lives in Edinburgh. In love with her oblivious friend Jamie (who is fifteen years or so younger and is still deeply in love with ex-girlfriend Cat, Isabel’s niece), Isabel goes through life wondering if a second chance at love awaits (her first marriage was disastrous). In the meantime, she goes about getting to the root of an odd problem: a chance stranger she gets talking to tells her that he’s recently had a heart transplant—and is now seeing what he thinks are memories of the (unknown) donor.
Considering I’ve read almost all the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels and know their style and their characters very well, it’s perhaps unsurprising that even as I read Friends, Lovers, Chocolate, I was unconsciously looking for similarities between the two series. At first, it seemed as if the books were written by two completely different people. The settings couldn’t be more different (the portrayal of the setting, by the way, is one of the best things about this book—McCall Smith brings Edinburgh and Scotland and Scottishness brilliantly to life). The style of writing is different. The atmosphere, it seemed to me, is different.
And not quite, eventually. Besides the superficial details—single woman protagonist with a bad marriage and a cheating husband in her past; a confident female associate with decided views of her own (interestingly, also called Grace, though Isabel’s housekeeper is a school dropout, unlike the 97%-awarded Mma Makutsi). A not-quite-criminal mystery. Some blundering, some help from unexpected quarters. A lot of philosophy (though Precious Ramotswe’s philosophy comes across as more earthy and more rooted in everyday life than Isabel’s).
This isn’t a bad book, but it’s not a terribly interesting one either. The plot’s a bit weak—I get the message, but I don’t see the need to devote most of a book to it—and besides the main thread of the plot, there’s not enough to really hold one’s attention. Isabel Dalhousie is a likable character (though I’ll admit I like Precious Ramotswe more) and the quotes from WH Auden’s poetry enhance the Scottishness of the book, but I doubt if I’ll be looking out for the next book in the series—or the previous book.
April 28, 2008
i checked this one out (in fact, i also listened to the sunday philosophers club since it was the first in this series) simply because it had the word chocolate in the title and the pictures of a cafe on the front–ripe with the promise of foodie fiction. no such luck. i don’t actually remember any chocolate at all in this book. yes, isabel dalhousie (which always brings to mind a tiny toy house for precious dolls) does “mind the shop” for her niece, but… not really. that is such a miniscule part of the text that it’s just a passing thought. this was a very tiresome book. both of them were. i found them slightly irritating–not as bad as the professor what-his-name in the sausage dog book but still, annoying. i’ve only ever liked his africa series, so maybe i’ll go back to them. sigh. anyone got any great foodie fiction out there? i loved “eat cake” by jeanne ray….
December 14, 2025
***2nd read***
I always enjoy reading and rereading this man’s work. Eddie might just be my favorite character in here. I just finished the series and decided to start back to the beginning and go again. This is the perfect series for me for insomnia listening bc nothing is ever that pressing. It’s a little more ponderous and contemplative, bc the main character is a philosopher. It is definitely more interesting than I’m making it sound.
Davina Porter does all but the last audiobook narration and does a wonderful job changing voices for all of the characters. Highly recommended in print and audio formats.
***First read***
3.75 stars. Another solid mystery in the Sunday Philosophy Club series. Thanks again Alex!
I always enjoy reading and rereading this man’s work. Eddie might just be my favorite character in here. I just finished the series and decided to start back to the beginning and go again. This is the perfect series for me for insomnia listening bc nothing is ever that pressing. It’s a little more ponderous and contemplative, bc the main character is a philosopher. It is definitely more interesting than I’m making it sound.
Davina Porter does all but the last audiobook narration and does a wonderful job changing voices for all of the characters. Highly recommended in print and audio formats.
***First read***
3.75 stars. Another solid mystery in the Sunday Philosophy Club series. Thanks again Alex!
August 20, 2019
2.5 stars
June 7, 2012
Alexander McCall Smith proved his genius with the The Sunday Philosophy Club, the debut novel in a second mystery series. The novel was as different from his Precious Ramotswe series as could be: Isabel Dalhousie is an extremely educated editor of an ethical journal in urban Edinburgh, while the kindly, clever but less sophisticated Mma Ramotswe labors in a smallish town in Botswana. Yet, you sense that the two women would get along like a house on fire if, by some miracle, they ever met.
This second novel featuring Isabel Dalhousie is even slower than the first. Unlike the first novel, there's no death. The mysteries are sort of un-mysteries. Nothing much happens, actually. Yet, although I couldn't tell you why, I really enjoyed Friends, Lovers, Chocolate. It revealed a great deal more about Isabel, her niece Cat and Cat's former lover Jamie. It's a character study rather than a mystery. Perhaps it is because Isabel and I are both the same age -- suddenly noticing that we're uncomfortably wedged into middle age -- but I really enjoyed the novel despite its meandering pace. It seemed like a leisurely stroll with a treasured aunt -- one like Isabel Dalhousie herself -- rather than an interminable evening with tiresome company. While I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first, it left me eager for the next Isabel Dalhousie book.
This second novel featuring Isabel Dalhousie is even slower than the first. Unlike the first novel, there's no death. The mysteries are sort of un-mysteries. Nothing much happens, actually. Yet, although I couldn't tell you why, I really enjoyed Friends, Lovers, Chocolate. It revealed a great deal more about Isabel, her niece Cat and Cat's former lover Jamie. It's a character study rather than a mystery. Perhaps it is because Isabel and I are both the same age -- suddenly noticing that we're uncomfortably wedged into middle age -- but I really enjoyed the novel despite its meandering pace. It seemed like a leisurely stroll with a treasured aunt -- one like Isabel Dalhousie herself -- rather than an interminable evening with tiresome company. While I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first, it left me eager for the next Isabel Dalhousie book.
October 13, 2009
I am always amazed at the interesting questions Alexander McCall Smith brings to his novels. Again, the mystery is not the most important thing about the book. In this one, the strange feelings of a man who has received a donor heart are the mystery. Is there something as a cell memory which is giving him visions he can only suspect are from the donor's life? Isabelle decides to tackle the question and we follow her thorough many false starts and red herrings.
As with the others, the lives of her niece and her former boyfriend Jamie are a core part of the book. Isabelle's feelings for Jamie are very complicated and it is interesting to contemplate how the author is going to resolve them. How much interference in others lives is permissible?
As much as I like these books, I find that I can only read a few at a time. There is so much to absorb and so many ethical questions to contemplate, that I have to grow into them. For people who like action and crime scenes, this series will be way too slow and the questions too cerebral, but I find them fascinating.
As with the others, the lives of her niece and her former boyfriend Jamie are a core part of the book. Isabelle's feelings for Jamie are very complicated and it is interesting to contemplate how the author is going to resolve them. How much interference in others lives is permissible?
As much as I like these books, I find that I can only read a few at a time. There is so much to absorb and so many ethical questions to contemplate, that I have to grow into them. For people who like action and crime scenes, this series will be way too slow and the questions too cerebral, but I find them fascinating.
December 10, 2015
I've read a handful of books by this author. So far, he is just lukewarm for me. I don't love them. I don't hate them. I thought I would like this one more though. Davina Porter did the narration and I love her. She narrated the Outlander series. But by coincidence, this book also had a Jaime and an Ian as characters, all with Scottish accents. So I kept thinking Outlander all the way through this.
October 7, 2016
Sometimes a writer will sit back and contemplate philosophical thoughts. In other words, their minds drift. Seems like Smith decided to write a character for his musings. Isobel has to decide whether the recipient of a heart has the right to thank the donor family in person, even if they don't want to meet him.
December 27, 2017
The premise behind the Isabel Dalhousie “Sunday Philosopher Club” series is this: Isabel is editor of an academic journal of ethics. It is her personal ethic that she is obliged to act upon her principles. She cannot simply sit back and be an observer. And so we have the set-up for an adventure.
In Friends, Lovers, Chocolate, Isabel meets Ian, who is haunted by visions of a man he comes to believe must be the murdered donor of his transplanted heart. Ian would experience jolts of pain in his body always accompanied by a vision of a man's scarred face. Did the heart have a cellular memory of the killer? Isabel has to investigate.
Isabel is skeptical that a heart recipient could literally have taken on the donor’s memories or fears. But she is taken with Ian and the possibility of a conundrum. She goes sleuthing across Edinburgh in search of the unknown heart donor. When she finds him, she learns that the donor's stepfather turns out to look much like the man of Ian's nightmares. In her soothing way, Isabel helps Ian to an understanding of how this face may have come to haunt him. The urbane and rational philosopher triumphs.
The story of the heart’s memory is interleaved with a variety of other relationships in Isabel’s life. The cast of characters includes Cat, a favorite niece and gourmet deli owner; Grace, her housekeeper with spiritualist leanings; Jamie, the former boyfriend of Cat; Louise, the married woman with whom he has an affair; Tomasso, an Italian would-be lover of Isabel. In other words, a delightful Edinburgh menagerie from the fertile imagination of Alexander McCall-Smith.
I read this at a moment when I needed a light and entertaining book. I knew just where to go to find it.
I rather love it that the actual Sunday Philosophy Club never meets.
In Friends, Lovers, Chocolate, Isabel meets Ian, who is haunted by visions of a man he comes to believe must be the murdered donor of his transplanted heart. Ian would experience jolts of pain in his body always accompanied by a vision of a man's scarred face. Did the heart have a cellular memory of the killer? Isabel has to investigate.
Isabel is skeptical that a heart recipient could literally have taken on the donor’s memories or fears. But she is taken with Ian and the possibility of a conundrum. She goes sleuthing across Edinburgh in search of the unknown heart donor. When she finds him, she learns that the donor's stepfather turns out to look much like the man of Ian's nightmares. In her soothing way, Isabel helps Ian to an understanding of how this face may have come to haunt him. The urbane and rational philosopher triumphs.
The story of the heart’s memory is interleaved with a variety of other relationships in Isabel’s life. The cast of characters includes Cat, a favorite niece and gourmet deli owner; Grace, her housekeeper with spiritualist leanings; Jamie, the former boyfriend of Cat; Louise, the married woman with whom he has an affair; Tomasso, an Italian would-be lover of Isabel. In other words, a delightful Edinburgh menagerie from the fertile imagination of Alexander McCall-Smith.
I read this at a moment when I needed a light and entertaining book. I knew just where to go to find it.
I rather love it that the actual Sunday Philosophy Club never meets.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2023
I found this book lying on the road in front of our house. I leaned it against a pole there for a few days. When no one claimed it, I took it inside before the rain hit. Based on the title, I didn't think it was my kind of book. But as I started to read, i got sucked in and read the whole book. I really like how Isabel's thinking wanders out on different tangents. It is very realistic in how our thoughts are not always linear and focused on the matter at hand. It was a unique mystery to solve, as opposed to the typical murder mystery. I think I'll look for something else by this author soon, right after I drop this book in the little lending library box nearby. Maybe the rightful owner will find it there.
June 14, 2022
I love all of McCall Smith's books. I find them very relaxing. There's a good mystery and lots of interesting characters. He really makes Edinburgh come alive.
June 8, 2020
Wanted to try another series written by this author, so this is my first (though second in series) sampling of the lady philosopher residing in Edinburgh. Key characters are not necessarily fleshed out as in her niece Cat in this particular tale. She plays a big role in her life but in this book little is shown of her personality. Jamie, the young male friend who is in love with Cat seems to be Isabel's secret love so there are strains on that friendship. Grace the housekeeper is a believer in the art of clairvoyance, so Isabel actually attends one of these meetings with her. Well, that's the main crew.
Isabel has stacks of submitted articles to study and pass judgment on and that should keep her busy but apparently she has a penchant for getting involved in resolving problems using philosophical principles when possible.
In this case she helps a man who is the recipient of a heart transplant.
There is rather a lot of meandering, musing and daydreaming. Innocent fun along with a nice bit of Edinburgh landmarks. Well written but very boring compared to the Varg books.
Library Loan
Isabel has stacks of submitted articles to study and pass judgment on and that should keep her busy but apparently she has a penchant for getting involved in resolving problems using philosophical principles when possible.
In this case she helps a man who is the recipient of a heart transplant.
There is rather a lot of meandering, musing and daydreaming. Innocent fun along with a nice bit of Edinburgh landmarks. Well written but very boring compared to the Varg books.
Library Loan
November 10, 2025
I love McCall-Smith, I find his books soothing and wise and feminine yet balanced (this probably comes from their being written by a man!). I always get involved in his characters' lives, care about them and can't wait to read more about them. Plots are not the point; human interaction and thoughts are, and they are presented with such a light hand, and such an obvious love for life and people and places that I always feel better after spending time with these books. Do not buy the (which I also love)MMa Ramotswe and Dalhousie if you want a proper detective story, but do buy them and enjoy them all, possibly in chronological order, if you want to be reconciled with life. Sounds like a lot to ask from books, but read them and you will see what I mean.
Here Isabel comes again, in the second book of her series. The ostensible plot is that, while tending her niece Cat's gourmet deli in Edinburgh, she meets a psychologist named Ian who received a heart transplant from a donor thought to have been killed in a hit-and-run traffic accident. Periodically since then, Ian would experience jolts of pain in his body always accompanied by a sinister vision of a man's face. Was the heart passing on a cellular memory of the killer? Isabel has to investigate.
But this book is more notable for the growing relationship between Isabel and Jamie, a much younger man who had once been Cat's beau. She rejected him unceremoniously, but he still carries a torch for her. Meanwhile, he has become Isabel's confidante and friend, and she has started to develop feelings for him--which she disclaims to herself under the circumstances. The other plot gets resolved, in McCall Smith's typically convoluted way. I bet it's been 3-4 years since I've read a McCall-Smith. I had more fun the last couple days reading these two books, and they brought smiles I thought I may have forgotten, but it was fun nevertheless. Enjoy!!
Key characters are not necessarily fleshed out as in her niece Cat in this particular tale. She plays a big role in her life but in this book little is shown of her personality. Jamie, the young male friend who is in love with Cat seems to be Isabel's secret love so there are strains on that friendship. Grace the housekeeper is a believer in the art of clairvoyance, so Isabel actually attends one of these meetings with her. Well, that's the main crew. Isabel has stacks of submitted articles to study and pass judgment on and that should keep her busy but apparently she has a penchant for getting involved in resolving problems using philosophical principles when possible. In this case she helps a man who is the recipient of a heart transplant.
There is rather a lot of meandering, musing and daydreaming. Innocent fun along with a nice bit of Edinburgh landmarks. Have fun reading - Enjoy!!! Rate 5 stars
Here Isabel comes again, in the second book of her series. The ostensible plot is that, while tending her niece Cat's gourmet deli in Edinburgh, she meets a psychologist named Ian who received a heart transplant from a donor thought to have been killed in a hit-and-run traffic accident. Periodically since then, Ian would experience jolts of pain in his body always accompanied by a sinister vision of a man's face. Was the heart passing on a cellular memory of the killer? Isabel has to investigate.
But this book is more notable for the growing relationship between Isabel and Jamie, a much younger man who had once been Cat's beau. She rejected him unceremoniously, but he still carries a torch for her. Meanwhile, he has become Isabel's confidante and friend, and she has started to develop feelings for him--which she disclaims to herself under the circumstances. The other plot gets resolved, in McCall Smith's typically convoluted way. I bet it's been 3-4 years since I've read a McCall-Smith. I had more fun the last couple days reading these two books, and they brought smiles I thought I may have forgotten, but it was fun nevertheless. Enjoy!!
Key characters are not necessarily fleshed out as in her niece Cat in this particular tale. She plays a big role in her life but in this book little is shown of her personality. Jamie, the young male friend who is in love with Cat seems to be Isabel's secret love so there are strains on that friendship. Grace the housekeeper is a believer in the art of clairvoyance, so Isabel actually attends one of these meetings with her. Well, that's the main crew. Isabel has stacks of submitted articles to study and pass judgment on and that should keep her busy but apparently she has a penchant for getting involved in resolving problems using philosophical principles when possible. In this case she helps a man who is the recipient of a heart transplant.
There is rather a lot of meandering, musing and daydreaming. Innocent fun along with a nice bit of Edinburgh landmarks. Have fun reading - Enjoy!!! Rate 5 stars
January 15, 2015
Book on CD performed by Davinia Porter
Book #2 in the Isabel Dalhousie series has Isabel contemplating mysteries of the heart – literally and figuratively. When her niece, Cat, asks her to look after the delicatessen while Cat is on holiday, Isabel meets a man with a very interesting problem. He has recently had a heart transplant and now is experiencing strange dreams / memories of things that never happened to him.
This has been languishing on my tbr for quite some time. I read the first book in the series - The Sunday Philosophy Club back in 2009 and wasn’t very impressed. I think that was probably because I was expecting Precious Ramotswe, which was an unfair expectation. Having no such expectations this time, I liked this one much better. I enjoy the philosophical / ethical / moral dilemmas (both real and imagined) that Isabel contemplates. And I really like her relationship with the various characters – Cat, Ian, Jamie, Grace, et al.
One of my favorite quotes comes when Isabel is thinking back on a childhood memory and begins to remember her mother: “…her mother, whose face she saw sometimes at night, in her dreams, as if she had never gone away, and who was still there, as we often think of the dead, in the background, like a cloud of love, against which weather we conduct our lives.” A cloud of love, against which weather we conduct our lives – I just love that image.
There really isn’t much mystery here, and I wouldn’t categorize it in that genre. But it is a gentle, thoughtful read with endearing characters and some food for thought.
Davinia Porter does a fine job performing the audio, with good pacing and sufficient skill as a voice artist to differentiate the characters.
Book #2 in the Isabel Dalhousie series has Isabel contemplating mysteries of the heart – literally and figuratively. When her niece, Cat, asks her to look after the delicatessen while Cat is on holiday, Isabel meets a man with a very interesting problem. He has recently had a heart transplant and now is experiencing strange dreams / memories of things that never happened to him.
This has been languishing on my tbr for quite some time. I read the first book in the series - The Sunday Philosophy Club back in 2009 and wasn’t very impressed. I think that was probably because I was expecting Precious Ramotswe, which was an unfair expectation. Having no such expectations this time, I liked this one much better. I enjoy the philosophical / ethical / moral dilemmas (both real and imagined) that Isabel contemplates. And I really like her relationship with the various characters – Cat, Ian, Jamie, Grace, et al.
One of my favorite quotes comes when Isabel is thinking back on a childhood memory and begins to remember her mother: “…her mother, whose face she saw sometimes at night, in her dreams, as if she had never gone away, and who was still there, as we often think of the dead, in the background, like a cloud of love, against which weather we conduct our lives.” A cloud of love, against which weather we conduct our lives – I just love that image.
There really isn’t much mystery here, and I wouldn’t categorize it in that genre. But it is a gentle, thoughtful read with endearing characters and some food for thought.
Davinia Porter does a fine job performing the audio, with good pacing and sufficient skill as a voice artist to differentiate the characters.
January 27, 2012
Rating: 3.5* of five
The Book Report: No life is perfect. Isabel Dalhousie would seem to be an exception to that rule, since she's rich, well-educated, and has a job she loves. (Hate her yet?) But all else being equal, which it never is, how can you hate a woman who believes it is a moral duty to help someone who most of us would call nutsy-cuckoo?
She meets a man who has had a heart transplant. He's troubled by dreams and memories of a man with a scarred eye, and a sense of foreboding and unhappiness connected with the face. Isabel sets out to help him discover the identity of the man in his dreams, and the search takes her into some odd territory. The resolution to the story is no surprise, but very interesting nonetheless.
But life being what it is, there is no shortage of other stuff going on in Isabel's life, including family drama, love affairs aborted and unformed (despite her now-explicit longing for a HIGHLY inappropriate man), and issues of moral consequence: What is our obligation to others when it risks compromising our own psychological well-being to act selflessly?
Or, in practical terms, do I **HAVE** to be nice to that scumbag douchetard that's sleepin' with My Man?
My Review: Even better than the first one! Bring on more, Mr. McCall Smith!
The Book Report: No life is perfect. Isabel Dalhousie would seem to be an exception to that rule, since she's rich, well-educated, and has a job she loves. (Hate her yet?) But all else being equal, which it never is, how can you hate a woman who believes it is a moral duty to help someone who most of us would call nutsy-cuckoo?
She meets a man who has had a heart transplant. He's troubled by dreams and memories of a man with a scarred eye, and a sense of foreboding and unhappiness connected with the face. Isabel sets out to help him discover the identity of the man in his dreams, and the search takes her into some odd territory. The resolution to the story is no surprise, but very interesting nonetheless.
But life being what it is, there is no shortage of other stuff going on in Isabel's life, including family drama, love affairs aborted and unformed (despite her now-explicit longing for a HIGHLY inappropriate man), and issues of moral consequence: What is our obligation to others when it risks compromising our own psychological well-being to act selflessly?
Or, in practical terms, do I **HAVE** to be nice to that scumbag douchetard that's sleepin' with My Man?
My Review: Even better than the first one! Bring on more, Mr. McCall Smith!
March 26, 2022
I didn't think I was going to try any more Isabel Dalhousie books, after not enjoying the first one too much... but when book bingo calls for me to read a book "set somewhere you have been"... let's be real, I'm always going to want it to be Edinburgh. And Alexander McCall Smith's writing style is a sort of siren call for me. So I decided to give the second book in the series a try.
I liked a lot of it. But ultimately, I guess I am still warming up to Isabel, and I'm not sure if I'll come to like her more in future books or not. She's a bit too ivory-tower for me. A bit unrelatable, a bit aimless? Although I've gotten used to AMC's philosophical, meandering style (and I relish it!), it just feels cranked up to a very high level with Isabel. And, so far, I do feel like she meddles too much in other people's quandaries, from purely philosophical motives. It just doesn't quite land for me. But I'm more willing to try another book in the series, just because I do enjoy the writing so much!
I liked a lot of it. But ultimately, I guess I am still warming up to Isabel, and I'm not sure if I'll come to like her more in future books or not. She's a bit too ivory-tower for me. A bit unrelatable, a bit aimless? Although I've gotten used to AMC's philosophical, meandering style (and I relish it!), it just feels cranked up to a very high level with Isabel. And, so far, I do feel like she meddles too much in other people's quandaries, from purely philosophical motives. It just doesn't quite land for me. But I'm more willing to try another book in the series, just because I do enjoy the writing so much!
May 16, 2019
Alexander McCall Smith makes some egregious errors in the structure of this story, confusing a relatively trivial and implausible little mystery for the A story, and the riveting romantic life of the main protagonist, the philosopher Isabel Dalhousie, as the B story, when it should have been the other way around. The undeserving A story is resolved with a whimper rather than a bang, while the edge-of-your-seat B story is left hanging like an arrested flasher's flaccidity.
Despite all of this, I found it much more rewarding (five stars) than I did at first reading (four stars) about thirteen years ago. I just love his characters, the Scottish surroundings, and his (Isabel's) philosophical musings. They are so rich and interesting. I always feel that I am in the company of a dear friend, a beloved member of my own tribe.
Despite all of this, I found it much more rewarding (five stars) than I did at first reading (four stars) about thirteen years ago. I just love his characters, the Scottish surroundings, and his (Isabel's) philosophical musings. They are so rich and interesting. I always feel that I am in the company of a dear friend, a beloved member of my own tribe.
February 15, 2024
This book is a delight. Its like a freshly baked, warm, buttery croissant. Light, airy, indulgent and fun. Sometimes thats exactly what you are looking for.
The heart of the novel are the characters and their relationships with one another. The mystery is not the main center of the plot. So if you are looking for a "who dunnit" this not the book for you.
But if youre in the mood to breeze through something that will make you smile. Then I would definitely say pick this up!
The heart of the novel are the characters and their relationships with one another. The mystery is not the main center of the plot. So if you are looking for a "who dunnit" this not the book for you.
But if youre in the mood to breeze through something that will make you smile. Then I would definitely say pick this up!
April 28, 2022
Siaubinga knyga siaubingiems nuobodoms! Turbūt esu kaip reikiant nuoboda, nes neįtikėtinai patiko - ypatingai pirmi 98 p. (likusi knygos dalis irgi). Tiesiog krykštavau skaitydamas ir rasdamas nuorodas tai į skaitytas knygas, tai į vienaip ar kitaip pagarsėjusius asmenis ar jų kūrinius. Jautėsi, kad apie juos rašyta su lengva šypsena veide. Turbūt knyga taip patiko, nes buvau jau gerokai pasiilgęs Alexander McCall Smith piešiamos gyvenimo idilės. Pagrindinė knygos veikėja - Isabel Dalhousie - filosofė, vidutinio amžiaus moteris, taikomosios etikos žurnalo redaktorė nuolat įsimylinti beveik perpus už save jaunesnius gražuolius vyrukus; nenustygstančio gyvenimo įveliama į keistų ir paslaptingų įvykių tyrimą. Kaip minėjau knygoje yra nemažai nuorodų į kitus kūrinius ir lengvų filosofinių pamąstymų bei citatų. Viena iš labiau patikusių ir įstrigusių yra Stendhal citata apie grožį ir laimę - "grožis tai laimės pažadas". Knygoje nešykštima nuorodų į paveikslus ir W. H. Auden eilėraščius. Skaitant eilėraščių ištraukas neįmanoma buvo nesusirasti ir neperskaityti jų visų. Vienu žodžiu - tikrai nebloga neblogo meno propaganda.
Knygą skaičiau lietuviškai (tai yra antroji šios serijos knyga ir vienintelė išversta į Lietuvių kalbą) ir mėgavausi meistrišku vertėjos darbu, kartais dar pasmalsaudamas kaip skambėjo žodis ar sakinys originale. Neretai atrodydavo, kad lietuviškai skamba dar geriau nei originale.
Knygą skaičiau lietuviškai (tai yra antroji šios serijos knyga ir vienintelė išversta į Lietuvių kalbą) ir mėgavausi meistrišku vertėjos darbu, kartais dar pasmalsaudamas kaip skambėjo žodis ar sakinys originale. Neretai atrodydavo, kad lietuviškai skamba dar geriau nei originale.
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November 5, 2025Clean, despite the title.
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