Search - The Sunday Philosophy Club (Isabel Dalhousie, Bk 1)

I'm a little more than halfway through this book as I started writing this review. The pages so far have been like stone...very hard to turn. I started reading this series because I loved the writer's style in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective series which I found to be rich and eloquent. This, however, I find flat and verbose. - like poorly a cooked pot roast in thin gravy - very hard to chew and swallow. Isabel Dalhouse is no Mme Precious Ramotswe; in fact, every character so far is dull and uninteresting; the setting is uninteresting; there is nothing to like or dislike about the people or the place. Whereas Mme Ramotswe’s -ruminations were honey filled pears of wisdom, Isabel's musings - the fluff filler of the book - were wordy and academic which translate as boring and pretentious. The thoughts seem detached from the character as if it is the writer's own musings (which of course it is) and not the character's ( which is what the writer should make us believe).

Well, I did finish the book, just because I forced myself to do so, and it did not get any easier or enjoyable.

What can I say..either you are a McCall Smith fan or you aren't. I am.Isabel Dalhousie is the Edinburgh version of MMa Ramotswe in Botswana.She has maybe just a touch of Stephanie Plum thrown in There are now 2 more books in this series, which I do not have..."Friends,Lovers, Chocolate" and "The Right Attitude to Rain."
With all of the No.1 Detective Agency fans I thought this book would be long gone!

I'm not quite sure where the Sunday Philosophy Club part comes in, but I liked Isabel Dalhousie, the story's main character. Not the best Alexander McCall Smith book I've read, but still enjoyable.

I thought since I enjoyed this author's books about Africa and the Ladies Detective Agency, that i would like his other books. Not so with this one. the author's style is totally different. He loses himself in the musings of his main character who majored in philosophy. Maybe if you like philosophy you would like this book. i mostly skipped through the musings to get to the plot, which was mildly interesting.
Since everyone has different tastes, perhaps you will like this book I did not.

This was a gentle read, typical of the author....pleasant, with some twists and turns. The musings of the main character about her philosophy on life is very thought provoking.

This is the first book I've read by Alexander Smith, so have nothing to compare it to. But I wondered all the way through if and when The Sunday Philosophy Club was going to meet. Did I miss something? Since this book is the first of a series, I thought there would be some background information, but kept thinking other members of the "club" would appear sooner or later. Overall, the book was enjoyable and I would be willing to get to know Isabel better. Maybe the next book will answer some of my questions.