Search - The Sunday Philosophy Club (Isabel Dalhousie)

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!

Interesting book but not as good as his other 2 series.

An interesting new sleuth from Alexander McCall Smith. I liked his Detective Agency better but this was certainly interesting and a good mystery.

I much prefer the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, but still a pretty good book.

Not quite as good as the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, but enjoyable

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.

It took me few false starts to read the NO 1 Ladies Detective agency. For that reason, I decided to approach this book the same way, that it may take me time to GET the book and the speech patterns. This is a good book if you can accept it for what it is and for what it is not. It is not the NO 1 Ladies Detective Agency. It should not be expected to be that book or that character just because it is the same author. It is a great story that asks some Philosophical question throughout since the Main character is a Philosophy editor. As Americans, we may find some of the content unfamiliar. He isnt writting Fluff. He uses big SAT words. I found it thought provoking, useful, and entertaining. I am looking forward to reading the next book.

Excellent read

This ISBN # is paperback, not hardcover. First edition.