I ADORE the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by this author. This series, however, is slow and pendantic and self-rightous. it is as if he is trying to be "intellectual". This has none of the joy or lightheartedness of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency books.

I'll post it anyway. Someone might want to read it. Don't know why....

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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.

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I did not enjoy this one from McCall Smith quite as much as the "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" novels; there is a certain amount of philosophical meanderings, which somehow detract from the detective aspect. However, it is a very readable mystery story, set in Scotland.

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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.

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I like all the Ladies #1 detective books and hated this one. Too English.

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Another good story by a great writer.

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This book is a delightful and fun to read book. Alexander McCall Smith captures the warmth of Edinburg and its people. Isabel Dalhousie is a talented philosopher who manages to solves mysteries as they come her way. A wonderful mystery book to read!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Stylish but basically unsatisfying cozy about a Scotswoman of a certain age whose inherent curiosity and concern for philosophical morality leads her to investigate the death of a young man who fell from a high balcony at a concert she was attending.

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This was my first book by Alexander McCall Smith and I loved it. I look forward to reading more of his books!

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Smith's books are always interesting reading, but I did not enjoy this character nearly as much as the Lady Detective.

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I tried and tried to like this book as I know 3 others who really liked it. I was so bored that I was on the second disk and realized that I had to go back to halfway through the first because I didn't know what was going on. Well, nothing was. She made a risotto. That's it. I listened to 2 disks of talk talk talk then quit.

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