Product Description

For philosophically minded Isabel Dalhousie, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, getting through life with a clear conscience requires careful thought. And with the arrival of baby Charlie, not to mention a passionate relationship with his father Jamie, fourteen years her junior, Isabel enters deeper and rougher waters. Late motherhood is not the only challenge facing Isabel. Even as she negotiates a truce with her furious niece Cat, and struggles for authority over her son with her formidable housekeeper Grace, Isabel finds herself drawn into the story of a painter's mysterious death off the island of Jura. Perhaps most seriously of all, Isabel's professional existence and that of her beloved Review come under attack from the machiavellian and suspiciously handsome Professor Dove. A master storyteller whether debating ethics in Edinburgh or pursuing lady detectives in Africa, here Alexander McCall Smith is as witty and wise as his irresistibly spirited heroine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4238 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Review
'The No. 2 Lady Detective ... anyone who loves Precious cannot fail to be charmed' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Isabel Dalhousie's charm is undeniable' THE SUNDAY TIMES 'McCall Smith has the gift of evoking an entire social atmosphere in very few and simple words' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'McCall Smith's greatest gift as a writer - and God knows this is just one of many - is that he can write likeable characters' NEW STATESMAN '[The book is a a] gentle, thoughtful read, with likeable characters and evocative passages ... This is an appealing story infused with kindness' SAINSBURY'S MAGAZINE

About the Author
Following a distinguished career as a Professor of Medical Law, Alexander McCall Smith has turned to writing full-time. He is the author of over sixty books on a wide array of subjects, and his books have been translated into forty-two languages. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife.

Customer Reviews

6 out of 5
In my humble opinion the Isabel Dalhousie series are Alexander McCall Smith's best novels, and exceed even the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, which are brilliant.

His characters are utterly engaging and his portrayal of Edinburgh and Scotland so gentle, real and colourful I love reading these novels. His prose falls off the page painting beautiful pictures and characters which come to life as the reader turns the page!

It is difficult to explain what I love so much about this series, but I will try... I imagine Mr McCall Smith reading this and laughing as maybe I have got it all horribly wrong, but it seems to me that there is much left unsaid in these tales, leaving the reader to draw his own conclusions. Life is seen through Isabel's eyes and a series of seemingly inconsequential events and conversations are cleverly woven together.

Isabel continues to believe that the age difference between herself and Jamie means he cannot love her quite enough to really want to marry her, and that he has `settled' for something rather less than Isabel's extremely self centred niece Cat, who dumped him in a (much) earlier novel. This particular reader believes that Jamie loves and respects Isabel very much, but fear of being thought a gold digger prevents him from pressing her further into formalising their relationship. In any case, they seem to have settled into a very satisfactory arrangement that defies definition and is warm and caring but still keeps the spark between them very much alive.

The introduction of Charlie, which I (oh so wrongly!) thought would never work, has brought further interest into Isabel's relationship with her housekeeper Grace as they subtly battle for authority over child care and gripe water, and many more opportunities for comedy as Isabel introduces him to her friends. And are those `oh so cute' tartan rompers for real or is Mr Smith really taking the mickey here?

Isabel's involvement with the `Review of Applied Ethics' continues and develops and there is a puzzle to be solved concerning two paintings which Isabel suspects are forgeries.

As the reviews say, it is `mental comfort food' which `captivates' and `enthrals'.

The series gets back on track
"The Careful Use of Compliments" is the fourth and latest book in the Sunday Philosophy Club series. It picks up a year after "The Right Attitude to Rain". Isabel and Jamie now have a 3 month old son, Charlie - although they are still living in separate residences and are not necessarily committed to one another. Isabel's relationship with her niece Cat has been strained by the double whammy of the hook up with Jamie and arrival of Charlie.

Like the other books in the series, there is a mystery afoot. Isabel becomes intrigued by a painting which may or may not be a forgery. The artist died in an apparent suicide several years previously and she starts to wonder if his death was as straightforward as it seems. However this mystery only really takes over in the latter half of the book. The first part is very much about Isabel's relationships with Jamie, Charlie and Cat, as well as her scheming to retain her position as editor of the Review of Applied Ethics.

The thing I particularly like about the Isabel Dalhousie books is Isabel's lovely observations about life, and this book is rich in that regard. I love the way she gets me to think about everyday things in a way that I never have before: what is meant by everyday expressions, or how dentists are unappreciated by society, or the significance of the stamps that we use on our correspondence.

I felt that the series lost its way with the third book, but "The Careful Use of Compliments" brings it back on track. If you haven't read the others in the series, this is probably not a good place to start as it relies on knowing what has gone before. But if you are a fan of the series - as I am - you will find this is a very pleasing addition.

Motherhood, Fatherhood, Editorship, and Art Collecting
The Careful Use of Compliments shows us Isabel Dalhousie, the practical philosopher of Edinburgh, as she grapples with becoming the unmarried mother of Charlie, keeping Charlie's father Jamie in her life, re-establishing her relationship with her niece Cat (who is miffed that her aunt has borne a child by Cat's ex-boyfriend), fending off a hostile takeover of her editorship of the Review of Applied Ethics, and checking out the authenticity of some paintings that attract her attention. In the course of these joys and trials, Isabel steers close to her notion that people who mean well should act ethically . . . even when it is to their disadvantage to do so. In the process, she learns that a careful use of compliments can open up doors to valuable information and perspectives.

Although Isabel and Jamie, her young lover, share parenthood of the adorable Charlie, they don't share as many other things as they should . . . including trust in one another. Jamie proposes marriage, but Isabel doesn't trust him to mean it. Jamie wants to know how much money Isabel has after she contemplates spending 25,000 pounds on a painting . . . and is chagrined to learn how wealthy she is. Jamie doesn't like Isabel's meddling so she keeps some of it to herself.

Isabel is also on a voyage of self discovery. When a ladder-climbing academic engineers her downfall as editor of her beloved Review, Isabel is shocked by her competitive reaction and what she does based on it. Isabel becomes jealous of Grace (her housekeeper) and her attempts to take good care of Charlie. Isabel is downright annoyed when Cat looks longingly at the covetous academic who is her enemy.

Ultimately, her meddling uncovers a secret she isn't supposed to know . . . and reveals a wrong that needs to be righted. Naturally, Isabel digs in to do the right thing.

The book moves smoothly and covers more interesting ground than many of the earlier books did. Isabel is a little more human and not quite so reluctant to stake her claim on the beloved Jamie.

I found it to be a quick and enjoyable read that left me wanting to see if Isabel and Jamie can build more common ground . . . at least for Charlie's sake.