Friends, Lovers, Chocolate: An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery

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It's a hit!

I'm really enjoying this mystery series. As in McCall Smith's "Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency" series, the mystery is secondary to the reality of ... (show more)

I'm really enjoying this mystery series. As in McCall Smith's "Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency" series, the mystery is secondary to the reality of Isabel Dalhousie (the main character): her life philosophy, and her interactions with those around her. However, this series is different in tone: more serious and philosophical (as one would expect with a detective who is a philosopher), and more complex. I like both series in their own way. I've already checked Book 3 out of the library! (show less)

 

 

by Facebook User

No, it's a flop!

I was really excited about Isabel and Jamie first but it kind of dried out. It's the same feeling about the book in over all. It was pretty excitin... (show more)

I was really excited about Isabel and Jamie first but it kind of dried out. It's the same feeling about the book in over all. It was pretty exciting in the beginning but I had trouble finising it. I'm not sure I'll pick up the third Dalhousie book now. (show less)

 

 

by Riikka Härkönen

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  i've finished this months ago so i don't really remember what is within the book. however, i can tell you this book is marvelous in a simple way. the way Isabel thought of everything philosophically. in this book--a little bit of a spoiler--Isable begins to realise her feelings toward Jamie and begins to question if it was alright for her to feel this way toward her niece's ex-boyfriend. yes, of course it wouldn't matter if Jamie keeps his feelings toward Cat--which is probably the case here-... (show more)

  i've finished this months ago so i don't really remember what is within the book. however, i can tell you this book is marvelous in a simple way. the way Isabel thought of everything philosophically. in this book--a little bit of a spoiler--Isable begins to realise her feelings toward Jamie and begins to question if it was alright for her to feel this way toward her niece's ex-boyfriend. yes, of course it wouldn't matter if Jamie keeps his feelings toward Cat--which is probably the case here--however, Isabel still wants to reassure herself that her sense of psychology isn't at all disturbed nor reducesd by such feelings.

  honestly, i am quite amazed at how Isabel manages to gain a friend--not to mention of the opposite sex--so quickly, yet manages to feel nothing of him other than a keen friendship. that is, however, save for Jamie--which she adores beyond belief.

  i simply love the way Alexander McCall Smith puts his words into beautiful reality. reading this book has always reminded me of a simple, warm cup of coffee in a slightly-cold morning. (show less)

   

  by Bivisyani Questibrilia on Dec 11, 2009 at 04:21PM

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  This mystery is set in Scotland, and that's one of the nicest things about the story: the setting. It's very cozy and the reader can see the coffee shops, homes, and gardens. Lovely. The main character, Isabel Dalhousie, is also quite quaint and proper, but she spends an awful lot of time in her head trying to figure out what is the moral thing to do in any given situation. She is well developed and perfectly fits her job as an editor of the Review for Applied Ethics. Isabel is knee deep in ... (show more)

  This mystery is set in Scotland, and that's one of the nicest things about the story: the setting. It's very cozy and the reader can see the coffee shops, homes, and gardens. Lovely. The main character, Isabel Dalhousie, is also quite quaint and proper, but she spends an awful lot of time in her head trying to figure out what is the moral thing to do in any given situation. She is well developed and perfectly fits her job as an editor of the Review for Applied Ethics. Isabel is knee deep in philosophy and ethics, which makes it interesting to follow her train of thought, but then Isabel thinks so much that her mind becomes a mire that traps her and keeps her from taking action!
  In reality, she is a young middle-aged woman madly in love with a man fifteen years her junior, but of course, even though she realizes this on a deep level, she also finds it improper and fails to express her true feelings to him - so frustrating! I love the way she quotes various philosophers and poets. Mostly, she enjoys Burns and Auden, which is ironic since both represent the free spirited non-conformist. Perhaps this is why she enjoys reading these poets. It's safe for her to read them and quote what they have said, but quite another thing to be like them. Isabel reminds me very much of a very proper English professor that I had as an undergrad. Oh, how she loved the Wife of Bath in bawdy Chaucer, yet she was nothing like the Wife . . . that is until one day she really broke out of her shell and married a man 20 years younger than she. Wonder where they are now? I enjoyed this book, even if the main character drove me a bit crazy . . . but then I think that was the author's exact intention! (show less)

   

  by Lori Silver on May 27, 2009 at 10:17PM

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