Paperback blurb: Behind Edinburgh's regimented Georgian facades, its moral compasses are spinning with greed, dishonesty, lust and murderous intent.
Isabel Dalhousie knows this. Isabel, in fact, rather relishes it. An accomplished philosopher and editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, she knows all about the difference between good and bad. Which is probably why, by instinct, she is an amateur sleuth.
And instinct tells her the man who tumbled to his death in front of her eyes after a concert in the Usher Hall didn't fall. He was pushed...
The Sunday Philosophy Club (published 2004) marks new territory - but familiar moral ground. With Isabel Dalhousie, Alexander McCall Smith introduces a new and waspish female sleuth to tackle murder, mayhem - and the mysteries of life.
The author tells you about his new character, Isabel Dalhousie in The Sunday Philosophy Club:
My take: I am somewhat surprised to read about The Really Terrible Orchestra at the midpoint of the book when the author introduces a real-life character, Peter Stevenson, as himself, in the book. At first, I thought it was a figment of the author's imagination but out of curiosity, googled it and found that The Really Terrible Orchestra does in fact exist! In actual fact, The Really Terrible Orchestra was founded by both Stevenson and McCall Smith in 1995.
To my delight, they have performed in public, more notably in London, New York and Utrecht and even broadcasted on radio stations around the world! According to newspaper reports, they are an immediate hit! How have they affected the more serious and professionally competent musicians I wonder. I personally think it is a phenomenon and will see whether I can attend one of their concerts one of these days. Kudos to McCall Smith.
Below, McCall Smith introduces his phenomenon:
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this series as much as The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series or The Corduroy Mansions series. The character does not appeal to me in the least. She hasn't got a role for herself in the beginning so to speak, after all, she is a part-time editor of a philosophical journal, leads a quiet unassuming life in a large house, lives on inherited money and in all appearances, does not do much. It isn't until she stumbles upon a suspicious death at a concert which she attended one evening that she feels it is within her moral obligations to involve herself in these matters. Why? Because she is curious and wants to know why things happened. After all, she is an accomplished philosopher. Sadly, I did not warm to her even when the plot evolves and reaches its conclusion.
Overall, it is an enjoyable book to read and I enjoy reading about the discussions and thoughts on philosophy, the numerous references to poets and painters, the introduction to The Really Terrible Orchestra, and the setting in a historic city. My only contention is I did not warm to the character.
I will, however, move on to Book 2 to see whether the character will grow into me. After all, everyone, both those close to us and fictional, deserves a second chance.
Rating: 3/5
No comments:
Post a Comment