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The Sunday Philosophy Club

By Alexander McCall Smith
Series: Isabel Dalhousie Novels
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3.36 goodreads logo

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Check link for latest rating. ( 25,681 ratings, 2,939 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Sunday Philosophy Club, set in Edinburgh, Isabel Dalhousie, a philosopher and amateur sleuth, witnesses a disturbing incident at a concert. Her curiosity and sense of moral obligation lead her to investigate further into the mysterious circumstances surrounding it. This novel blends philosophical musings with a gentle mystery, exploring ethical dilemmas and human nature.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate gentle mysteries woven with philosophical musings and charming, introspective characters. Set in Edinburgh, it delves into the life of an amateur sleuth with a penchant for reflection and a knack for getting involved in intriguing conundrums. Perfect for those who enjoy a mix of wit, wisdom, and a leisurely-paced narrative.

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BOOK ONE IN THE MUCH-LOVED ISABEL DALHOUSIE SERIES

The first in a new series of books by the author of THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY - marking new territory - but familiar moral ground.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Amateur sleuth Isabel Dalhousie is a philosopher who also uses her training to solve unusual mysteries. Isabel is Editor of the Review of Applied Ethics – which addresses such questions as 'Truth telling in sexual relationships' – and she also hosts The Sunday Philosophy Club at her house in Edinburgh. Behind the city's Georgian facades, its moral compasses are spinning with greed, dishonesty and murderous intent. Instinct tells Isabel that the young man who tumbled to his death in front of her eyes at a concert in the Usher Hall didn't fall. He was pushed.

With Isabel Dalhousie, Alexander McCall Smith introduces a new and pneumatic female sleuth to tackle murder, mayhem – and the mysteries of life. As her hero W.H. Auden maintained, classic detective fiction stems from a desire for an uncorrupted Eden which the detective, as an agent of God, can return to us. But then Isabel, being a philosopher, has a thing or two to say about God as well.

Series: Isabel Dalhousie Novels

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  • The Conditions of Unconditional Love
    BOOK 15 IN THE MUCH-LOVED ISABEL DALHOUSIE SERIES 'You can't go out of the house without tripping over a philosophical question.' That is a remark made by Isabel Dalhousie to Jamie, the bassoonist who is her handsome younger husband. Isabel's own life, of course, points to the truth of this observation: she seems to attract philosophical problems in much the...
    By Alexander McCall Smith
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  • Friends, Lovers, Chocolate
    Isabel Dalhousie thinks often of friends, sometimes of lovers, and on occasion of chocolate. As an Edinburgh philosopher, she is certain of where she stands. She can review a book called In Praise of Sin with panache and conviction, but real life is... well, perhaps a bit more challenging - particularly when it comes to her feelings for Jamie, a...
    By Alexander McCall Smith
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  • The Comfort Of Saturdays
    The Comfort Of Saturdays revolves around Isabel Dalhousie, a new mother and a connoisseur of philosophy who would rather not be a sleuth. However, a chance conversation at a dinner party draws Isabel into the case of a doctor whose career has been ruined, and she cannot ignore what may be a miscarriage of justice. For Isabel, ethics are not...
    By Alexander McCall Smith
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  • The Careful Use Of Compliments
    For the philosophically minded Isabel Dalhousie, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, getting through life with a clear conscience requires careful thought. With the arrival of baby Charlie, and 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. As she negotiates a...
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  • The Geometry of Holding Hands
    The thirteenth installment of the much-loved Isabel Dalhousie series When Isabel Dalhousie and her husband Jamie book a table at an expensive Edinburgh restaurant, she finds herself battling with her conscience. Lately, there has been a lull in work for the Review of Applied Ethics, and the care of their young sons, Charlie and Magnus, is often undertaken by their...
    By Alexander McCall Smith
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  • The Conditions of Unconditional Love
    Book 15 in the beloved Isabel Dalhousie series
    By Alexander McCall Smith
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  • The Sweet Remnants of Summer
    The Sweet Remnants of Summer is the latest instalment in the beloved Isabel Dalhousie series. 'Cosy and effortlessly charming' Herald 'Delightful' Sunday Telegraph 'Humorous and thought-provoking' Undiscovered Scotland Isabel Dalhousie joins the advisory committee of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, but soon finds herself swept up in a delicate dispute between members of a prominent family. David's support for Scottish...
    By Alexander McCall Smith
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  • The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds
    Isabel Dalhousie leads an enviable life in Edinburgh, with time for cloud-gazing, civilised conversation and good coffee from Cat's delicatessen. Alongside these pastimes, she must also keep pace with the varied pursuits of her musician husband and their young son Charlie, who is exhibiting the first, rather worrying signs of mathematical genius. An unexpected appeal for help from a collector...
    By Alexander McCall Smith
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  • The Conditions of Unconditional Love
    BOOK 15 IN THE MUCH-LOVED ISABEL DALHOUSIE SERIES 'You can't go out of the house without tripping over a philosophical question.' That is a remark made by Isabel Dalhousie to Jamie, the bassoonist who is her handsome younger husband. Isabel's own life, of course, points to the truth of this observation: she seems to attract philosophical problems in much the...
    By Alexander McCall Smith
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  • A Distant View of Everything
    Recently distracted by the arrival of her and Jamie's second son, Magnus, Isabel Dalhousie – philanthropic editor of the Review of Applied Ethics – is anxious. The next issue of the Review is far from ready, her eldest, Charlie, is jealous, and their housekeeper, Grace, has an officious approach to childcare. With some relief, Isabel returns to helping out at...
    By Alexander McCall Smith
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  • The Lost Art Of Gratitude
    Isabel Dalhousie, philosopher and amateur solver of other people's problems, meets an old foe, Minty Auchterlonie, at a birthday party attended by their young children. Ambitious Minty, now the head of a small investment bank, is in trouble with her shareholders. Isabel becomes involved and is drawn into a murky world of financial concealment. Minty is not the only high-flier...
    By Alexander McCall Smith
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  • The Quiet Side of Passion
    The Twelfth Installment of the Much-Loved Isabel Dalhousie Series It is summer in Edinburgh and Isabel Dalhousie is once again caught between 'gossip' and significant rumour. It is none of her business that Patricia, the mother of her son Charlie's little friend Basil, is estranged from Basil's father, or that the woman has a somewhat brazen attitude to childcare. And...
    By Alexander McCall Smith
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Sunday Philosophy Club is praised for its discreet charm and attention to life's minutiae, akin to works by Barbara Pym. Reviewers appreciate the novel for providing a comforting and congenial experience, drawing comparisons to the soothing effects of herbal tea by the fire. McCall Smith's portrayal of Scotland is commended as inviting for repeat readers, while the book's wisdom and geniality contribute to its warm reception.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780349139418

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 February 2013

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Abacus

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 131.0mm

Height: 199.0mm

Weight: 211g

Pages: 304

Collections

Alexander McCall Smith Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Series: Isabel Dalhousie Novels

About the Author

ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH has a double existence. He is a Professor of Medical Law, but also an author who has now written over fifty books on a wide range of subjects. His collection of African stories,CHILDREN OF WAX, received critical acclaim and has been the subject of an award-winning film.

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