The Charming Quirks Of Others (Isabel Dalhousie Novels Book 7)
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The Charming Quirks of Others Reader’s Guide
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Chi ama i libri sceglie Kobo e inMondadori. Buy the eBook Price: Unavailable in Russia This item can't be purchased in Russia. In this series View all Book 8. Ratings and Reviews 0 2 star ratings 0 reviews. How to write a great review Do Say what you liked best and least Describe the author's style Explain the rating you gave Don't Use rude and profane language Include any personal information Mention spoilers or the book's price Recap the plot.
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Charming Quirks of Others , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about The Charming Quirks of Others. Lists with This Book. Aug 02, Gina rated it did not like it Shelves: I'm growing to hate Isabel Dalhousie. If I knew her in real life I would avoid her at all costs.
But I keep reading these books and I can't say why. The main plots limp along at soap opera pacing and every book is basically the same: Isabel insecure in relationship, spends lots of time fretting and thinking about how kind and beautiful Jamie is.
Isabel worries about her niece's latest boyfriend and grills Jamie about his feelings for Cat. Isabel spends lots of time thinking about how terribly busy I'm growing to hate Isabel Dalhousie. Isabel spends lots of time thinking about how terribly busy she is, although her job seems part-time at best. Luckily she's incredibly wealthy. Lettuce and Dove put Isabel in some sort of impossible moral quandry which usually magically works itself out.
Isabel solves a boring mystery for someone through the use of "intuition" and an amazing number of ridiculous coincidences especially egregious in this one. Isabel spends lots and lots of time philosophizing in her head while not listening to the people speaking to her. Isabel offends her housekeeper in some way. Isabel spends even more time philosophizing about the joys of motherhood and how much she loves her generic son. Isabel helps out in the delicatessen--basically nothing happens. Argh, apparently 7 books was the breaking point for my tolerance. I don't mind a low-key mystery, but this was just so dull.
I see book 8 comes out this December and heaven help me, I'll probably find it at the library and read it, kicking myself the whole time. View all 12 comments. Jan 13, Libby rated it it was amazing. I've read everything he's written thus far, and eagerly await each new volume. His wisdom about human nature is acute--this volume has a couple of wonderful quotes about love: It is simply there; it comes upon us without invitation, without reason sometimes; it surprises us when we are least expecting it, when we think that our hearts are closed or that we are not ready, or we imagine that it will nev I admit it--I'm an Alexander McCall-Smith addict!
It is simply there; it comes upon us without invitation, without reason sometimes; it surprises us when we are least expecting it, when we think that our hearts are closed or that we are not ready, or we imagine that it will never happen to us because it has not happened before. But if I were to ask myself why I love you, or perhaps try to find what is the main cause of my being in love with you, perhaps it is because you are generous of spirit.
It is not because you are beautiful; not because I see perfection in your features, in your smile, in your litheness—all of which I do, of course I do, and have done since the moment I first met you. It is because you are generous in spirit; and may I be like that; may I become like you—which realistic wish, to become the other, is such a true and revealing symptom of love, its most obvious clue, its unmistakable calling card. I enjoy this series, but it's not total love like I feel for his The No. I like this series at am when I wake up sometimes and don't fall right back to sleep.
It won't keep you on the edge of your seat, but the characters and conversation are interesting enough to keep your mind busy until the sandman comes back. Definitely will continue with the series, and I would like to finish all of his other series as well.
But right now, it's nice to know I have so ma I enjoy this series, but it's not total love like I feel for his The No. But right now, it's nice to know I have so many of his books unread. I always know when I pick up one of his books that I'll get something intelligent and civil with some humor and right now, in the US, those things are on the wishlist. Although Alexander McCall Smith sometimes puts his main characters in peril they don't, in the end, suffer: Alexander McCall Smith's writes kindly and humane books which are an antidote to all the crime fiction I read!
As this is the 7th book in the Isabel Dalhousie series, I could barely keep my interest in Isabel as all the moral dilemmas that a middle-class lady in Edinburgh can plausibly encounter has been exhaus Although Alexander McCall Smith sometimes puts his main characters in peril they don't, in the end, suffer: As this is the 7th book in the Isabel Dalhousie series, I could barely keep my interest in Isabel as all the moral dilemmas that a middle-class lady in Edinburgh can plausibly encounter has been exhausted. I feel like the series is starting to slowly run out of steam. It's a charming novel but it suffers badly from an absence of momentum.
The plot is even slighter than usual. McCall Smith's Edinburgh is a small town where everyone is connected and even taxi drivers are philosophers! People have no major failings, just "charming quirks". It's the kind of book that leaves you feeling a little lighter in spirit, musing about topics such as the relative merits of Mozart vs the dinosaurs. Jul 31, Graeme Roberts rated it it was amazing.
I just love Isabel Dalhousie and her philosophical meanderings, despite the flaws of the series, which become more obvious with each book. When will Jamie Isabel's beloved and Cat Isabel's niece and Jamie's former girlfriend be more than two dimensional. Cat hasn't been allowed to grow, despite her increasing experience of men, who are mostly unsuitable. Perhaps too much about complete love and total immersion in each other, but I guess that I need to understand if that exists.
This book lame I just love Isabel Dalhousie and her philosophical meanderings, despite the flaws of the series, which become more obvious with each book. This book laments, even more than the others, the regrettable importance of beauty to sexual attraction, while readily acknowledging that Jamie is a young Scots Greek god, Cat is lovely, and even the slightly older Isabel is a very lovely woman. I am pleased to put myself in the same aesthetic category of rampant male sexuality as the author, Alexander McCall Smith, who could only be described as kind, intelligent, funny and charming, even while wearing his kilt with his sporran showing.
Oct 21, Susan rated it it was ok Shelves: This is such a sweet series that I feel guilty for not liking it better. If I were the heroine, Isabel Dalhousie, I would now spend several pages on the nature of guilt, why everybody is guilty, why I should or should not feel guilty It's gotten so I find Isabel one of the most irritating characters in current fiction, so maybe I'll just give up on her. In this book, she's asked to find out which of three candidates for a job has something questionable in his past. She spends most of her time, This is such a sweet series that I feel guilty for not liking it better.
She spends most of her time, however, thinking about her relationship with her much younger fiance. While she purports to be a philosopher, she tends to act on instinct without thinking things through; while she thinks a lot about Scotland and her family, she reminds me of one of those ethereal air flowers which lives without roots. Mar 31, Dorothy rated it it was ok Shelves: I vacillate in my opinion of the Isabel Dalhousie character between finding her rather sweet and charming and finding her insufferaable and irritating. This entry in the series has to be placed in the latter category.
The story here is that a school is looking for a new headmaster and has narrowed its list of candidates down to three, but an anonymous letter has been received indicating something scandalous in the background of one of three. Unfortunately, the letter doesn't say which one. Isabel I vacillate in my opinion of the Isabel Dalhousie character between finding her rather sweet and charming and finding her insufferaable and irritating. Isabel is asked to investigate "discreetly" and let the school's board know who the scandal-ridden candidate is.
This just seems unbelievable on the face of it. Why would the school asked a philosopher to investigate? Why not ask a professional investigator? Surely there are some in Scotland. But Isabel accepts the assignment with few questions and little hesitation and the rest of the book finds her bumbling her way through an "investigation. She takes one offhand stray "clue" and jumps to immediate conclusions about a person.
This seems highly unprofessional and incompetent for either a philosopher or a detective.
This book was a step too far for me though, possibly because it's the 4th I've read in the past few weeks. What she discovers about all the candidates is surprising, but what she discovers in herself turns out to be equally revealing - and she finds that she has also unwittingly upset Jamie, the father of her young son. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Here is Isabel Dalhousie at her beguiling best: Jul 31, Graeme Roberts rated it it was amazing. Does it have real purpose in social settings?
Not only that but it seems that Isabel is so obsessed with her relationship with her much younger lover, the father of her son, and so insecure in that relationship that she spends all of her time thinking about it. When does she ever find the time to edit her philosophy review or to investigate candidates for headmaster or for that matter to be a mother to her son? The answer seems to be that she really doesn't. I can't see that she spends much time doing anything except thinking about Jamie and what a gentle, beautiful YOUNG man he is and how lucky she is that he loves her.
But does he really love her, Isabel wonders, or is he having an affair with that fellow musician who is dying and for whom he feels sorry and therefore must make love to? After all, she is dying and she is attracted to Jamie and he is so gentle and kind that he just can't reject her This is all just a bit of a mishmash really. The story wanders all over the place with very little to hold it all together. By the end, I was ready to reach through the pages, grab Isabel by the shoulders, give her a good shake, and say, "For heavens' sake, woman, quit philosophizing and just get on with it!
Oct 13, Emily rated it really liked it Shelves: I love the Isabel series, so getting a new installment is a treat.
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This one does not disappoint; although the problem Isabel is called to solve is a bit thin, her interpersonal relationships are as vibrant as ever. Nov 27, Naomi rated it it was ok Shelves: The first one of this series I can truly say I just didn't like.
The end almost redeemed the book, but Isabel is just not her level-headed self, and jumps to outrageous conclusions based on hunches. Isabel is jealous of Jamie and his friendship with a fellow musician. How does she overcome her jealousy? What are other ways people overcome jealousy? Are there situations where one should simply accept your jealousy and address it head on? What role does music and poetry play in the novels and in life?
Who are some of the poets that Alexander McCall Smith often quotes in his novels, especially in this Isabel Dalhousie series? Who are some of your favorite poets? Various artists are mentioned and this novel focuses on a particular piece of art by Scottish painter Raeburn. Why is Isabel generous with this particular painting of her ancestor? For a complete list of available reading group guides, and to sign up for the Reading Group Center enewsletter, visit www.
Questions and Topics for Discussion 1. Discuss the theme of forgiveness in the novel.