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The Forgotten Affairs Of Youth: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel (Sunday Philosophy Club #8)
by
Alexander McCall Smith (Goodreads Author)
The continuing adventures from Isabel Dalhousie, Edinburgh philosopher and curious observer of the behaviour of her fellow man.
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
December 6th 2011
(first published January 1st 2011)
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Alexander McCall Smith spent part of his childhood in Botswana. That's how he came to write the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. When it became a runaway success he was a law professor -- in Edinburgh, I think. He became a literary phenomenon, turning out free-standing books, books for children, and several other series, including the Isabel Dalhousie books. The latter were at first called the "Sunday Philosophy Club," an idea that never actually developed. He's also done a lecture season...more
The Forgotten Affairs of Youth is the 8th of the Isabel Dalhousie series by Alexander McCall Smith. As always, Isabel’s life is full: she has articles to read for the Review of Applied Ethics, an instance of nepotism by Professor Lettuce to deal with, decisions to make about rising journal production costs, and 2½ year-old Charlie has started swearing. Learning of her niece, Cat’s latest liaison and wondering how many boyfriends is too many, Isabel mulls over her own forgotten affairs of youth:...more
Am in the midst of this book! I read McCall Smith for pure pleasure. It is refreshing to pick up a book and know that you really don't have F=to pick it apart!
Finished it; loved it; calm except for Cat who was, once again, choosing incorrectly from mushrooms to men.
Finished it; loved it; calm except for Cat who was, once again, choosing incorrectly from mushrooms to men.
I've been following Isabel and her adventures in Edinburgh with delight. Nothing much really happens, but you see things through her eyes - always trying to stick to her own ethics and not always succeeding. This trip into her life has her helping a fellow philosopher from Australia find her Scottish roots. Jane was a child of an unmarried college student whose parents (this was the early 60s) made her give up the child for adoption to a couple about to emigrate.
Jane's birth mother died in a ca...more
Jane's birth mother died in a ca...more
The Forgotten Affairs of Youth by Alexander McCall Smith
This review is the second of three reviews of books that seem to me go together. Part A is Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder and Part C is Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott. And they are connected in my mind by their interesting, enlightening and unique explorations of the fundamental questions at the center of life. They each show how their children motivate people to confront previously unexplored concepts of morality a...more
This review is the second of three reviews of books that seem to me go together. Part A is Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder and Part C is Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott. And they are connected in my mind by their interesting, enlightening and unique explorations of the fundamental questions at the center of life. They each show how their children motivate people to confront previously unexplored concepts of morality a...more
I like Alexander McCall Smith. I haven't been able to get into all of his series but I like this one and the Number One Ladies.
However, after maybe 4 or 5 Isabel Dalhousie's maybe it's over?
The conceit of the series is that Isabel is a professional philosopher. She therefore thinks that her way of experiencing the world is more complicated than it is for non-philosophers. From the purchase of cheese to the revelation of a secret to returning a phone call, every choice is fraught with various mor...more
However, after maybe 4 or 5 Isabel Dalhousie's maybe it's over?
The conceit of the series is that Isabel is a professional philosopher. She therefore thinks that her way of experiencing the world is more complicated than it is for non-philosophers. From the purchase of cheese to the revelation of a secret to returning a phone call, every choice is fraught with various mor...more
The Forgotten Affairs Of Youth: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel is the 8th novel in the series featuring Isabel Dalhousie, a Philosopher living in Edinburgh. Isabel is a thoughtful (in all senses of that word) and intelligent woman who is frequently called upon to investigate small mysteries troubling the lives of those she meets. As well, the series follows the development of her own life, both intellectual/professional and personal, and her relationships with her family and friends. Edinburgh also f...more
I've always wondered how other people think, a question, of course, impossible to answer. Alexander McCall Smith does his best to explain how (Dr.) Isabel Dalhousie's mind works. She edits a philosophy journal, and at times her train of thought is a bit deeper than I care about. In one conversation (p 206) Isabel wonders if it would be less complicated to run a delicatessen, "To order cheese and salamis and all the rest and not worry about what we should do and how we should do it?" Actually, in...more
The Forgotten Affairs of Youth is a refreshing story told from a unique perspective. The main character, Isabel, a philosopher, shares her complex and sometimes rambling thoughts as she progresses through the daily challenges of life. She is so real and so human that sometimes it felt as if parts of the book were lifted from my own thoughts and experiences.
Isabel confronts common situations with tact and integrity such as dealing with her child learning foul words from another child, maintaining...more
Isabel confronts common situations with tact and integrity such as dealing with her child learning foul words from another child, maintaining...more
I read this Isabel Dalhousie at a bad time (poor Isabel): way too busy with school and holiday stuff, fighting off a stubborn, low key, but obnoxious cold, and intermingled with a few other books that are faster-moving than she ever is. For all those reasons, I didn't find this Isabel outstanding: too little, too slow, too much philosophy, too few points of human interest. My preoccupations aside, the book read as if McCall Smith ripped through writing it so he could get on to something else, an...more
I love Isabel Dalhousie, loyal citizen of Edinburgh, philospher, owner and editor of the Review of Applied Ethics. I admire her philosophy summed up in this quote: "...she would never accept things as they were. That was what made her do what she did--practice philosophy--and what made her, and everyone else who thought about the world and its unkindnesses, do battle for understanding, for sympathy, for love; in small ways, perhaps, but ways that cumulatively made a difference."
Isabel can turn t...more
Isabel can turn t...more
I’ve loved and admired this series for a while. So thoughtful, so erudite, and so much more philosophical (of course) than most books that this was a joy and wonder to read. That being said, for some reason, I was vaguely disappointed with this book. I hate saying this, since I feel I should have a better handle on my feelings and thoughts and should be better able to express myself, but for some reason, I can’t seem to be able to clearly define why I am disappointed by this book at this time.
I...more
I...more
Alexander McCall Smith's books remain favorite "cozy" reads, but this eighth installment in his "Sunday Philosophy Club" series, was the least satisfying of the Isabel Dalhousie books. Still here are the wonderful, small observations about life and relationships, the finely tuned writing, and the comfortable--meant in the best sense possible--characters, but the story was so lacking in plot and suspense, even by the easy standards of McCall Smith's "mysteries." The difficulties Dalhousie faces a...more
... sarcasm could be fun, but Isabel felt that it should be a private vice, not one practised in public. It was like swearing: a private expletive, muttered in anger or irritation, cold be cathartic and was harmless, unless it reached the point of corrupting the attitude of the person who uttered it; public swearing drew others into one's circle of anger at the world, exposed them to one's antipathy or rage, and invited them to share both it and the view of the world it reflected. That was a dif...more
A charming and more satisfying story than the last two previous book in this series, with a nice balance of philosophical thought and human interaction. So, although this feels more 3.5 on my personal scale, I will call it a 4, compared to the last book.
Once again, this is not a mystery but it is another little human puzzle with several little side stories and nice characters. Grace was not very prominent in this book and her situation offhandedly resolved. Cat is still an issue though, but she...more
Once again, this is not a mystery but it is another little human puzzle with several little side stories and nice characters. Grace was not very prominent in this book and her situation offhandedly resolved. Cat is still an issue though, but she...more
I do love Isabel Dalhousie. I think I've said this before but how I'd like to live her idyllic life. Her thoughts seem to mirror so many of my own. McCall Smith has an uncanny ability to articulate the common place philosophy in which we all dabble. For example, he writes (talking as Isabel):
So you're like most of us today. I have misgivings about people not having a spiritual life. It's so.....so shallow. I sometimes think that life without a spiritual dimension must be like being made of cardb...more
So you're like most of us today. I have misgivings about people not having a spiritual life. It's so.....so shallow. I sometimes think that life without a spiritual dimension must be like being made of cardb...more
Reading one of the Isabel Dalhousie books is like visiting an old and dear friend. Just for a few days, I am taken away to Edinburgh and enjoying walks around town, visits to the deli owned by Isabel's niece, Cat, and sipping cups of tea in the warm, toasty kitchen. Each book is time to catch up. Isabel is an extremely likable character; she is smart, thoughtful, and has a rather exacting moral compass; she is full of common sense and filled with love for her family and country. Even though this...more
This is the second book in the Isabel series I've read -- I can't remember any details from the first one, which is telling. I'm not sure why I read to the end of this book, since I ultimately found it to be very boring, but I'm glad I did, because it got better toward the end. My biggest complaint about this book is that I found Isabel to be incredibly irritating, self-righteous, and self-absorbed. I also didn't really believe in her -- her musings, particularly about sex and romance, have the...more
Enjoyed this Alexander McCall Smith book. Have read some of his "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" books in the past, plus one of the "44 Scotland Street" series, but hadn't touched on the Isabel Dalhousie series until now. Smith employs the same light touch with this one, painting a realistic picture of a character in her everyday life and exploring her internal thoughts. The mild mysteries involved here-- Who is Jane Cooper's father? Why is Isabel's deli-owning niece, Cat, so antagonistic to her?...more
Isabel Dalhousie is a philosopher who lives in Edinburgh with her fiance, their young son, Charlie, and her sometimes stay-over housekeeper, Grace. This book itself is very philosophic and Isabel's thoughts and conversations while searching for the unknown father of 40-something-year-old Jane, who was adopted by an Australian family as a baby, make interesting reading. Jane's mother was a student when she got pregnant while atending an Edinburgh school and the baby's father wasn't shown on the b...more
I'd read this years ago when it first came out, but then at some point lost touch with the series. Rather than starting where I left off, I decided to reread the first three to get back in the mood. I do love these books, even better the second time around. Because so much of them is spent in Isabel's head, I do think it's difficult to wait a year between installments. It's been lovely to read them one after the other during the past several weeks. I've always marveled at how Alexander McCall Sm...more
I have read several of the author’s books set in Botswana and wanted to read one set in Scotland. The Edinburgh setting is an attractive background and the best part of the novel. The heroine, Isabel Dalhousie, is a wealthy philosopher with the annoying habit of philosophizing all the time. She is in her 40’s, a mother of a two year old, and engaged to be married. I am not convinced by this character that seems more the age of a Miss Marple without the charm. Like Miss Marple she has a penchant...more
The latest Isabel Dalhousie is a bit thin, but I'm still giving it 3 stars because I'm in love with Edinburgh (and Jamie is a bit of a dreamboat too!). I've always found Isabel a bit irritating, but now she's seriously getting on my nerves; I am starting to develop sympathies with her niece Kat and at times wondered whether the little mishap with the toxic mushrooms could have been deliberate! (That would provide Isabel with some philosophical issues to chomp on!) I think Isabel needs a bit of a...more
Eighth in the Isabel Dalhousie series and Alexander McCall Smith is still going strong. Philosopher Isabel Dalhousie leads a busy life. She the editor of an academic journal, Review of Applied Ethics, she's about to marry her fiance, Jamie, the father of her toddler son, Charlie, and her relationship with her niece, Cat, is as complex as always. But Isabel finds time to help a new friend, a professor of philosophy from Australia, who is searching for her birth father and all of the information s...more
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For those of us who often wonder what’s going through other people’s heads, the Isabel Dalhousie series is a rare opportunity to find out. The reader is privy to the heroine’s interior monologue, which is sensitive, witty, and observant. Through the eyes of a cultured philosopher, nothing is dull, nothing ordinary, and the problems of life are, as she says, “convincingly outweighed by its possibilities.”
The amazing thing about Alexander McCall Smith is that several such characters—fully develope...more
The amazing thing about Alexander McCall Smith is that several such characters—fully develope...more
Isabel Dalhousie the protagonist of this series of books is the editor and owner of of a journal of
moral philosophy. In this book in which she is asked to help a woman,Jane find her birth father as she
was adopted and taken to Australia in infancy.
Isabel carefully considers carefully each step she takes to help Jane. This is the appeal of the book to me. To think carefully about the things we do so that they are done morally. I think I should do that myself.
Isabel finds a father for Jane and a...more
moral philosophy. In this book in which she is asked to help a woman,Jane find her birth father as she
was adopted and taken to Australia in infancy.
Isabel carefully considers carefully each step she takes to help Jane. This is the appeal of the book to me. To think carefully about the things we do so that they are done morally. I think I should do that myself.
Isabel finds a father for Jane and a...more
This is the 8th in the Isabel Dalhousie series, and I recommend if a reader is interested that they begin with the first, The Sunday Philosophy Club. This book takes place in Edinburgh Scotland and reflects the ideals of proper behavior there. Don't let that put you off. Each book in this series has a more or less mild mystery to solve, and Isabel can't help but get involved in solving it. She also feels compelled to have philosophical thoughts about almost anything that occurs. Sometimes she ju...more
Sep 21, 2012
Dimity
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Shelves:
2012,
clearing-off-the-shelves-2012,
first-reads,
lighter-side,
mystery,
read-men-fiction,
reviewed,
series,
sold
I feel vaguely douchebagesque to rate a book I won for free on Goodreads (and a nice beautiful hardcover to boot!) so poorly. But in all fairness to honesty, I found very, very little to like in this book. Isabel is one of the most all around unlikable protagonists I’ve ever encountered. I felt like I was reading this book in a different language…I understood what has happening in the plot but I don’t understand WHY this character has reached such popularity, let alone enough for 8 books in a se...more
Another gentle and charming drift through Dr Dalhousie's world of thought.
I like these because she thinks in the same way that I do...indeed most of my closer family do. We see connections in diverse abstract thoughts, which leads one ever onward into the realms of the mind. I have to laugh because many of my co-workers are like the niece, Cat. Completeley literal in thought, word, and deed, and never get the joke or see the connections. Or at least, if they do, it's half an hour too late!
I re...more
I like these because she thinks in the same way that I do...indeed most of my closer family do. We see connections in diverse abstract thoughts, which leads one ever onward into the realms of the mind. I have to laugh because many of my co-workers are like the niece, Cat. Completeley literal in thought, word, and deed, and never get the joke or see the connections. Or at least, if they do, it's half an hour too late!
I re...more
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Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie Series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what...more
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“He seemed genuinely astonished. "You admire me?"
"Yes," she said gravely. "All of us do things we regret--that's part of being human. And sometimes, I think, moral quality reveals itself not so much in what we do, but in what we later say about what we have done....”
—
1 person liked it
"Yes," she said gravely. "All of us do things we regret--that's part of being human. And sometimes, I think, moral quality reveals itself not so much in what we do, but in what we later say about what we have done....”
“..."Charming people, when not actively shooting one another," a friend had once said, which was so unkind, but, like so many unkind comments, had a grain of truth in it. They did shoot one another and had been doing so for centuries. They did bicker over and brood on long-dead history--or history that should be long dead. The problem with history was that it refused to lie down and die.”
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1 person liked it
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