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Jun 13, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

This might be a silly question, but when does the mystery start? Around page 100, I checked the categories on the copyright page and the back to make sure that it was a "mystery," at least according to the publisher. Then I checked again at page 200. I got to the end (and I hope no one considers this a spoiler) but there <spoiler>wasn't one - no mystery, unless it was why an intelligent woman of childbearing age, without religious convictions, wouldn't use a condom!</spoiler> More...

20 comments like (24 people liked it)

Feb 03, 2012

Troy rated it:

Of the five laudatory review quotes which appear on the cover and end paper (or whatever you call it in a paperback), “delightful” appears in three, a fourth thinks Alexander McCall Smith “a delight”, and the rogue fifth opts for the book’s “charm”. If at this point alarm bells aren’t sounding, this may be the book for you and what follows an affront.

My poor Advanced reading group – just as I thought you couldn’t do worse than Mary Ann Shaffer, along comes “The Right Atti More...

10 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 21, 2008

Rebecca rated it:

In this third installment of the Isabel Dalhousie series, Alexander McCall Smith has done an admirable job of advancing the plot without being too redundant. For those unfamiliar with the series, but who have read the authors No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series, Isabel Dalhousie is a far different protagonist than Mma Ramotswe. While both philosophers in their own right, Isabel's philsophies are academic and rooted in social modernity whereas Precious Ramotswe prides herself on simple wisdo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 26, 2012

Richard rated it:

Rating: 3 disappointed stars of five

The Book Report: Isabel Dalhousie, moral philosopher and newly reawakened lust-pot, entertains her American cousin and her husband in this third installment of the Sunday Philosophy Club series of novels. Much happens, all of it spoilery, but one big thing occurs here: Isabel finally asks her younger musician friend and lust object, Jamie, to bed. He, unsurprisingly, says yes.

Isabel does this because almost everyone in her world spends the More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Aug 03, 2011

Moray rated it:

Aristotle was wrong. When he wrote “Why is it that all men who are outstanding in philosophy, poetry and the arts are melancholic”, he reckoned without Alexander McCall Smith, an author whose expertise in these fields is matched, if not exceeded, by his frivolity. The character of Isabel Dalhousie reflects this mixture of high intellect, sharp observation and easy sense of humour. During some pre-party wardrobe angst we read that “There were word people, idea people – and then there were clot More...

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Jun 10, 2011

Laura rated it:

Picking up an Alexander McCall Smith novel makes me want to curl up in a chair with a cup of hot tea. Considering the temperature here in the Southeast, I'll pass on the hot tea. But I have enjoyed the Isabel Dalhousie "mysteries" a great deal. Isabel is a philosopher, given to musings that are thought-provoking for me and that tie in with the novel's themes and plots more than you'd think at first glance.

In Book 3 of the series, Isabel is her usual inquisitive self. She ha More...

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Oct 05, 2010

Sonia rated it:

In creating the character of Isabel Dalhousie, McCall Smith has given us a heroine who is very real and someone I for one am able to identify with (it may be because I am 40!). It is possible that a younger reader may not appreciate her life, her thoughts and her actions as much. However, this is where Mccall Smith is at his best no doubt. He writes so beautifully and so exactly about Isabel's state of mind and the thoughts that almost always seem to make her a participant and an observer at the More...

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Jun 20, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

Enjoyable and unexpected. A bit slow at the start, but then it warms up. As usual I enjoyed the character Isabel's philosophizing and inquiries into what is moral and right, what we are personally responsible for. Questions such as that are not addressed much these days, but our modern world might be better off if they were.

"She moved away from the rug shop. A man inside, anxiously waiting for customers, had seen her and had been watching her. Isabel had looked through the glas More...

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Jul 18, 2010

Sandy rated it:

Oh, dear!

The Right Attitude to Rain: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel UNABRIDGED
By Alexander McCall Smith
Narrated by Davina Porter

This is not a good sign. It took 30 minutes to realize, I've heard this book before!

I loved the narrator, Davina Porter. Her voice sounded age appropriate and the accent went along perfectly.

So why hadn't I reviewed it? I know I listened to the whole thing,

Publisher's summary:

New York Tim More...

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Oct 24, 2011

Carrie rated it:

Ok, I admit, the characters are growing on me. I read this Kindle edition in one evening -- and immediate checked out the next one and finished it the next day.

I agree with the other reviewers who wonder where the "mystery" is, but they're quick reads and have caused me to ponder some of Isabel's philosophical musings.

Excerpt to ponder: "Begging, she realized, was one of those moral issues which she called intimate; they did not arise in the halls of acade More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Lorna added it

The third episode in Alexander McCall Smith's Isabel Dalhousie series, and Isabel's relationship with niece Cat is put under strain as a result of Isabel's developing relationship with Cat's discarded boyfriend Jamie.

Never one to keep out of trouble, or other people's business, Isabel maintains a watchful eye on the relationship between disfigured American Tom Bruce and his young fiancée - what exactly is her interest in him, or indeed his in her?

But the real driver of the plot in this book is I More...

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Mar 02, 2009

Lizzy rated it:

This is the third installment in Alexander McCall Smith's series of light mysteries centering around Scottish philosopher Isabel Dalhousie. As usual, the mystery factor is very, very light, the main focus of the book being on Isabel, her relationships, and the moral and ethical dilemmas that present themselves to her. In this installment, Isabel is enjoying an extended visit from her cousin Mimi, and Mimi's husband Joe. While in Edinburgh, they encounter a couple they were acquainted with in Dal More...

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Sep 05, 2011

Delphine rated it:

Highly ambiguous novel, due to the main character, Isabel Dalhousie, who turns out to be an unreliable narrator. At first, 'The right attitude to rain' appears to be a real 'feelgood' book, homely and cosy, paying attention to weather issues and the small complexities of human life.

The main character, Isabel Dalhousie, is a careful observer of human life. She believes she knows how to live life at the fullest and is quick in offering some mental support or advice. She wants to secure More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 04, 2009

Carole rated it:

This is by the author of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, which I've seen a lot more at airport bookstores all of the sudden - apparently, HBO did a movie of it.

HBO didn't do a movie of this series, but it's quite good. It takes place in Scotland. This is the second book I've read in the series (the first one I read was #4. I'm going backwards). I'm not sure if they're meant to be mysteries or not. I had thought they were, but maybe I just thought that because the author has anothe More...

1 comment like

Nov 09, 2010

Catherine rated it:

Isabel Dalhousie series continues and builds upon the previous two volumes in the series, which I would recommend be read in order starting with The Sunday Philosophy Club. The suspense is minimal but several interesting character developments. As usual with McCall Smith, I have mixed feelings -- enjoying the characters yet tiring of the plodding somewhat repetitive plot points. I may have to finish the series that he's published so far, which I heard in a PBS interview about his newest book More...

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Oct 19, 2011

Jo rated it:

An enjoyable book three with a slightly different feel. Not a mystery, more of a transformational book with pivotal character & plot development. Whereas in book 1 I found it hard to buy into Isabel being in her early forties, over the course of book 2 & 3 we see Isabel less stogy & nosy and more open, active, freer, helping the reader buy into her being a fab 40. I liked the character of Florence, an older wiser woman who encourages Isabel to live without regrets. I equally enjoyed Mimi too, n More...

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Dec 20, 2010

Fajar rated it:

Third book in the Isabel Dalhousie series. A lot of readers might be put off by the lacking of mystery in this book (there's a bit of one in there, but it's very very insignificant to the plot, sadly), but I actually love that Smith put so much effort into character and relationship developments, though I don't like it as well as the first two. The story went so many different directions that it felt a little scattered, and I'm unsatisfied with the ending, especially knowing how it will effect f More...

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May 02, 2011

Sarah rated it:

My word it took me a while to get into this one. I had decided not to read any more of McCall Smith's books, in order to give other authors a chance. However, a friend had given me a copy of this for Christmas and I felt obliged to read it.

Another friend spotted it in my handbag and said how much she had enjoyed it. Perhaps I should have told her my misgivings and she would have told me to stick with it. She didn’t, and I persevered, and I am glad I did.

At first I was inc More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 20, 2009

Linda rated it:

It's hard to believe that Alexander McCall-Smith, the same author who wrote the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency and the 44 Scotland Street series, wrote this book from the Sunday Philosophy Club series. So far, I think that this is the worst of the four-book series. The main character, Isabel Dalhousie, a philosopher and professor of ethics, can't seem to get through an hour of her day without analyzing everything into the ground. She spends so much time worrying about her feelings, beliefs, More...

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Feb 21, 2010

Maureen rated it:

Isabel Dalhousie is a philosopher and is also insatiably curious about other people's business. I enjoy her rambling musings on life, philosophy and relationships, not to mention the random quoting of Scottish poetry. I particularly enjoyed this book in the series because Isabel finally embraces romance in her life. McCall Smith also finally gives us a picture of how Isabel appears to others (very attractive, apparently).

McCall Smith does an excellent job of immersing his readers More...

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Sep 09, 2011

Myfavoritegeorgie rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Apr 11, 2010

Lindsay rated it:

I love this title. It's what got me to read the book. And the cover. It looks so green and lush as plants do after a rainfall. This author writes mystery series, and the first book in this series is a mystery, this book actual book was not. It read more the like the main character's diary. You followed her day by day as she dealt with her feels for a younger man and if she should pursue them, and her cousin comes to visit, etc. If anything, it's more of a romance than a mystery.

" More...

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Aug 19, 2010

Mary rated it:

I don't quite know what to make of this book. The novel is part of a series of books about a Scottish woman named Isabel Dalhousie. She is a philosopher by trade (no, really) and, I guess, a sort of detective, only her "mysteries" are those of the human character. The plot is a bit like a Seinfeld episode, consisting of small, daily interactions, only with likeable characters and lots of insight and reflection. But the reflections can be kind of intrusive -- the protaganist is always l More...

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Feb 18, 2010

Carla rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jun 12, 2011

Stven rated it:

Isabel Dalhousie. What a delightful woman, what a delightful story, what a delightful balancing act. I was all set to coast through this series of books in cozy conversation with this thoughtful narrator. Now I see that my window into Isabel's world is to be rather more than that, not just episode after episode of mysteries to be unraveled but a progression of events, not just anticipations but expectations, not just wish fulfillment but a parade of little joys and puzzles and surprises such More...

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Mar 25, 2010

Ed rated it:

If you find yourself at Book #3 in an ongoing series, there's a good chance you (a) know what you are getting and (b) you like it. Alexander McCall Smith is my go-to author. He cleanses the literary palette after a particularly difficult read or, in this instance, during the Vancouver Winter Olympics, he can keep me reading while in the midst of a distraction and when it's difficult to concentrate and/or maintain momentum or steady reading schedule. His books are always easy reading and enter More...

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Aug 22, 2010

Charlotte rated it:

I’ve given The Right Attitude to Rain two stars 'cause, after all, I did read it from cover to cover. It’s what I would consider perfect 'beach reading' – utterly predictable and soon forgotten.

I picked it up because I vaguely remembered reading The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by the same author, A. McCall Smith. But, to be honest, I don’t remember whether or not I actually enjoyed The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency or even whether I finished it.

I suppose what I m More...

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Feb 02, 2012

Jo rated it:

In Alexander McCall Smith's third Isabel Dalhousie book human nature and love are gently reflected on. Our eponymous heroine is the editor of a journal of ethics and lives alone, visited by her spiritualist housekeeper Grace, close to her neice Cat and her ex boyfriend Jamie. As Isabel entertains house guests, her American cousin and husband, she comes into contact with an American couple, millionaire Tom and his young fiancee Angie. Is she simply a gold digger? And what of her own feelings for More...

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Nov 11, 2011

Sri rated it:

* spoiler warning *
Suka! Ternyata cinta Isabel tak bertepuk sebelah tangan :D. Ending-nya mengejutkan. Oh wow. Wajar jika di buku keempat Jamie menikahi Isabel? Sekedar menduga :).
Tentang kasusnya... Entah siapa yang bisa dipercaya. Tom vs Angie. Sebagai pembaca pendapatku digiring oleh penulis untuk sepakat dengan Isabel. Tapi siapa yang bisa menduga manusia? Pada akhirnya penulis mengembalikan kepada pembaca: silakan mau percaya pada siapa. Aku sih masih percaya pada Tom :P. Entahlah More...

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Feb 07, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

When I read the first book in the Sunday Philosophy Club, I wasn't really hooked. I am now. Well, I was after the second book. I think they just get better, or I am getting to know the characters better. I am fascinated by the author. I think he writes books that are amazingly different. From The No. One Ladies Detective Agency, a great series set in Africa,to the Sunday Philosophy Club series, set in Scotland, to the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series about a pedantic professor, and then 44 Scot More...

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