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Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations
In these hilarious stories of perverse meetings, casual dates and romantic encounters, we are enthralled, saddened, inspired and surprised by the encounters we’re made privy to. McCall Smith, a master of the unexpected and a seamless storyteller, revels in offering us the quirky complications inherent in entanglements which human beings engineer for themselves – entanglements that can be shocking, edifying, compulsive, complicated and sometimes, completely disastrous.
This is an exceptional collection of stories from an author whose rapidly growing audience delights in his extraordinary imagination and delicious insights into the endlessly fascinating peculiarities of the human condition.
This is an exceptional collection of stories from an author whose rapidly growing audience delights in his extraordinary imagination and delicious insights into the endlessly fascinating peculiarities of the human condition.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
127 people are currently reading
983 people want to read
About the author
Alexander McCall Smith
669 books12.7k followersAlexander 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 is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland. Visit him online at www.alexandermccallsmith.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews
November 28, 2021
I wasn't sure what to expect from the creator of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency which is a gem of a series, and quite funny at times. This is an eclectic collection of short stories dating across a spectrum of themes such as tragedy, surrealism , comedy, horror etc... but overall they are of a much more sombre tone than one would have expected from Alexander McCall Smith, still interesting though! 7 out of 12
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2007 read
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2007 read
April 5, 2019
I found this is a rather strange (as in puzzling) short story collection. McCall Smith is a great storyteller, so I have to assume that even the stories that seemed less successful were carefully thought through. I had a range of reactions. A couple of stories seemed to end in the middle of nowhere, but gave me the impression of reflecting real life precisely in the way they were unfinished. One of these seemingly unfinished stories was one of the exquisitely saddest I’ve ever read - such a lot said without being spelled out. At least one or two stories struck me as plain silly. So there is a real mixture here, but as usual, McCall Smith’s prose is so lucid and flowing that the collection is eminently readable despite its (at least to me) less successful entries.
August 28, 2018
I'm a huge fan of Alexander McCall Smith's, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. I love all the stories, such sweet, loving and caring characters. So what a surprise it was, reading this disaster of a book. These nine short stories turned out to be was majorly shocking, disturbing, alarming and down right disappointing! The title of the book is, Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations, but there was nothing "heavenly" or remotely "flirtation" about any of the dates the characters in this book went on.
I'll go one by one in a brief outline and review of each story, so beware, spoilers alert:
#1 - Wonderful Date: More like boring date ever! Older couple go from restaurant to restaurant eating (or in their case not eating) more like only drinking. Oh hum, next.
#2 - Nice Little Date: More like illegal date. The main character is a doctor and he is gonna sleep with a prostitute who is only a 14 girl, but it ends up being a boy. Nothing "nice little date", it's called statutory rape!
#3 - Bulawayo: Man marries woman he doesn't love or have any interest in, including having sex with her (she was still a virgin for all the story). Rather he spends his time with the boys he coaches at the private school he works at. He even goes to the movies by himself. In the end, she turns around and runs away with one of the 17 year old school boys. She's 23. Again, another story with statutory rape.
#4 - Far North: Main character is a woman who ends up dating this man who can only talk about sharks, but then takes her to a crocodile farm. She finds him boring. I agree with her. He buys her an "expensive" $25, crocodile passport holder. It accidentally falls into the pit. He climbs in and if you guessed he falls into the pit and gets eaten by one, you are correct. An 8 year old who was there, says he saw her push him in. She almost goes to jail, but they end up finding the passport in another crocodile, and by then the child has changed this story. End of story.
#5 - Intimate Accounts: Man was spoiled by his nanny growing up. She used to do everything for him, including bathing him and putting out his clothes up until he was 18 years old! He is unable to understand why no dates last longer than one. He sees a shrink, who ends up convincing him to date himself because no one can love him as much as he loves himself. Ugh! Narcissistic much.
#6 - Calwarra: I thought, yeah, finally a story I like, and it's not totally nasty or illegal, that is until the end, and then I hated it. Small town USA, girl grows up on farm, motherless as her mother died when she was young. Her father raises her. She has no personality, has no goals, until her art teacher tells her she should go to art college. Her father rather her stay home and marry a farm boy. I'm cheering her on, come on, do something for yourself with your life. The father hires a farm boy from another farm. He starts off very nice, very gentlemanly, but then they go on a date, and well, he has his hands all over her, and she's too passive to stand up for herself or kick him in the balls. She now has no choice but to marry him, for her honour. I think her father was behind the whole scheme with the boy, so she wouldn't go to school and have to be a farm wife. Grrr!
#7 - Fat Date: This extremely fat man, I presuming he's gone in person to a dating agency, because it wasn't really clear. He is hooked up with a fat woman. They go to eat at a restaurant and they are equally boring. They have an argument, he is to blame, he insulted her. That was the end of the evening, or it was to be, but when he got up to get out of his chair, he got stuck in it, and couldn't get out. Of course, now she has forgiven him. He has no choice but to walk out of the restaurant stuck in the chair. As they are waiting for a cab, not sure how he'd get in? They can hear music playing and he says, you can sit on my lap, and we can listen to it together. The last line made me crack up, the only time I actually laughed in the whole book, at the one short line: "Then the chair legs broke."
#8 Maternal Influence: George's father died, George's mother is a control freak. When father was mayor, it was really the wife doing his job. George even though an adult, 27, lived with his parents. His mother had her hand in every part of his and his father's life. George's mother would iron his clothes and lay them out for work the next morning, drive him to work and pick him up, make his food, everything you would do if your son was a little boy. So, when George starts dating a woman, she goes crazy and terrorizes his life. He doesn't stand for it. Meryl and George, after only 1 date, decide that's it, he's moving out of his mother's home, because he can't stand his mother, and they are moving in together. Oh good grief, I thought, really? And poor Meryl, she has no idea what's in store for her, because I can't imagine him, all of a sudden, even though he wants to do all the things that he complained of that his mother used to do for him, what are the chances that he'll actually do them himself?
And by now and I'm thinking, thank God I'm at the last story because this is right up there in the most disturbing and worst books I've read.
#9 - Heavenly Date: I thought, finally a story I may like...and then it's OMG and it got weird! A 19 year old female gets pregnant....by a man angel, though she never had sex with him. She's still a virgin. No one believes her except for one woman. Her widowed father is upset and wants to know who the man was. She never reveals who he is because she never sees him again....until.... The baby is born with little wings. ......until he returns after a few weeks after the baby is born....he returns with 2 other female angels and takes the baby away.
This book was written in 1995. The way the stories were written and the relationships between males and females, you'd think it was years long ago when it was a different time period. This has put me off of Alexander McCall Smith. I have a number of his other books sitting in my bookcases. It may be quite sometime before I can pull one off the shelf and forgive him.
I'll go one by one in a brief outline and review of each story, so beware, spoilers alert:
#1 - Wonderful Date: More like boring date ever! Older couple go from restaurant to restaurant eating (or in their case not eating) more like only drinking. Oh hum, next.
#2 - Nice Little Date: More like illegal date. The main character is a doctor and he is gonna sleep with a prostitute who is only a 14 girl, but it ends up being a boy. Nothing "nice little date", it's called statutory rape!
#3 - Bulawayo: Man marries woman he doesn't love or have any interest in, including having sex with her (she was still a virgin for all the story). Rather he spends his time with the boys he coaches at the private school he works at. He even goes to the movies by himself. In the end, she turns around and runs away with one of the 17 year old school boys. She's 23. Again, another story with statutory rape.
#4 - Far North: Main character is a woman who ends up dating this man who can only talk about sharks, but then takes her to a crocodile farm. She finds him boring. I agree with her. He buys her an "expensive" $25, crocodile passport holder. It accidentally falls into the pit. He climbs in and if you guessed he falls into the pit and gets eaten by one, you are correct. An 8 year old who was there, says he saw her push him in. She almost goes to jail, but they end up finding the passport in another crocodile, and by then the child has changed this story. End of story.
#5 - Intimate Accounts: Man was spoiled by his nanny growing up. She used to do everything for him, including bathing him and putting out his clothes up until he was 18 years old! He is unable to understand why no dates last longer than one. He sees a shrink, who ends up convincing him to date himself because no one can love him as much as he loves himself. Ugh! Narcissistic much.
#6 - Calwarra: I thought, yeah, finally a story I like, and it's not totally nasty or illegal, that is until the end, and then I hated it. Small town USA, girl grows up on farm, motherless as her mother died when she was young. Her father raises her. She has no personality, has no goals, until her art teacher tells her she should go to art college. Her father rather her stay home and marry a farm boy. I'm cheering her on, come on, do something for yourself with your life. The father hires a farm boy from another farm. He starts off very nice, very gentlemanly, but then they go on a date, and well, he has his hands all over her, and she's too passive to stand up for herself or kick him in the balls. She now has no choice but to marry him, for her honour. I think her father was behind the whole scheme with the boy, so she wouldn't go to school and have to be a farm wife. Grrr!
#7 - Fat Date: This extremely fat man, I presuming he's gone in person to a dating agency, because it wasn't really clear. He is hooked up with a fat woman. They go to eat at a restaurant and they are equally boring. They have an argument, he is to blame, he insulted her. That was the end of the evening, or it was to be, but when he got up to get out of his chair, he got stuck in it, and couldn't get out. Of course, now she has forgiven him. He has no choice but to walk out of the restaurant stuck in the chair. As they are waiting for a cab, not sure how he'd get in? They can hear music playing and he says, you can sit on my lap, and we can listen to it together. The last line made me crack up, the only time I actually laughed in the whole book, at the one short line: "Then the chair legs broke."
#8 Maternal Influence: George's father died, George's mother is a control freak. When father was mayor, it was really the wife doing his job. George even though an adult, 27, lived with his parents. His mother had her hand in every part of his and his father's life. George's mother would iron his clothes and lay them out for work the next morning, drive him to work and pick him up, make his food, everything you would do if your son was a little boy. So, when George starts dating a woman, she goes crazy and terrorizes his life. He doesn't stand for it. Meryl and George, after only 1 date, decide that's it, he's moving out of his mother's home, because he can't stand his mother, and they are moving in together. Oh good grief, I thought, really? And poor Meryl, she has no idea what's in store for her, because I can't imagine him, all of a sudden, even though he wants to do all the things that he complained of that his mother used to do for him, what are the chances that he'll actually do them himself?
And by now and I'm thinking, thank God I'm at the last story because this is right up there in the most disturbing and worst books I've read.
#9 - Heavenly Date: I thought, finally a story I may like...and then it's OMG and it got weird! A 19 year old female gets pregnant....by a man angel, though she never had sex with him. She's still a virgin. No one believes her except for one woman. Her widowed father is upset and wants to know who the man was. She never reveals who he is because she never sees him again....until.... The baby is born with little wings. ......until he returns after a few weeks after the baby is born....he returns with 2 other female angels and takes the baby away.
This book was written in 1995. The way the stories were written and the relationships between males and females, you'd think it was years long ago when it was a different time period. This has put me off of Alexander McCall Smith. I have a number of his other books sitting in my bookcases. It may be quite sometime before I can pull one off the shelf and forgive him.
March 9, 2017
A set of nine short dating-stories, located in various places around the globe. All were just okay, but about three which were slightly better than the rest. Nothing great here though.
However, I liked the writer's style of writing. And will indeed be trying some books from his other series at some point.
However, I liked the writer's style of writing. And will indeed be trying some books from his other series at some point.
February 13, 2011
Despite some slightly out-dated perspectives on gender issues and sexuality (or asexuality, as the case may be), I enjoyed this insightful little collection of short stories centered less around dating, as the title seems to suggest, than the nature of relationships, romantic, platonic and familial, in general. There was a nice international focus, with stories set in Switzerland, Portugal, Italy, Australia, and Africa, each with a unique feel for the mood of the city and time period it was set in.
Probably not for those who are offended by sexual content or expecting something fluffy and romantic. I'm completely pro sex-work (between equal, fairly-treated, fairly-compensated, consenting adults), and not bothered by much, but even I was pretty squicked out by the story of some old guy seeking out paid sex with a thirteen year old girl. I think I was less bothered by his actions (which were bad enough), than I was by the elaborate justifications he kept making to the reader of why he was doing nothing wrong, of why he was entitled to such a "vice" (feeling entitled to an underage girl's body is much more than a vice, but I'm not going to open that can of worms). Although I would have liked to see him get a bit more of a comeuppance than the one he got, regardless the story made me think about the psychology of such dark actions, and as such, was worth reading.
I also particularly enjoyed the selection titled "Fat Date", which seemed cute and simple upon first reading, but left me thinking about it for some time after it was finished. I still can't decide if it was promoting fat-acceptance, or if it ended up being horribly sizeist, although I'm leaning towards the former. I'll give AMC the benefit of the doubt that there was a layer of irony in that story that was actually condoning the sizeist surface humour.
Well worth a read if you like short stories that make you say "hmmm" and can keep an open mind!
Probably not for those who are offended by sexual content or expecting something fluffy and romantic. I'm completely pro sex-work (between equal, fairly-treated, fairly-compensated, consenting adults), and not bothered by much, but even I was pretty squicked out by the story of some old guy seeking out paid sex with a thirteen year old girl. I think I was less bothered by his actions (which were bad enough), than I was by the elaborate justifications he kept making to the reader of why he was doing nothing wrong, of why he was entitled to such a "vice" (feeling entitled to an underage girl's body is much more than a vice, but I'm not going to open that can of worms). Although I would have liked to see him get a bit more of a comeuppance than the one he got, regardless the story made me think about the psychology of such dark actions, and as such, was worth reading.
I also particularly enjoyed the selection titled "Fat Date", which seemed cute and simple upon first reading, but left me thinking about it for some time after it was finished. I still can't decide if it was promoting fat-acceptance, or if it ended up being horribly sizeist, although I'm leaning towards the former. I'll give AMC the benefit of the doubt that there was a layer of irony in that story that was actually condoning the sizeist surface humour.
Well worth a read if you like short stories that make you say "hmmm" and can keep an open mind!
July 18, 2021
I am a fan of Alexander McCall Smith's books, especially his Isabel Dollhouse series. I like the subtly in his writing, and I am always amazed by his sharp observation of everyday human life.
This collection contains nine short stories, roughly themed around dating. The first story, Wonderful Date, is hilarious. It reminds me of Portuguese Irregular Verbs. Fat Date and Maternal Influence are my other two likes. My favourite is Bulawayo, a story about two second generation white Rhodesians set in 1959. The source of most human suffering is other humans, is it not?
"They were reproductions of Constable and Turner, symbols of the culture to which they all knew they belonged, which was the reason for their presence there in Africa, but which seemed so distant, so impossibly beautiful in the midst of the pervasive dust and beneath the hot dome of the sky." Every immigrant on the earth more or less can feel the same longing and detachment from the culture left behind.
The rest of stories in the collection feel too weak.
This collection contains nine short stories, roughly themed around dating. The first story, Wonderful Date, is hilarious. It reminds me of Portuguese Irregular Verbs. Fat Date and Maternal Influence are my other two likes. My favourite is Bulawayo, a story about two second generation white Rhodesians set in 1959. The source of most human suffering is other humans, is it not?
"They were reproductions of Constable and Turner, symbols of the culture to which they all knew they belonged, which was the reason for their presence there in Africa, but which seemed so distant, so impossibly beautiful in the midst of the pervasive dust and beneath the hot dome of the sky." Every immigrant on the earth more or less can feel the same longing and detachment from the culture left behind.
The rest of stories in the collection feel too weak.
September 29, 2013
This is a book by Alexander McaCall Smith that I did not love...or even really like. One of the short stories is icky and the other is just plain weird. If this was the first AMS book I ever picked up, I don't think I would have read many more. He does show his amazing insight into the human psyche which we so often see in his other books; he could have been a psychologist. I wonder if, after his world wide success with The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, his publisher bundled up a bunch of short stories and created another book. I don't recommend this book and certainly not as a first AMS read.
September 1, 2011
The most interesting thing about this was having read only the Ladies' Detective Agency series, to see that this author has even a mean streak. The short stories are somewhat like Roald Dahl (the ADULT stuff of course), plenty of understated nastiness, irony, people wishing other people ill. It has added a layer of complexity to my "vision" of McCall Smith as a person. If you love the Detective Agency for escapism and gentleness, you might NOT want to read this, as it shows a totally different side. I think a lot of people who didn't like it were people who wanted a gentle comic read and were a little shocked. Quite good, though.
June 16, 2008
After reading the author's series regarding a villa of reduced circumstances, the finer points of sausage dogs and Portugese irregular verbage, I was excited to read something else by him. This is a book of short stories concerning what else? Dating. The first story met my expectations but the others were just...okay. The titular story was truly weird and disappointing. A review on the book said it was reminiscent of Roald Dahl (I expect the reviewer meant his 'Skin' novel, not Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or James and the Giant Peach) but that was like saying Skin was similar to the Illustrated Man by Bradbury. Basically: not really. Yes, they're short stories and yes some have a slightly macabre feeling with an abrupt ending but that is common with these kinds of books. It was a decent book, quick read but probably not worth my time in the end.
April 11, 2009
Gonna have to write a longer review for this one.
I've loved every single one of the books that Alexander McCall Smith has written so far, so really enjoyed finding this on the shelf in oxfam for 50p.
But I hated it, the back said short stories in the style of Roald Dahl which I do like, but as I said I hated this.
I found the stories pointless, I kept waiting for the twist, or maybe it was there and I didn't get it.
Stories such as Nice Little date that dealt with a man hiring what he thoguht was a 14 year old girl for the night? That's paedophilia, I know he didn't actually sleep withthe child, but do I want to read a story thinking he might?
I tried each of the stories hoping for more enjoyable reading and apart from Far North I was disappointed.
Sorry.
I've loved every single one of the books that Alexander McCall Smith has written so far, so really enjoyed finding this on the shelf in oxfam for 50p.
But I hated it, the back said short stories in the style of Roald Dahl which I do like, but as I said I hated this.
I found the stories pointless, I kept waiting for the twist, or maybe it was there and I didn't get it.
Stories such as Nice Little date that dealt with a man hiring what he thoguht was a 14 year old girl for the night? That's paedophilia, I know he didn't actually sleep withthe child, but do I want to read a story thinking he might?
I tried each of the stories hoping for more enjoyable reading and apart from Far North I was disappointed.
Sorry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2012
This collection of short stories based on romantic encounters was neither romantic nor entertaining.
I love The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, so when I saw this book at the used book store, I picked it up right away.
Expecting romantic dates in interesting and exotic locales like the description reads, I was excited to get started. However, after reading the first story I knew I had made a mistake with this one.
The stores themselves didn't make any sense. The characters where strange and as far as locale, descriptions were nonexistent.
A complete disappointment. I'm just thankful this was not the first Alexander McCall Smith book I read.
I love The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, so when I saw this book at the used book store, I picked it up right away.
Expecting romantic dates in interesting and exotic locales like the description reads, I was excited to get started. However, after reading the first story I knew I had made a mistake with this one.
The stores themselves didn't make any sense. The characters where strange and as far as locale, descriptions were nonexistent.
A complete disappointment. I'm just thankful this was not the first Alexander McCall Smith book I read.
June 10, 2014
These stories show a much broader range in Smith than most of his books I've read. It's still got the same style and some seem more of slices than stories, but still different from the wiener dog books or the ladies detective agency books. I had a good time reading.
April 12, 2023
A surprisingly humorous and sometimes sad collection of nine short stories by a master storyteller. Each story focuses on two people in very unusually situations. Each person is treated with humor and understanding, without any judgement. It is up to the reader to ponder the possible outcome of each brief encounter.
These human-interest stories take place in diverse locations: Africa, Switzerland, Australia, Portugal, England, Italy,
They deal with human interactions—some sexual—but all respectful, and definitely off-beat.
These human-interest stories take place in diverse locations: Africa, Switzerland, Australia, Portugal, England, Italy,
They deal with human interactions—some sexual—but all respectful, and definitely off-beat.
July 7, 2022
I really enjoyed the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, and I thought this book would have more light hearted dates. But I was disappointed that actually some of the stories were kind of depressing. Without giving too much away, I thought this book was just “okay” and don’t really recommend. Maybe I should blame my own expectations, but I wanted a funnier beach read.
May 16, 2019
A different side to dating..very wittily and sinisterly brought out :)
February 1, 2022
This book has crappy reviews, but I enjoyed it immensely. When love goes wonky. Super fun.
May 13, 2023
The things that happen to this characters are WILD
The author is funny enough however I found myself getting really tired of their style of writing and wanting to stop. I managed to pull through but idk my heart wasn’t really in it.
Def recommend the first half and maybe finally story but not all of them and one after the other. These stories are meant to be savoured.
The author is funny enough however I found myself getting really tired of their style of writing and wanting to stop. I managed to pull through but idk my heart wasn’t really in it.
Def recommend the first half and maybe finally story but not all of them and one after the other. These stories are meant to be savoured.
June 7, 2012
Alexander McCall Smith has shown his breadth of talent in crafting characters as different as Precious Ramotswe and Isabel Dalhousie. Here he shows a different, darker side of himself, and some of the short stories are better than others.
Some -- such as the sweet albeit far-fetched "Wonderful Date" and the darker, more introspective "Bulawayo" -- are wonderful slices of life. Others, such as "Calwarra" and "Fat Date," are laughably predictable. "Far North" and "Maternal Instinct," while painful, are well done. But some of the short stories are simply unbelievable or go on far too long.
It's unfair to expect Dr. Smith to reproduce his Botswana or Scotland stories; however, I do wish these stories were less uneven.
Some -- such as the sweet albeit far-fetched "Wonderful Date" and the darker, more introspective "Bulawayo" -- are wonderful slices of life. Others, such as "Calwarra" and "Fat Date," are laughably predictable. "Far North" and "Maternal Instinct," while painful, are well done. But some of the short stories are simply unbelievable or go on far too long.
It's unfair to expect Dr. Smith to reproduce his Botswana or Scotland stories; however, I do wish these stories were less uneven.
June 7, 2017
A rather strange collection of mostly short stories centering on male-female relationships. The first is a lovely one of an elderly Zurich couple who spend their weekly dates in a marvelous way. Two stories come to surprising, even shocking, ends. Some stories seem unfinished but perhaps I'm used to being fed a conclusion. One story, Bulawayo, is quite long (90 pages) compared to the others which altogether add up to 200 pages. A quirky side of McCall Smith that is revealed in his odd little trilogy of The Portuguese Irregular Verbs. Not that his other series (The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency, 44 Scotland Street, and The Sunday Philosophy Club) aren't without penetrating observations!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2008
A short-story collection! Very interesting, and occasionally moving. Doesn't answer the question, "Why?" It's almost like AMcCS got bored one day and jotted these all down, and then decided to have them published, and could, because he's, y'know, AMcCS. The title I think is a little misleading; the overall theme has more to do with examining relationships than flirting or dating, although each story does involve a date of one sort or another. Of course, I tend not to really enjoy short story collections.
May 27, 2014
As big of a fan as I am of McCall Smith, this book was a large disappointment. He normally is very clever, but this book brings out a dark, less feeling side of him. I was really sad. He explores the role of weight in dating, maternal obstacles to a son's romance, the place of analysis in revealing the inner workings of the human psyche, the mundane complexity and long-term effects of choices made and not made in dating, and even the love of angels in the Tuscany countryside. Not exactly my cup of tea!
September 24, 2014
I am not a big fan of short stories. Too often they are strange, depressing and/or unsatisfying but I love Alexander McCall Smith so I thought I would give this collection a try. Sadly I found it to be no exception. There were a couple of stories I really liked and a couple of stories I really hated but mostly they were strange, depressing or unsatisfying.
February 5, 2018
I'm a big fan of McCall Smith's spotless, positive-without-platitudes writing since reading the Sunday Philosophy Club series, and while this collection of short story does keep with his usual clean style, the content is...creepy, for lack of a better word. I 'm usually a fan of art exploring the darker parts of the human psyche, and of inappropriate humor, yet the lightweight treatment of pedophilia, fat-shaming and homophobia felt wrong.
In short: better to stick to his well-known series.
In short: better to stick to his well-known series.
September 16, 2013
Inconsistent. Comparisons to Roald Dahl are not wrong, though he lacks the intensity of Dahl, making him both less cruel and less sharply funny. If you draw comfort from knowing you're not the only person who goes on awful awkward dates, perhaps this is your thing. I would have thought that would be a strong enough recommendation, but it is not.
December 31, 2014
What can one say about Alexander McCall Smith that hasn't already been said! Outstanding writing. Short stories, of which I love his writing. Specifically about dating and those who are in the throes of finding their soul mates. Some funny, some very sad, but as always a delightful collection of Smith's usual (which means best!)
November 4, 2018
I adore AMcS: a renaissance man who teaches me something new about compassion, forgiveness, acceptance, art, music, and poetry in every delicious volume. This collection of short stories is bold, dealing with polarizing issues. It was important for me to remember that it was written from a pre-#metoo, European perspective.
March 10, 2019
Contrary to the vastly negative trend in the reviews of this book I quite liked it. It was first published over 20 years ago so obviously you can find fault with it as being dated. But then I myself am dated, as is Alexander McCall Smith, so sorry, he wasn’t writing with all the politically correct bells and whistles. All the better for it. Just an entertaining set of short stories. Thank you.
March 8, 2018
This is was an interesting collection of short stories to say the least! All the stories surround dating and relationships but it’s not at all what you might think! Some of the stories I laughed, some I adored and understood completely, and the others I was confused and left hanging???
December 3, 2025
*Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations* is an interesting collection of short stories about love and attraction in all their unpredictable forms. Alexander McCall Smith takes readers on a trip around the world, introducing characters who are hopeful, awkward, disappointed, or quietly optimistic about finding connection. It’s the kind of book you can sink into instantly—I ended up reading it in just a few hours because it’s so accessible and enjoyable.
Each story is a glimpse into someone’s private moment, full of small emotional truths and gentle humour. McCall Smith’s writing has an effortless quality; he doesn’t need big drama or complicated plots to make you care. Instead, he draws you in with warmth and empathy, painting scenes that stick with you long after you finish. His writing reminds me of that is Somerset Maugham’s.
One story that really stood out for me was “Calwarra.” It’s heartbreaking in the quietest way—a woman with big hopes for her future slowly lets them slip away because she can’t quite find the courage to stand firm. It left me thinking about how easily people can lose their way when they doubt themselves. McCall Smith tells it with such restraint that it hits even harder for being understated.
What ties all these stories together is the their humanity. Whether the setting is a foreign city, a party or a restaurant, what matters are the people and the emotions they carry. There’s a lovely balance of optimism and melancholy here—love isn’t perfect, but it’s always worth the risk.
Overall, *Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations* is an enchanting, easy read that feels both light and meaningful. It’s the kind of book that reminds you how universal the search for connection really is, and how even the smallest encounters can change the course of a life.
Each story is a glimpse into someone’s private moment, full of small emotional truths and gentle humour. McCall Smith’s writing has an effortless quality; he doesn’t need big drama or complicated plots to make you care. Instead, he draws you in with warmth and empathy, painting scenes that stick with you long after you finish. His writing reminds me of that is Somerset Maugham’s.
One story that really stood out for me was “Calwarra.” It’s heartbreaking in the quietest way—a woman with big hopes for her future slowly lets them slip away because she can’t quite find the courage to stand firm. It left me thinking about how easily people can lose their way when they doubt themselves. McCall Smith tells it with such restraint that it hits even harder for being understated.
What ties all these stories together is the their humanity. Whether the setting is a foreign city, a party or a restaurant, what matters are the people and the emotions they carry. There’s a lovely balance of optimism and melancholy here—love isn’t perfect, but it’s always worth the risk.
Overall, *Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations* is an enchanting, easy read that feels both light and meaningful. It’s the kind of book that reminds you how universal the search for connection really is, and how even the smallest encounters can change the course of a life.
February 24, 2021
I love AMcS, and that's only from reading the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series and half of the Sunday Philosopher's Club series (oh and the Detective Varg series). I've not yet tried the #1 Ladies Detective Agency, which gets rave reviews. I admire two things - 1) his writing is so smooth and effortless. It just flows when reading (and apparently when writing as he's very prolific - publishing 3 books a year?). 2) His world view (at least in what I've read, and apparently in #1 Ladies) is just so humane and kind. He is a gentle storyteller, with characters who are thoughtful, ethical, and caring.
So when this collection of short stories (published in 1995) showed up in my Little Free Library I snagged it - to discover a collection of stories about people who tended to not be kind, or ethical, or caring. AMcS has a dark side, apparently. I didn't really enjoy most of these stories, but dang he can write.
The entire time reading the crocodile one (Far North), though, I felt like I had read it before. I wonder how this collection came to be, whether some stories were published separately. The opening story felt very much like his Portuguese Irregular Verbs tone, which was fun. The others were very readable, but not fun or light. An odd book.
So when this collection of short stories (published in 1995) showed up in my Little Free Library I snagged it - to discover a collection of stories about people who tended to not be kind, or ethical, or caring. AMcS has a dark side, apparently. I didn't really enjoy most of these stories, but dang he can write.
The entire time reading the crocodile one (Far North), though, I felt like I had read it before. I wonder how this collection came to be, whether some stories were published separately. The opening story felt very much like his Portuguese Irregular Verbs tone, which was fun. The others were very readable, but not fun or light. An odd book.
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