Book Review - The Careful Use of Compliments by Alexander McCall Smith
Category Book Review Alexander McCall Smith The Careful Use of Compliments
I picked up The Careful Use of Compliments by Alexander McCall Smith a short time back at the library. I had read the previous three Isabel Dalhousie novels while on a cruise last year, and although the pace was "leisurely", I was curious as to what Dalhousie's pregnancy would mean to her relationship with Jamie. I now know, and I don't think I'll be reading any more of the series. The pace is getting to be a bit too slow, and I have far too many other books I should be reading...
In the last novel of the series, Isabel announces to Jamie (her young lover) that she's pregnant. This novel starts out with her and the baby living in Isabel's house, and Jamie still maintaining a separate residence. He proposes to Isabel, but she's not sure she wants him to feel forced into a marriage so soon. He *does* love the baby and spends a great deal of time at Isabel's place, but Isabel's ever-churning philosophical mind comes up with a thousand reasons why she shouldn't accept the proposal. The general plot that drives this installment is Isabel's curiosity over whether two paintings by an artist thought to be dead are real or forgeries. She can't resist her urge to dig into the situation, and ends up battling some philosophical issues when he uncovers the real story. The secondary plot involves her job as editor for an ethics journal. She's been ousted from the position by two members of the editorial board, and she's less than thrilled to lose the job in that particular fashion. The question becomes what will she do about it, and will she be able to ethically reconcile her actions in her own mind.
To be fair, I knew what I'd be getting when I started reading. The Dalhousie series travels at a very "relaxed" pace, and there are constant interjections of ethics and philosophy over even the smallest things. If it hadn't been for the straight readthrough of the previous three at one time, I'm not sure I would have kept going to the end. This installment, read after nearly a year's separation from the first three, tended to drag out more than I liked. I still like the 44 Scotland Street series, and I'm not soured on Smith as an author. I just don't think this series is quite my cup of tea...
I picked up The Careful Use of Compliments by Alexander McCall Smith a short time back at the library. I had read the previous three Isabel Dalhousie novels while on a cruise last year, and although the pace was "leisurely", I was curious as to what Dalhousie's pregnancy would mean to her relationship with Jamie. I now know, and I don't think I'll be reading any more of the series. The pace is getting to be a bit too slow, and I have far too many other books I should be reading...
In the last novel of the series, Isabel announces to Jamie (her young lover) that she's pregnant. This novel starts out with her and the baby living in Isabel's house, and Jamie still maintaining a separate residence. He proposes to Isabel, but she's not sure she wants him to feel forced into a marriage so soon. He *does* love the baby and spends a great deal of time at Isabel's place, but Isabel's ever-churning philosophical mind comes up with a thousand reasons why she shouldn't accept the proposal. The general plot that drives this installment is Isabel's curiosity over whether two paintings by an artist thought to be dead are real or forgeries. She can't resist her urge to dig into the situation, and ends up battling some philosophical issues when he uncovers the real story. The secondary plot involves her job as editor for an ethics journal. She's been ousted from the position by two members of the editorial board, and she's less than thrilled to lose the job in that particular fashion. The question becomes what will she do about it, and will she be able to ethically reconcile her actions in her own mind.
To be fair, I knew what I'd be getting when I started reading. The Dalhousie series travels at a very "relaxed" pace, and there are constant interjections of ethics and philosophy over even the smallest things. If it hadn't been for the straight readthrough of the previous three at one time, I'm not sure I would have kept going to the end. This installment, read after nearly a year's separation from the first three, tended to drag out more than I liked. I still like the 44 Scotland Street series, and I'm not soured on Smith as an author. I just don't think this series is quite my cup of tea...
| Permalink |
