I’m a long time fan of McCall Smith, but the Isabel Dalhousie series (this is #15) is the only one I’m still reading. Isabel is a philosopher with an independent income, two small children, and is the editor (and owner) of the Philosophical Review. She lives in Edinburgh and has a habit of “fixing things” both large and small, sometimes fully aware that the problem is none of her business.
I love this series because there is never a shortage of interesting things for Isabel to muse about, and I love the way McCall Smith gets to the essence of every topic. Whether she is talking to herself, to a casual acquaintance, or to her husband, these are the kind of conversations I like to have, and I’m perfectly happy to have them with an intellectual, though fictional, sparring partner!
The “problems” she solves in this book are every day irritations that I can completely relate to and that — while not actually important in the larger scheme of things — is very trying and important in our every day lives. A book group that has become downright antagonistic towards each other; a couple who doesn’t know the truth about each other and really should; a conference organizer potentially defrauding a funding organization; an uncomfortable situation with a long-term (but not well known) house guest.
I like that McCall Smith takes on issues of the day and introduces (often new to me) ethical conundrums. He refers to the Circle of Moral Recognition — the boundary drawn around those entities in the world deemed worthy of moral consideration. What is our own personal moral responsibility in specific situations in the current moral climate? He introduces “defensible pride” vs “hubristic pride” and why one attracts us while we find the other quite off putting. Another concept I hadn’t heard of — but love — is the Hawking index which is the percentage of a book read before the average reader gives up. Named after Hawking’s best selling A brief History of Time which received a whopping 6.6% on the index and still wasn’t the smallest index (that honor goes to Capital in the Twenty-First century by Thomas Piketty). Who knew? Lastly I had to laugh out loud when she suggested the need for “emotional continence” when others went on and on about TMI topics ad nauseam.
I don’t agree with all of Isabel’s thoughts and opinions, but I like the way they are laid out cleanly with a clear understanding of the basic principles and thought process used to come to her conclusions. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all engage on “hot topics” in this way?
Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 16th, 2024.
Books to look forward to ... 