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The Careful Use of Compliments: Book 4 | 
 enlarge | Author: Alexander Mccall Smith
Publisher: Knopf Canada
Category: Book
Buy New: $24.99
New (1) from $24.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  31 reviews
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.8 x 1
ISBN: 0676976921
EAN: 9780676976922
ASIN: 0676976921
Publication Date: August 7, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand New Factory Sealed, SUPER FAST SHIPPING
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Amazon.com Review
A Message from Author Alexander McCall Smith Three great places to visit in Scotland: The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh
This gallery, housed in an extraordinary red sandstone building topped with spikes and twirls, contains a pictorial record of Scots over the ages--the handsome, the deluded, the unfortunate, the inventive--theyre all there. Falkland Palace
A lovely little palace in lush countryside, where the father of Mary Queen of Scots turned his face to the wall and predicted the end of the Stuart dynasty. The Isle of Muck
You reach this charming little island on a tiny boat. There is nothing to do on the island but to contemplate its beauty--and its name. Note to readers:
I would like to thank you for all your support. If it werent for the encouragement this has given me, my long conversation with Mma Ramotswe would have ended far earlier. As it is, I feel that we still have quite a bit to hear from her as we do, too, from Isabel Dalhousie, heroine of my Edinburgh novels, and all the denizens of 44 Scotland Street. Each of these series will have a new novel written this year, and I am also planning to revisit the three German professors of the Portuguese Irregular verbs series. I was in the United States in the spring this year and will return in the Fall. These visits give me the chance to meet many readers of these books, so if we have not yet met, perhaps we shall do so before too long. And if we do, please do not hesitate to give me your views on what should happen to the characters in the future: all (reasonable) suggestions gratefully accepted! --Alexander McCall Smith
Product Description
Isabel Dalhousie is back–and with a new little Dalhousie–in the fourth installment of this enchanting, already beloved, bestselling series.
In addition to being the snoopingest and most sympathetic philosopher you are likely to meet, Isabel Dalhousie is now also a mother. Her newborn son presents her with the myriad mysteries of a new life (and doting father Jamie presents her with the idea of another new life–as his wife), but that doesn’t in any way diminish her curiosity about other mysteries. And when she attends an art auction, Isabel finds an irresistible puzzle at hand: a painting attributed to a now-deceased artist features a person whom the artist could have encountered only after he was said to have died. Is the painting a forgery? Is the artist actually alive? Either possibility is sufficient fodder for Isabel’s inquisitiveness. So she begins an investigation . . . and soon finds herself diverging from her customary philosophical paths, onto a path that leads her into a world and a way of life that she could never have imagined.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
Good read from the title to the end October 1, 2008
As a mystery reader, you may have discovered that some authors drop you squarely into their plot from paragraph one on their very first page with an adrenalin-pumping, fast-paced chase or dilemma. The characters, their motivation, focus and flaws are then revealed at key points in the story.
That being said, Alexander McCall Smith first earns your trust as he introduces you up front to each of his colorful and appealing characters. You discover all of their virtues, flaws and beguiling ways; then the author gently surrounds you in the mystery like a warm cozy blanket.
For Isabel Dalhousie fans, you're in for a treat. In this mystery she is compelled to investigate an art world puzzle when the work of a well-known, but deceased artist, suddenly appears for auction. She follows her instincts to discover the truth behind the recent appearance of the rare art treasure, and who is surprisingly behind the move to sell the work.
The author completes the story by inviting you into Isabel's personal life. Her life is a colorful combination of optimism, curiosity, and straight-forward dialog. Isabel has a healthy awareness of her fallacies, and deep love for her baby, Charlie. The baby's father, Jamie, proposes marriage. However, Isabel cannot say yes as she is engaged in the web of intrigue, mystery and motherhood. There is no doubt she is in love with Jamie. The author provides a glimpse into their caring relationship to assure readers that Isabel and Jamie are doting parents and hold each other in high esteem. The vivid and charming dialog between the characters draws you more intimately into their story.
This easy-paced, captivating story is set in Edinburgh, Scotland; a mystery actually written for the faint-at-heart. The author gives you time to linger in the culture, absorb the beauty, and take in the breathtaking scenery as the mystery unfolds.
Does the art world puzzle consume Isabel? Yes, to a worthy and satisfactory outcome.
Armchair Interviews says: Enjoy this comfortable fireside read.
 Too slow for my tastes, but I knew what I was getting... September 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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...
 What does a moral philosopher do for excitement? August 23, 2008
25 out of 27 found this review helpful
This fourth novel in Alexander McCall Smith's The Sunday Philosophy Club series takes Isabel Dalhousie into new territory; since the last book she has become mother to infant Charlie and lover of the young musician Jamie, Charlie's father. Isabel is editor of "The Journal of Applied Ethics" and lives a quiet life in Edinburgh -- except when her pursuit of the morally right thing takes her deep into other people's business.
The early part of the book focuses on Isabel's unexpected ousting as editor, victim of a coup by a Londoner named Christopher Dove. Isabel, being independently wealthy, doesn't need the pittance she earns from the job but as usual she can't leave a wrong unrighted -- you may admire her swift and definitive method of dealing with the situation.
Like the other Dalhousie books, this one features a mystery though rather a little one. At an art auction Isabel bids on a painting by a Scottish landscape artist named McInnes who drowned eight years before. Something doesn't ring true about the painting and she sets off with Jamie and Charlie to the Inner Hebrides island of Jura where McInnes is said to have drowned. No thread is left untugged as Isabel unravels the truth. The secret behind the painting's provenance is just the kind of thing to fascinate Isabel, though for the reader the greater interest is watching her methods and meanderings.
Isabel is prone to quoting from her favorite poet -- Auden -- and making up punning crossword clues to keep calm when her housekeeper Grace is in full spate; she gives a lot of thought to right and wrong and doesn't seem capable of taking the easy option. Jamie and wee Charlie take some of her time and attention -- though less than we might reasonably expect. The story is planted firmly in her point of view.
The Careful Use of Compliments (Sunday Philosophy Club) has a charm that's hard to convey so you should read it for yourself. Isabel has a more distant feel than the much-loved Mma Precious Ramotswe of the Ladies Detective Agency series, but spending a couple of hours wandering the streets of Edinburgh with a moral philosopher is surprisingly entertaining.
Linda Bulger, 2008
delightful reading August 14, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love the wonderful stories by Alexander McCall Smith.
the Isabel Dalhousie series is especially delightful. Alexander McCall Smith expresses many insightful musings through Isabel's philosophical thought process and her "interference" spurred by her curiosity of human nature.
The philosopher mom July 10, 2008
The latest book in the "Sunday Philosophy Club" series takes a deeper look at protagonist Isabel Dalhousie as a person with intense attachments to her new baby and her musician lover but who is still struggling to approach life with the objectivity of a philosopher. Isabel finds that this is not always an easy act to balance. While some of the most enjoyable parts of this continuing story revolve around Isabel's personal life, author McCall-Smith has thrown in an interesting mystery (softcore) and a little intrigue that gives the book some snap and energy.
The reader can easily get the impression from this series and the Mma Ramotswe books, that McCall-Smith may be using the two female protagonists as alter egos to get at some basic ethical issues that bug him and plague most of human kind. Isabel Dalhousie's mulling of daily moral issues is the basic structure on which all else in the books hang. I find this enjoyable for the most part, though I can understand why other readers could see it as off the point at times.
Overall, this book and its predecessors are the purest form of mental comfort food. I feel great for days after reading these books and always look forward to the next one in the series.
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