The Sunday Philosophy Club
Encyclopedia
The Sunday Philosophy Club is the first of the Sunday Philosophy Club
series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith
, set in Edinburgh
, Scotland
, and featuring the protagonist Isabel Dalhousie. It was first published in 2004.
. Her closest friends are her niece Cat, a young attractive woman who runs a delicatessen
; her housekeeper
Grace, an outspoken woman with an interest in spiritualism
; Cat’s ex-boyfriend Jamie, a bassoonist
to whom Isabel has been secretly attracted ever since they met; and Brother Fox, an urban fox
who lives in Isabel’s garden.
During a trip to the theatre, Isabel sees a young man fall to his death from the gods. As the young man falls, she catches his eye, and sees an expression of shock of his face, which suggests to her that the police’s verdict of suicide is wrong. She decides to find out what really happened.
The book marks the first literary appearance of the Really Terrible Orchestra, a real-life amateur
orchestra co-founded by McCall in 1995.
. The New York Times sees Isabel as a “(No. 2) Lady Detective Philosopher” (in comparison to the ‘No. 1 Lady Detective’ Precious Ramotswe) and describes her philosophical musings as “less than riveting”; it concludes that the novel is “the literary equivalent of herbal tea and a cozy fire”. BookReporter.com agrees, calling the story “slightly ponderous” and advising that “the tone is a bit daunting for readers who never progressed beyond Philosophy 101 in college”. Likewise, The Times
Online calls the novel “airless and exhausting” and adds that “We can only hope that the Sunday Philosophy Club remains indefinitely postponed”.
However, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
calls Isabel “the anti-Precious” and suggests that the novel will “delight McCall Smith's existing fans and win him some new ones”. USA Today
's review was also positive, commending Isabel’s penchant for philosophical self-examination and seeing the novel as a “painless introduction to philosophical questions”.
RTÉ
’s website agrees that “McCall Smith makes some excellent points about the absence of moral responsibility” but finds that Isabel’s lack of flaws and wealthy status make her difficult to identify with: “If McCall Smith had presented a heroine with more questionable ethics, this might have been a far more interesting story.”
McCall Smith’s descriptions of Edinburgh are generally commended for their veracity: for example, the San Francisco Chronicle
calls them “vivid and seamless”.
.
The US version is unabridged and is read by Davina Porter.
The Sunday Philosophy Club Series
The Sunday Philosophy Club is a series of novels by the author Alexander McCall Smith. It is also the name of the first novel in the series, and an informal talking group founded by the main character Isabel Dalhousie...
series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, is a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In the late 20th century, McCall Smith became a respected expert on medical law and bioethics and served on British and international committees...
, set in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and featuring the protagonist Isabel Dalhousie. It was first published in 2004.
Plot synopsis
Isabel Dalhousie is in her early forties and lives alone in a large aging house in the south of Edinburgh. Due to a large inheritance left to her by her late mother, she is able to work for a nominal fee as the editor of the Review of Applied EthicsApplied ethics
Applied ethics is, in the words of Brenda Almond, co-founder of the Society for Applied Philosophy, "the philosophical examination, from a moral standpoint, of particular issues in private and public life that are matters of moral judgment"...
. Her closest friends are her niece Cat, a young attractive woman who runs a delicatessen
Delicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
; her housekeeper
Housekeeper (servant)
A housekeeper is an individual responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the interior of a residence, including direction of subordinate maids...
Grace, an outspoken woman with an interest in spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
; Cat’s ex-boyfriend Jamie, a bassoonist
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
to whom Isabel has been secretly attracted ever since they met; and Brother Fox, an urban fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
who lives in Isabel’s garden.
During a trip to the theatre, Isabel sees a young man fall to his death from the gods. As the young man falls, she catches his eye, and sees an expression of shock of his face, which suggests to her that the police’s verdict of suicide is wrong. She decides to find out what really happened.
Development
The original title of the book was The Crushed Strawberry, named for the colour of Toby’s trousers, but was changed to The Sunday Philosophy Club after a suggestion by McCall Smith’s editor.The book marks the first literary appearance of the Really Terrible Orchestra, a real-life amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
orchestra co-founded by McCall in 1995.
Reception
The book garnered mixed reviews, with many reviewers comparing it unfavourably to McCall Smith’s better-known series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective AgencyThe No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a series of twelve novels by Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith. The agency is located in Gaborone, capital of Botswana. Its founder is a Motswana woman, Mma Precious Ramotswe, who features as the stories' protagonist and main detective...
. The New York Times sees Isabel as a “(No. 2) Lady Detective Philosopher” (in comparison to the ‘No. 1 Lady Detective’ Precious Ramotswe) and describes her philosophical musings as “less than riveting”; it concludes that the novel is “the literary equivalent of herbal tea and a cozy fire”. BookReporter.com agrees, calling the story “slightly ponderous” and advising that “the tone is a bit daunting for readers who never progressed beyond Philosophy 101 in college”. Likewise, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
Online calls the novel “airless and exhausting” and adds that “We can only hope that the Sunday Philosophy Club remains indefinitely postponed”.
However, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
calls Isabel “the anti-Precious” and suggests that the novel will “delight McCall Smith's existing fans and win him some new ones”. USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
's review was also positive, commending Isabel’s penchant for philosophical self-examination and seeing the novel as a “painless introduction to philosophical questions”.
RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
’s website agrees that “McCall Smith makes some excellent points about the absence of moral responsibility” but finds that Isabel’s lack of flaws and wealthy status make her difficult to identify with: “If McCall Smith had presented a heroine with more questionable ethics, this might have been a far more interesting story.”
McCall Smith’s descriptions of Edinburgh are generally commended for their veracity: for example, the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
calls them “vivid and seamless”.
Editions
The UK audio version of the book is abridged, and is read by Phyllis LoganPhyllis Logan
-Education:Logan was educated at Johnstone High School in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland. After school, she graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with the James Bridie Gold Medal in 1977.-Career:...
.
The US version is unabridged and is read by Davina Porter.