The Right Attitude to Rain
Encyclopedia
The Right Attitude to Rain is the third 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 2006, and is the sequel to Friends, Lovers, Chocolate
.
. Her closest friends are her niece Cat, a young woman who runs a delicatessen
; her housekeeper
Grace, an outspoken woman with an interest in spiritualism
; Cat’s ex-boyfriend Jamie, a bassoon
ist to whom Isabel has been secretly attracted ever since they met; and Brother Fox, an urban fox
who lives in Isabel’s garden.
When visiting an art gallery, Isabel meets an American couple: Isabel sees that the man has Bell's palsy
, and takes an instant dislike to the woman for no reason that she can explain. Then she goes to Cat’s delicatessen, where Cat’s assistant Eddie tells her that Cat has a new boyfriend, Patrick, a workaholic
lawyer. Isabel resolves not to judge him without meeting him.
Isabel visits a flat that she is considering buying for Grace, who currently rents; Jamie accompanies her. Later, Isabel’s agent calls to tell her that she has been offered the flat because the owner, Florence, has assumed that Isabel and Jamie will live in it together as a couple. Isabel calls back to correct the mistake, but when Florence hears that Isabel is buying the flat for Grace, she offers it to her anyway.
Isabel’s cousins Mimi and Joe visit from Dallas. Mimi tells Isabel that some friends from Texas
– Tom Bruce and his fiancée Angie – own a house in Peebles
, and that Mimi, Joe and Isabel have been invited to spend the weekend with them. When Mimi says that Tom suffers from Bell’s palsy, Isabel realises that he is the man she saw in the art gallery, and Mimi confirms Isabel’s negative impressions of Angie: most of Tom’s friends think that Angie is marrying him for his money.
Isabel goes to visit Jamie at his flat. As she is examining one of his bassoon reeds
, he kisses her, but pulls away after a few moments and says that it was a stupid mistake. The next day, Mimi reveals that Isabel’s mother had an affair with a younger man
, and Isabel is shocked.
When Mimi suggests that Isabel invite Tom and Angie to dinner before the weekend away, Isabel also invites Jamie. Isabel likes Tom instantly, but still dislikes Angie, especially when Angie flirts with Jamie and invites him to form part of the weekend party. Isabel wonders if perhaps Jamie is more suited to a younger woman like Angie, but is surprised (and reassured) when Grace announces that it is obvious that Isabel and Jamie are in love with each other. Mimi agrees that this is how it seems.
A few days later, Isabel meets Patrick’s mother, Cynthia, who tries to enlist Isabel’s help in breaking up Cat and Patrick so that Patrick can focus on his career. Isabel refuses, but suspects that Patrick will choose his mother over Cat; and he does.
At Tom and Angie’s house, Isabel and Jamie discover that they have been given adjoining rooms. Again Angie flirts with Jamie and Isabel is sure that she does not love Tom. That evening, Isabel summons up the courage to ask Jamie if he wants to sleep with her. He admits that he does, and they return to their rooms and make love.
When Isabel and Jamie return from Peebles, Cat finds out that they have slept together and is furious with Isabel. As Isabel sits at home feeling guilty, Tom comes to visit and says that he doesn’t think Angie loves him. Isabel tells him to end the engagement, and, if Angie refuses to give up the chance at Tom’s fortune, to pay her off now. Later, Mimi announces that Tom and Angie have split up, but says that Angie refused to take any money. However, after Mimi and Joe return to Texas, someone sets fire to Tom’s Dallas house (although Tom is unharmed).
Cat writes to apologise to Isabel for being angry with her, and Isabel feels that with time Cat will accept the idea of her and Jamie. This comes as a particular relief to Isabel, who that evening tells Jamie that she is pregnant with his child.
. McCall Smith admits that there has always been “tension” and “affection” between the two characters but was originally unsure of whether to develop their friendship into a sexual relationship: “I think that’s something one would have to handle very carefully because ... Isabel has a very real sense of what can be and what can’t be. Some people have said to me, ‘Oh, why don’t you make that develop,’ but I’m not sure whether in real life it would develop.” McCall Smith also found that the unfulfilled nature of the relationship was good for the novel, commenting that “Erotic tension
is much sexier than fulfilment” and that reading about other people not getting what they want is interesting because “It's the story of all our lives.”
The decision to change the direction of Isabel and Jamie’s relationship was partly due to pressure from fans.
InTheNews.com disagrees, saying that "the interjections of philosophical and high-brow intellectual reasoning ... can seem snobbish and isolating to the average reader, ie those without a PhD." However, it says that the novel is "packed full of quirky characters, feel-good moments and beautiful settings" and summarises it as: "Thoughtful. Gently-paced. Intelligent. Philosophical."
Time Out London’s website is critical of the unfolding of the plot, finding it “a little too neat and Miss Marple
-y”, while the ending is “far too trite” with “the curious moral message that the best way to overcome difficulties is to get pregnant.”
, in that they are “sudden twists of plot and character” that underline “how often we are wrong about each other and wrong more generally in our suppositions, our inferences.”
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 2006, and is the sequel to Friends, Lovers, Chocolate
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate is the second 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 2005, and is the sequel to The Sunday Philosophy Club.-Plot synopsis:Isabel...
.
Plot synopsis
Isabel Dalhousie is in her early forties and lives alone in a large ageing house in the south of Edinburgh. Due to an inheritance left to her by her late mother, she can 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 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 bassoon
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...
ist 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.
When visiting an art gallery, Isabel meets an American couple: Isabel sees that the man has Bell's palsy
Bell's palsy
Bell's palsy is a form of facial paralysis resulting from a dysfunction of the cranial nerve VII that results in the inability to control facial muscles on the affected side. Several conditions can cause facial paralysis, e.g., brain tumor, stroke, and Lyme disease. However, if no specific cause...
, and takes an instant dislike to the woman for no reason that she can explain. Then she goes to Cat’s delicatessen, where Cat’s assistant Eddie tells her that Cat has a new boyfriend, Patrick, a workaholic
Workaholic
A workaholic is a person who is addicted to work.The term generally implies that the person enjoys their work; it can also imply that they simply feel compelled to do it...
lawyer. Isabel resolves not to judge him without meeting him.
Isabel visits a flat that she is considering buying for Grace, who currently rents; Jamie accompanies her. Later, Isabel’s agent calls to tell her that she has been offered the flat because the owner, Florence, has assumed that Isabel and Jamie will live in it together as a couple. Isabel calls back to correct the mistake, but when Florence hears that Isabel is buying the flat for Grace, she offers it to her anyway.
Isabel’s cousins Mimi and Joe visit from Dallas. Mimi tells Isabel that some friends from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
– Tom Bruce and his fiancée Angie – own a house in Peebles
Peebles
Peebles is a burgh in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders, lying on the River Tweed. According to the 2001 Census, the population was 8,159.-History:...
, and that Mimi, Joe and Isabel have been invited to spend the weekend with them. When Mimi says that Tom suffers from Bell’s palsy, Isabel realises that he is the man she saw in the art gallery, and Mimi confirms Isabel’s negative impressions of Angie: most of Tom’s friends think that Angie is marrying him for his money.
Isabel goes to visit Jamie at his flat. As she is examining one of his bassoon reeds
Reed (instrument)
A reed is a thin strip of material which vibrates to produce a sound on a musical instrument. The reeds of most Woodwind instruments are made from Arundo donax or synthetic material; tuned reeds are made of metal or synthetics.-Single reeds:Single reeds are used on the mouthpieces of clarinets...
, he kisses her, but pulls away after a few moments and says that it was a stupid mistake. The next day, Mimi reveals that Isabel’s mother had an affair with a younger man
Age disparity in sexual relationships
Age disparity in sexual relationships refers to sexual relations between people with a significant difference in age. Whether these relationships are accepted and the question of what counts as a significant difference in age has varied over time; and varies over cultures, different legal systems,...
, and Isabel is shocked.
When Mimi suggests that Isabel invite Tom and Angie to dinner before the weekend away, Isabel also invites Jamie. Isabel likes Tom instantly, but still dislikes Angie, especially when Angie flirts with Jamie and invites him to form part of the weekend party. Isabel wonders if perhaps Jamie is more suited to a younger woman like Angie, but is surprised (and reassured) when Grace announces that it is obvious that Isabel and Jamie are in love with each other. Mimi agrees that this is how it seems.
A few days later, Isabel meets Patrick’s mother, Cynthia, who tries to enlist Isabel’s help in breaking up Cat and Patrick so that Patrick can focus on his career. Isabel refuses, but suspects that Patrick will choose his mother over Cat; and he does.
At Tom and Angie’s house, Isabel and Jamie discover that they have been given adjoining rooms. Again Angie flirts with Jamie and Isabel is sure that she does not love Tom. That evening, Isabel summons up the courage to ask Jamie if he wants to sleep with her. He admits that he does, and they return to their rooms and make love.
When Isabel and Jamie return from Peebles, Cat finds out that they have slept together and is furious with Isabel. As Isabel sits at home feeling guilty, Tom comes to visit and says that he doesn’t think Angie loves him. Isabel tells him to end the engagement, and, if Angie refuses to give up the chance at Tom’s fortune, to pay her off now. Later, Mimi announces that Tom and Angie have split up, but says that Angie refused to take any money. However, after Mimi and Joe return to Texas, someone sets fire to Tom’s Dallas house (although Tom is unharmed).
Cat writes to apologise to Isabel for being angry with her, and Isabel feels that with time Cat will accept the idea of her and Jamie. This comes as a particular relief to Isabel, who that evening tells Jamie that she is pregnant with his child.
Development
The Right Attitude to Rain presents the culmination of a relationship that had been suggested since the first appearance of Isabel and Jamie in The Sunday Philosophy ClubThe Sunday Philosophy Club
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.-Plot synopsis:...
. McCall Smith admits that there has always been “tension” and “affection” between the two characters but was originally unsure of whether to develop their friendship into a sexual relationship: “I think that’s something one would have to handle very carefully because ... Isabel has a very real sense of what can be and what can’t be. Some people have said to me, ‘Oh, why don’t you make that develop,’ but I’m not sure whether in real life it would develop.” McCall Smith also found that the unfulfilled nature of the relationship was good for the novel, commenting that “Erotic tension
Sexual tension
Sexual tension is a social phenomenon that occurs when two people interact and one or both feel sexual desire, but the consummation is postponed or never happens....
is much sexier than fulfilment” and that reading about other people not getting what they want is interesting because “It's the story of all our lives.”
The decision to change the direction of Isabel and Jamie’s relationship was partly due to pressure from fans.
Reception
The Right Attitude to Rain generally received more positive reviews than its predecessors. EW.com is pleased by the development of Isabel's relationship, commenting "Hurray! An Alexander McCall Smith heroine finally gets some" and adding that "This affair is a welcome break from the tea sipping and moral hair-splitting that have made McCall Smith's recent novels such effective sleep aids." BookReporter.com agrees that this is the most interesting aspect of the novel, saying, "For the first time Alexander McCall Smith fleshes out this eccentric and delightful woman". They also commend the philosophical material: "Isabel's quandaries delight and pique the inner philosopher in all of us."InTheNews.com disagrees, saying that "the interjections of philosophical and high-brow intellectual reasoning ... can seem snobbish and isolating to the average reader, ie those without a PhD." However, it says that the novel is "packed full of quirky characters, feel-good moments and beautiful settings" and summarises it as: "Thoughtful. Gently-paced. Intelligent. Philosophical."
Time Out London’s website is critical of the unfolding of the plot, finding it “a little too neat and Miss Marple
Miss Marple
Jane Marple, usually referred to as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christie's crime novels and in twenty short stories. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster who lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur detective. She is one of the most famous...
-y”, while the ending is “far too trite” with “the curious moral message that the best way to overcome difficulties is to get pregnant.”
Influences and references
John Wilson of the journal First Things suggests that parts of The Right Attitude to Rain, particularly the surprise ending, are reminiscent of the writing of Iris MurdochIris Murdoch
Dame Iris Murdoch DBE was an Irish-born British author and philosopher, best known for her novels about political and social questions of good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious...
, in that they are “sudden twists of plot and character” that underline “how often we are wrong about each other and wrong more generally in our suppositions, our inferences.”
Editions
The UK audio version of the book is abridged, and is read by Hilary Neville.The US version is unabridged and is read by Davina Porter.