The Sunday Philosophy Club Series
Encyclopedia
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. The series is set in Edinburgh
.
The title of the first book and of the series was suggested by McCall Smith's editor.
setting of McCall Smith’s previous series: in an interview in May 2004, McCall Smith said, “I’m enjoying it immensely, writing about a different milieu.” The series was set in Edinburgh because McCall Smith “wanted to write something about Scotland
” and finds Edinburgh “a very interesting and intriguing city.” The series tries to reflect the Edinburgh people, who are “vivid agreeable people just waiting to have a novel written about them.”
Particular comparisons have been made between McCall’s Edinburgh and the version of the city that appears in Ian Rankin
’s books. McCall Smith notes that his books are “certainly a bit different from the very realistic fiction that comes from Edinburgh” but believes that both styles equally reflect the nature of Edinburgh and Scotland: “I would say that a city’s literary nature needn’t be carved in stone. One doesn’t need to accept that there is just one sort of literature or one formula for the Scottish novel.”
Time Out’s website describes the main character Isabel thus: “If you combine the nosey interfering of Austen
’s Emma
with the relentless self-analysis of Carrie Bradshaw
you have a fair idea of the protagonist.” The books are mostly narrated through Isabel's eyes from a limited third-person viewpoint.
McCall Smith himself calls the series “a little more focused” than The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, with “a different register.” Nonetheless, he believes that Precious Ramotswe and Isabel would get along: “[Mma Ramotswe] would respect [Isabel] but she would probably tell her to relax a bit, drink a bit more tea
, and sit out under a tree to chew the fat a bit more.”
The repeated presence of a female protagonist who tries to do the right thing demonstrates McCall Smith’s “underlying sympathy for women and fundamental generosity of spirit.”
talks about this, that you can't answer the question of what is the meaning of life, but you can find meaning in a limited context, and work toward that.”
A key element is the notion that simplicity and kindness are important aspects of life: "Kindness needn't be dull ... it can also be elevating and moving." Commenting on the lack of villains in his ‘mystery’ stories, McCall Smith explains: "I don't do baddies very well." Ultimately, the books examine "the fundamental question of how we can lead a good and satisfying life."
The series frequently makes references to works of literature from Scotland and elsewhere. Often-mentioned is W. H. Auden
, McCall Smith’s favourite poet, whose "marvellously humane" poetry is "a constant inspiration".
Jamie, Isabel’s love interest, has been given McCall Smith’s favourite name.
The Really Terrible Orchestra
, of which the author is a founding member, appears in this book.
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...
. It is also the name of the first novel in the series, and an informal talking group founded by the main character Isabel Dalhousie. The series is 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...
.
The title of the first book and of the series was suggested by McCall Smith's editor.
Novels in the series
The series of novels includes:- The Sunday Philosophy ClubThe Sunday Philosophy ClubThe 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:...
(2004) - Friends, Lovers, ChocolateFriends, Lovers, ChocolateFriends, 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...
(2005) - The Right Attitude to RainThe Right Attitude to RainThe 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...
(2006) - The Careful Use of ComplimentsThe Careful Use of ComplimentsThe Careful Use of Compliments is the fourth book in The Sunday Philosophy Club Series by Alexander McCall Smith.-Plot:After her son's birth, Isabel feels that her life has hit a happy patch....
(2007) - The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday (2008)
- The Lost Art of Gratitude (2009)
- The Charming Quirks of Others (2010)
- The Forgotten Affairs of Youth (2011)
Major recurring characters
- Isabel Dalhousie is in her early forties and is a philosopher, the editor of the journal "Review of Applied EthicsApplied ethicsApplied 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"...
". Due to an inheritance left to her by her late mother, she can work for a nominal fee. She lives alone in a large ageing house in the south of Edinburgh. Isabel is “a good person, a kind soul. She’s very thoughtful, obviously.” - Cat, Isabel’s niece, is a young attractive woman who runs a delicatessenDelicatessenDelicatessen 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....
. Cat has a habit of falling for inappropriate men and refusing to listen to Isabel’s advice about them. - Grace, Isabel’s housekeeperHousekeeper (servant)A housekeeper is an individual responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the interior of a residence, including direction of subordinate maids...
, an outspoken ScotswomanScottish peopleThe Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
with an interest in spiritualismSpiritualismSpiritualism 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...
and an opinion on everything. - Jamie, Cat’s ex-boyfriend who is a "fatally attractive" bassoonBassoonThe 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. - Eddie, Cat’s assistant at the delicatessen, who has experienced “something traumatic” in his past and is therefore very shy.
- Brother Fox, an urban foxFoxFox 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.
Minor characters
- Mark, a man whose death at the theatre Isabel decides to investigate (The Sunday Philosophy Club)
- Toby, Cat’s first unsuitable boyfriend, with a penchant for crushed-strawberry-coloured trousers (SPC)
- Ian, the recipient of a problematic heart transplant (Friends, Lovers, Chocolate)
- Tomasso, an Italian who woos Isabel (FLC)
- Rose Macleod and Graeme, a couple whose son has died (FLC)
- Mimi, Isabel’s cousin from Dallas, and her husband Joe (The Right Attitude to Rain)
- Tom Bruce, a rich American who suffers from Bell's palsyBell's palsyBell'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 his young beautiful fiancé Angie (RATR) - Patrick, another of Cat’s boyfriends, who is under his mother’s thumb (RATR)
Setting
The Sunday Philosophy Club marked a departure from the gentle BotswanaBotswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
setting of McCall Smith’s previous series: in an interview in May 2004, McCall Smith said, “I’m enjoying it immensely, writing about a different milieu.” The series was set in Edinburgh because McCall Smith “wanted to write something about 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 finds Edinburgh “a very interesting and intriguing city.” The series tries to reflect the Edinburgh people, who are “vivid agreeable people just waiting to have a novel written about them.”
Particular comparisons have been made between McCall’s Edinburgh and the version of the city that appears in Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin, OBE, DL , is a Scottish crime writer. His best known books are the Inspector Rebus novels. He has also written several pieces of literary criticism.-Background:He attended Beath High School, Cowdenbeath...
’s books. McCall Smith notes that his books are “certainly a bit different from the very realistic fiction that comes from Edinburgh” but believes that both styles equally reflect the nature of Edinburgh and Scotland: “I would say that a city’s literary nature needn’t be carved in stone. One doesn’t need to accept that there is just one sort of literature or one formula for the Scottish novel.”
Style
In comparison to The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, the Sunday Philosophy Club series is "a little bit more tilted in the mystery direction." Nonetheless, it is a detective novel "only in a rather quirky, incidental way." More importantly, the series is character- rather than plot-driven.Time Out’s website describes the main character Isabel thus: “If you combine the nosey interfering of Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
’s Emma
Emma
Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England; she also creates a lively 'comedy of manners' among...
with the relentless self-analysis of Carrie Bradshaw
Carrie Bradshaw
Carrie Preston is the fictional narrator and lead character of the HBO sitcom/drama Sex and the City, portrayed by actress Sarah Jessica Parker. She is a semi-autobiographical character created by Candace Bushnell, who published the book Sex and the City, based on her own columns in the New York...
you have a fair idea of the protagonist.” The books are mostly narrated through Isabel's eyes from a limited third-person viewpoint.
McCall Smith himself calls the series “a little more focused” than The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, with “a different register.” Nonetheless, he believes that Precious Ramotswe and Isabel would get along: “[Mma Ramotswe] would respect [Isabel] but she would probably tell her to relax a bit, drink a bit more tea
Rooibos
Rooibos is a broom-like member of the legume family of plants growing in South Africa's fynbos.The generic name comes from the plant Calicotome villosa, aspalathos in Greek. This plant has very similar growth and flowers to the redbush...
, and sit out under a tree to chew the fat a bit more.”
The repeated presence of a female protagonist who tries to do the right thing demonstrates McCall Smith’s “underlying sympathy for women and fundamental generosity of spirit.”
Themes and issues
The series deals widely with “everyday moral and philosophical conundrums” through Isabel’s work as the editor of a philosophical journal. McCall Smith notes: “We can't necessarily answer the great questions about meaning – CamusAlbert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
talks about this, that you can't answer the question of what is the meaning of life, but you can find meaning in a limited context, and work toward that.”
A key element is the notion that simplicity and kindness are important aspects of life: "Kindness needn't be dull ... it can also be elevating and moving." Commenting on the lack of villains in his ‘mystery’ stories, McCall Smith explains: "I don't do baddies very well." Ultimately, the books examine "the fundamental question of how we can lead a good and satisfying life."
The series frequently makes references to works of literature from Scotland and elsewhere. Often-mentioned is W. H. Auden
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
, McCall Smith’s favourite poet, whose "marvellously humane" poetry is "a constant inspiration".
Jamie, Isabel’s love interest, has been given McCall Smith’s favourite name.
The Really Terrible Orchestra
The Really Terrible Orchestra
The Really Terrible Orchestra is a British amateur orchestra, founded in 1995 by the Edinburgh-based businessman Peter Stevenson and the author Alexander McCall Smith. The inspiration for Stevenson and Smith was the enjoyment that their children were having with their school orchestras...
, of which the author is a founding member, appears in this book.