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    Catherine M Phoenix, AZ, USA 12-31-04
    Catherine M Phoenix, AZ, USA 12-31-04 Member Since 2016
    HELPFUL VOTES
    11
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    "go back to the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency"

    I love McCall Smith's Ladies Detective Agency books and that's why I purchased this title. I was very disappointed in the book as a whole. There was not very much story to it and way too many philosophical ramblings. Also, I was not very interested into the forays about crossword puzzle clues. However, the narrator was excellent, the only saving point to the entire experience.

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    5 of 6 people found this review helpful
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    Delberta 04-19-15
    Delberta 04-19-15 Member Since 2012
    HELPFUL VOTES
    4
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    30
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    Performance
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    "Intriguing!"

    As always, Davina Porter is outstanding! Her Scottish voices take me right to Edinburgh! And the charm of Isabel Dalhousie is without question! I so want to sit at her kitchen table, listening to her chat with Grace!

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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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    whitney 03-05-15
    whitney 03-05-15 Member Since 2013
    HELPFUL VOTES
    1
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    11
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    "love it!"

    great story, vivid and relatable characters. Davina Porter is the best storytellers I have ever had the pleasure to listen to.

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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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    Through a Golden Eye 12-11-12
    Through a Golden Eye 12-11-12
    HELPFUL VOTES
    16
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    347
    37
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    Performance
    Story
    "Lots of talk, little action"
    Is there anything you would change about this book?

    Whereas I think I'd very much enjoy Isabel Dalhousie as a friend or tea companion, she is somewhat lame as an amateur Private Investigator. I have a minor in philosophy and a law degree, and I understand her many, many philosophical and ethical references very well. From a standpoint of the story, there are TOO many, and many of them are not really pertinent. That a woman of that maturity and sophistication does not seem to understand the emotional drives of herself or the people around her strains credulity as well. I've very much enjoyed McCall Smith in other works, particularly the "Ladies Detective Agency" series set in Botswana. I'd enjoy Isabel more with less meandering philosophy and more action. The actress, Davina Porter, who narrates is spot on.


    What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

    Not enough resolution.


    What does Davina Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

    Her wide range of marvelous accents!


    If this book were a movie would you go see it?

    Maybe. A scriptwriter would tighten it up. I doubt most of Hollywood would get most of the what Isabel's talking about without their Wikipedia, anyway!


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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    Linda COLCHESTER, CT, United States 02-18-12
    Linda COLCHESTER, CT, United States 02-18-12
    HELPFUL VOTES
    1
    ratings
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    1
    1
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    0
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    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    "Great Expectations Disappointingly Dashed"
    What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

    The listening experience would have been much more enjoyable if the plot and protagonist were more interesting.


    What was most disappointing about Alexander McCall Smith’s story?

    I was particularly disappointed in the main character, Isabel Dalhousie. She was rather unlikable and tedious and her pontifications on ethics made me want to stop listening on more than occasion.


    Have you listened to any of Davina Porter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    I have never listened to Davina Porter before, but I liked her narration.


    What character would you cut from The Sunday Philosophy Club?

    I would cut Isabel Dalhousie! Unfortunately, that doesn't leave Alexander McCall Smith much to work with.


    Any additional comments?

    I had enjoyed reading another book by the author, and assumed (perhaps unfairly), that this book it would translate well into audio. His meandering style didn't capture my interest while listening, as it did while I was reading.

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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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    A.J. 02-04-12
    A.J. 02-04-12
    HELPFUL VOTES
    6
    ratings
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    16
    7
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    Performance
    Story
    "charming and cozy"
    What did you like best about this story?

    I was charmed by the main characters and the setting. I'm going through a phase where I like audio books that take me out of the U.S. (or into the past at least a century). There is just something inherently interesting about a setting


    What does Davina Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

    The narrator's accent was for me a delightful journey outside the U.S. without me having to sit through a long flight.


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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    maria BOCA RATON, FL, United States 10-22-11
    maria BOCA RATON, FL, United States 10-22-11
    HELPFUL VOTES
    3
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    53
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    "Compelling"

    Smith is channeling a woman's voice and a wonderful one at that: intelligent and warm. More please.

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    3 of 4 people found this review helpful
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    Barbara PLACITAS, NM, United States 10-27-04
    Barbara PLACITAS, NM, United States 10-27-04 Member Since 2016
    HELPFUL VOTES
    120
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    24
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    1
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    "HUGE Disappointment"

    I have read and reread all of Alexander McCall Smith's books about Botswana and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I absolutely adored the series.
    So when his new book came out about Scotland, I thought it would be the same caliber. I bought the book and immediately downloaded it for listening. Tonight I finished the book and I want to warn other fans to avoid this book at all costs.
    First of all, the "Sunday Philosophy Club" is mentioned only briefly in the book and never meets. What is the point in the title???
    Secondly, since Isobel, the heroine, is a philosopher, over half of the book is about her philosophical musings about ethics. This book has no real plot or action.
    Finally, the murder, about which the entire book is based, is not a murder at all. Just an unfortunate accident. If I am giving away the plot, believe me, you haven't lost much.

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    21 of 33 people found this review helpful
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    Amazon Customer Northern California 02-06-05
    Amazon Customer Northern California 02-06-05
    HELPFUL VOTES
    43
    ratings
    REVIEWS
    13
    2
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    1
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    Overall
    "Great audiobook"

    This is the first book in Smith's latest series, and I enjoyed the narration as much as I did with the Mma Ramotswe audiobooks. The Mma Ramotswe stories are such a universal success because they are universally accessible and warm, but Smith's previous characters have, like this one, been more academic in their musings. While the Ladies Detective Agency series is surely his masterpiece, this new series is wonderful literature to look forward to as well.

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    5 of 8 people found this review helpful
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    Tim 10-18-04
    Tim 10-18-04
    HELPFUL VOTES
    40
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    97
    12
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    "Very slight, mildly amusing"

    This is a very slow, thin book with little character development and less plot. The amusement in it is the extraction of major philosophical and moral debates from very minor daily life. It's calm, not unpleasant, but not much more.

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    5 of 8 people found this review helpful