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The Careful Use of Compliments
The Careful Use of Compliments | Alexander McCall Smith
9 posts | 14 read | 2 to read
Full-time philosopher and occasional sleuth Isabel Dalhousie, now the mother of a baby boy, is getting used to the new rhythms of her life, caring for little Charlie with the sometimes unsettling aid of her forthright housekeeper, Grace, having dinners with Charlies father, Jamie, and tending as usual to submissions to the Review of Applied Ethics. But Isabel is deeply unsettled when she receives a letter telling her that she is soon to be replaced as editor of the Review by Christopher Dove, an ambitious academic at a London university, and she considers a variety of ways of dealing with this unwelcome news. And her niece, Cat, who a couple of years before had rejected Jamie and broken his heart, is now furious at Isabel for having stolen him away. Isabels insatiable curiosityor what Jamie sees as her tendency toward meddlingis peaked when she learns some odd details regarding two paintings by a Scottish artist that have come onto the auction market, and she begins to think that the paintings might be forgeries. Her investigation takes her to the beautiful Isle of Jura, where she finds some recent traces of the painter and learns of his apparent suicide in the fabled whirlpool called the Corryvreckan. A visit to the painters widow brings a surprising realization, one that contributes to her musings throughout the story on mothers, fathers, and sons. From the Hardcover edition.
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LeslieO
The Careful Use of Compliments | Alexander McCall Smith
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Very excited about both these picks. Especially since I‘m already halfway through the tagged book. #bookspin #doublespin #bookspinbingo

32 likes1 stack add
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JuliaTheBookNerd
The Careful Use of Compliments | Alexander McCall Smith
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#ComplimentDay 😉❤️ #JanuaryJazz 🥳🪩🪅

#BookNerd 🤓💙📚

Eggs You have good taste💙💙 2y
49 likes1 comment
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Kshakal
Careful Use of Compliments | Alexander McCall Smith
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 💛💚🧡💜 4y
27 likes1 comment
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BookishMarginalia
The Careful Use of Compliments | Alexander McCall Smith
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#CurrentlyListening to the fourth #IsabelDalhousie mystery — though really, there‘s no mystery. Good characters, though.

81 likes1 stack add
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MrBook
The Careful Use of Compliments | Alexander McCall Smith
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😂👏🏻 At least kindness was reciprocated! #LitsyHumor

monkeygirlsmama 😂😂😂 6y
Jee_HookedOnBookz 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 6y
GripLitGrl 😂🤣😆 6y
See All 8 Comments
GingerAntics 🤣😂🤣 6y
BeansPage 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Sharing! 6y
melbeautyandbooks 🤣🤣🤣 6y
Bookzombie 😂😂😂 6y
BookBabe 😂😂😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 6y
108 likes8 comments
review
thea-block
The Careful Use of Compliments | Alexander McCall Smith
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Pickpick

Another good Isabel Dalhousie novel! Number four in this series, and at this point you feel like you‘re just getting a view into Isabel‘s life, with less plot-driven and more character driven purpose. It‘s also interesting that nothing character-driven was really resolved in this book, just processed. Looking forward to the next installment!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

10 likes1 stack add
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Kathrin
The Careful Use of Compliments | Alexander McCall Smith
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Mehso-so

Don't get me wrong, I like this series and I will continue reading it. It just feels a little like the same old same old with a baby thrown in. The mystery this time was actually mysterious, even though the mystery is never the focus in this series.

I was listening to this today while sightseeing in Puebla, Mexico. No, I am not this unsocial but on a solo biz trip.

Megabooks 😎😎😎😎 7y
22 likes1 comment
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lisakoby
The Careful Use of Compliments | Alexander McCall Smith
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Not usually a fan of cozy mysteries but this series is a favourite when I want a #laidbackbook

This is what I picture when I'm reading them.

#day10 #augustofbooks #augustphotochallenge

TheSpinecrackersBookClub Gorgeous view. 8y
MrBook Nice! 😊👍🏻 8y
14 likes1 stack add2 comments
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MrsV
The Careful Use of Compliments | Alexander McCall Smith
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9 likes1 stack add