The Novel Habits of Happiness (Isabel Dalhousie) - Hardcover

McCall Smith, Alexander

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 030790735X ISBN 13: 9780307907356

Publisher: Pantheon Books, 2015

Synopsis

The tenth book in this beloved author's consistently best-selling series featuring his insatiably curious, ever-delightful Edinburgh philosopher and amateur sleuth who now takes on a case like none she's had before: one with paranormal implications. From a small town outside Edinburgh comes the news that a young boy has been recounting vivid recollections of a past life: a perfect description of an island off the coast of Scotland which he couldn't possibly know, and a house there, where he claims to have spent his former life. When the boy's mother asks Isabel to investigate his claims, she feels she must--of course!--help them learn the truth, and she and Jamie set off for the island. But finding the house the boy described only leads to more complicated questions. And when she learns about the tragic story of the family who lived there, Isabel is suddenly faced with a situation of extraordinary delicacy that will require all of her skills both as sleuth and philosopher. (Meantime, back in Edinburgh: Will an elder lothario take Grace away from Isabel? Would Isabel be able to manage without her stalwart housekeeper, companion, and babysitter?)

About this title

Review:

"Praise for the Isabel Dalhousieseries"
Isabel Dalhousie is a force to be reckoned with. " USA Today"
The literary equivalent of herbal tea and a cozy fire . . . Invites readers into a world of kindness, gentility and creature comforts . . . McCall Smith s Scotland is well worth future visits. " The New York Times"
Isabel Dalhousie is such good company, it s hard to believe she s fictional. You finish [each] installment greedily looking forward to more. " Newsweek "
A world where humor is gentle, suffering is acknowledged but not foregrounded and efforts to do good are usually rewarded. It s a wonderful place to visit, even if we don t get to live there. " The Washington Post""

Isabel Dalhousie s satisfying return. . . . Edinburgh s favorite philosopher/sleuth is back, this time helping a frantic mom whose son keeps talking about his previous life. Plot twists keep you reading (maybe the boy s claims aren t so crazy after all . . .), but it s Isabel s musings on duty and parenthood that linger. People Magazine
A stimulating thinking-person s read, seeming light on the surface but actually going deep. . . . This is a love story. Not the conventional kind, a boy-meets-girl romance; rather, it s a novel about love love of life, love of home and homeland, love of partner and family, love of fellow humans. New York Journal of Books
Isabel Dalhousie philosophizes the way some people drink. There is nothing that she won t contemplate, analyze or nitpick, from meerkats in the zoo to the difference between a good submarine (the crew doesn t swear or drink) and a bad submarine which of course must be nuclear. The Washington Times
No writer makes the philosophical life as inviting and cozy as McCall Smith does in his episodic novels featuring Isabel Dalhousie. . . . The real substance of this charming series lies in Isabel s thoughtful observations dn the interactions among a large cast of characters. Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for the Isabel Dalhousieseries
Isabel Dalhousie is a force to be reckoned with. USA Today
The literary equivalent of herbal tea and a cozy fire . . . Invites readers into a world of kindness, gentility and creature comforts . . . McCall Smith s Scotland is well worth future visits. The New York Times
Isabel Dalhousie is such good company, it s hard to believe she s fictional. You finish [each] installment greedily looking forward to more. Newsweek
A world where humor is gentle, suffering is acknowledged but not foregrounded and efforts to do good are usually rewarded. It s a wonderful place to visit, even if we don t get to live there. The Washington Post"

"Isabel Dalhousie's satisfying return. . . . Edinburgh's favorite philosopher/sleuth is back, this time helping a frantic mom whose son keeps talking about his previous life. Plot twists keep you reading (maybe the boy's claims aren't so crazy after all . . .), but it's Isabel's musings on duty and parenthood that linger." --People Magazine

"A stimulating thinking-person's read, seeming light on the surface but actually going deep. . . . This is a love story. Not the conventional kind, a boy-meets-girl romance; rather, it's a novel about love--love of life, love of home and homeland, love of partner and family, love of fellow humans." --New York Journal of Books

"Isabel Dalhousie philosophizes the way some people drink. There is nothing that she won't contemplate, analyze or nitpick, from meerkats in the zoo to the difference between a good submarine (the crew doesn't swear or drink) and a bad submarine which of course must be nuclear." --The Washington Times

"No writer makes the philosophical life as inviting and cozy as McCall Smith does in his episodic novels featuring Isabel Dalhousie. . . . The real substance of this charming series lies in Isabel's thoughtful observations dn the interactions among a large cast of characters." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for the Isabel Dalhousie series

"Isabel Dalhousie is a force to be reckoned with." --USA Today

"The literary equivalent of herbal tea and a cozy fire . . . Invites readers into a world of kindness, gentility and creature comforts . . . McCall Smith's Scotland is well worth future visits." --The New York Times

"Isabel Dalhousie is such good company, it's hard to believe she's fictional. You finish [each] installment greedily looking forward to more." --Newsweek

"A world where humor is gentle, suffering is acknowledged but not foregrounded and efforts to do good are usually rewarded. It's a wonderful place to visit, even if we don't get to live there." --The Washington Post

Book Description:

The tenth wonderful story in Alexander McCall Smith's much-loved Isabel Dalhousie series.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pantheon Books
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 030790735X
• ISBN 13: 9780307907356
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 257