The tenth wonderful story in Alexander McCall Smith's much-loved Isabel Dalhousie series.
Isabel Dalhousie is one of Edinburgh's most generous (but discreet) philanthropists - but should she be more charitable? She wonders, sometimes, if she is too judgemental about her niece's amorous exploits, too sharp about her housekeeper's spiritual beliefs, too ready to bristle in battle against her enemies.
As the editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, she doesn't, of course, allow herself actual enemies, but she does feel enmity - especially towards two academics who have just arrived in the city. Isabel feels they're a highly destabilizing influence; little tremors in the volcanic rock upon which an Enlightened Edinburgh perches. Equally troubling is the situation of the little boy who is convinced he had a previous life. When Isabel is called upon to help, she finds herself questioning her views on reincarnation. And the nature of grief. And - crucially - the positioning of lighthouses.
The only questions Isabel doesn't have to address concern her personal life. With her young son and devoted husband her home life is blissfully content. Which is the best possible launching pad for the next issue of the Review - the Happiness issue. As Isabel is beginning to appreciate, happiness, for most people, is not quite what it seems . . .
a delightful read as always
“We might believe that things did not exist because we had no evidence for their existence, but they still existed – in spite of our ignorance”
The Novel Habits of Happiness is the tenth book in the Isabel Dalhousie series by popular British author, Alexander McCall Smith. Editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, Isabel Dalhousie is a busy woman. Her young son, Charlie is now almost four, and a delightful boy developing his own character. Her niece, Cat has started a new relationship, and Isabel is apprehensive about meeting Cat’s latest fling. And the intentions of two visitors from London at the Enlightenment Institute are a source of worry for her. Isabel is asked by a good friend to help a concerned mother whose young son is speaking of a previous life. While sceptical of reincarnation, Isabel cannot ignore an appeal, and, surprisingly, finds she has Jamie’s blessing, and even his assistance.
Marianne, 12/05/2015
