Richly observed and intelligently textured, Alexander McCall Smith's THE GEOMETRY OF HOLDING HANDS is another captivating entry in wonderful Isabel Dalhousie series. There's always something here to spark thought: this series is a gift to the reader and this novel shines with all of the series' hallmarks.

I've read "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series, but none in this one, and I like the laid-back writing style. I also like the way philosophy is included in practical lives, so I enjoyed the book very much, even though it starts out a little slow.

I read this ARc for an honest review

I've read quite a few of the author's books and love the gentle warmth of his writing style

There is a charm to this. Its the kind of book I love reading curled up in an armchair on a rainy Sunday with a cuppa.

Great

This is number 13 in the series of Isabel Dalhousie, a philosopher and the editor in chief of the Review of Applied Ethics magazine. Besides her profession, she has other responsibilities as she has two small children, and has to support her niece and her business, a delicatessen. But apparently, being a philosopher, she is not only a keen observer of the life around her, in the city of Edinburgh, but she is also unable to bypass any chance of involvement.
People come to her for taking advice on important decisions, but Isabel also has her own dilemmas about having a life supported by a trust fund, and sharing this fund with her only relative. Her mind constantly keeps working on alternative ways of looking at various situations in life, and finding the right solutions to moral issues. And, the reader follows her along through the day.
This book is just another chapter in Isabel’s life, and though it seems uneventful, it is an easy read and certainly gives some food for thought. Even though I didn’t read the previous installments, I was able to follow the story line, and it was especially soothing to read it in lockdown. Following her through daily errands and small family problems left a somewhat warm and fuzzy feeling behind.
As the author continues to write the chronicles of her life, there will certainly be followers who will find some peace and calm in her stories.

I'd like to thank NetGalley, Alexander McCall Smith, and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Pantheon Books, for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.
The Geometry of Holding Hands is the 13th book in the Isabel Dalhousie series and it certainly satisfies. The reader is updated on Isabel and her family: her husband, Jamie, and her two little boys, Charlie and Magnus, as well as their housekeeper, Grace.
As usual, Isabel gets in over her head with her commitments. A distant acquaintance asks her to be the executor of his estate – how can she say no? Cat asks her to work at the deli more – how can she say no?
But when Cat makes some life changes that affect Isabel, co-worker Eddie, and the family trust, Isabel becomes concerned. How can she make everything come out right?
After some thinking, she involves Jamie, and together they make honest, ethical decisions that seem to satisfy everyone – even the reader!
Even after 13 books, Isabel and her crew still feel like family members that the reader wants to keep up with and know that they are all OK. Another relaxing, satisfying visit to Edinburgh!


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3347404738

What I love best about Alexander McCall Smith’s books is the presence of a “wise woman”—a female character who makes her world better through her words or actions, or both. In THE GEOMETRY OF HOLDING HANDS, it’s Isabel Dalhousie, philosopher, journal editor, and volunteer employee at her niece’s deli who navigates the complexities of an Edinburgh littered with family drama, sticky inheritance issues, and a mother who desperately wants her bassoon-playing son to join the school orchestra. This is a hopeful, happy book. #instabooks #instrabookworm #edinburgh #alexandermccallsmith #thegeometryofholdinghands #netgalley

Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available July 28th 2020

It seems like time keeps going and Alexander McCall Smith's novels stand still in their genuine, gentle warmth. Like every McCall Smith classic, it is a novel best read while drinking a pot of fresh hot tea and, in the case of Isabel Dalhousie, a side of shortbread biscuits. While some of the Dalhousie's inner dialogue does show the hallmarks of white Scottish male thought, like the defense of capitalism in medical pharmacy, there is a certain amount of charm belying this tale through the streets of Edinburgh. When a stranger places their estate in Isabel's hands, she feels like there's a mystery afoot. Sidetracked by a devilish potential son in law, a failing delicatessen and a host of personalities, will Dalhousie ever get to the bottom of this mystery? Another enjoyable read.

Alexander McCall Smith is a true Man of all Seasons- his writings span continents, genres, and personalities. They seem to have one thing in common- a focus on the intricacies of relationships and the ways in which his characters observe, react, and resolve significant events- small and large.

The titles of his books draw you in to consideration of what you will find inside, and it has never been disappointing. His latest, No. 13, of the philosopher Isabel Dalhousie series is entitled The Geometry of Holding Hands. You will feel like you are walking the streets of beautiful Edinburgh with Isabel holding your hand, guiding you through what she calls her particular form of consciousness- a meandering.

As Isabel moves through her days finding and being found by people who want advice and assistance- you move with her through meanderings on politics, history, jurisprudence, legal trusts, familial conflict, art collecting, parenting, shopkeeping, and marital bliss. You can see why she is the owner and editor of the Review of Applied Ethics.

I find McCall Smith an immersive author. I read The Geometry of Holding Hands straight through in one day. I would stop over and over to reread or research a particular paragraph or sentence that captured my imagination or my interest in a new idea, word, or thought.

Be prepared to meander.

I've always preferred the Isabel Dalhousie series to Alexander McCall Smith's more popular series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Maybe it's because McCall Smith is an Edinburgh native, but this series just rings a bit authentic to me. His books are pure comfort reads, which fits the bill for pandemic reading, when everyone needs a mental escape.

Once again, Isabel's philosophical tangents spiral into some amusing anecdotes. In this installment (#13 and counting), Isabel is asked to serve as executor for a dying man's estate. But the more interesting part of the book centers around her somewhat-rebellious niece, Cat's, engagement to a handsome but unscrupulous man. Cat's troublesome relationships have been an ongoing theme in the series, and I enjoyed following Isabel's stream-of-conscious musings on how to handle her suspicions of Cat's fiancé. I'm sure we'll be hearing more about this relationship in future episodes.

These books are nice, gentle entertainments. But don't expect a lot of high drama. Any sex or violence is left to the imagination. Isabel and her family lead privileged lives, far removed from the gritty reality of the real Edinburgh. It's refreshing to escape into a safe universe where you know that everything will turn out perfectly fine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An Isabel Dalhousie book. For those unfamiliar with McCall Smith’s less well-known protagonist (Mma Ramotswe of Number One Ladies Detective Agency is far more popular), Isabel is a philosopher of independent means. She serves as the publisher and editor of the Review of Applied Ethics. What an unusual character on which to base a series! These books center around questions of morality, and amidst the light plots that loosely guide each episode, we are treated to a constant stream of philosophical musings and epiphanies. I love the fact that rather than read the (probably) dry research papers that populate Isabel’s Review, we instead get to hear the intriguing summaries.

In this installment, Isabel is asked to serve as executor of a dying man’s trust while simultaneously coming to terms with her niece’s engagement to an (to Isabel) unsuitable man. These situations give rise to musings about the accidents of love, moral obligations, moral strangers, the sphere of moral proximity, and what it means to act graciously. Populated by the educational elite of Edinburgh, this series also gives rise to discussions on a wide variety of topics — this time including Himalayan languages and Scottish Country dancing.

I have a very good vocabulary and have read most of McCall Smith’s books and yet he *still* surprises me with new words. This time: Gluckschmerz and commensality. Gluckschmerz is feeling pain in the face of another’s success — the opposite of Schadenfreude. Commensality refers to the positive social interactions that are associated with people eating together.

My favorite phrase in the book: “the suppurating corruption of greed.”

Thank you Net Galley. Another delightful book from Mr. McCall Smith. I have liked all the Isabel Dalhousie stories and I like this one very much too. The author manages to write very interesting stories without contrived drama. The books are soothing and exciting and interesting reads, that you finish much too soon!

Isabel is a resident of Edinburgh who edits a philosophy journal, married to Jamie, and mother of two. She has a difficult niece named Cat, recently engaged to a rather repugnant man who Isabel and Jamie think is after her money. Isabel agrees to be executor of the estate of a terminally ill man whom she just met, then has second thoughts about it. I like following these characters, and McCall Smith continues their stories capably in this newest installment. Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for this ARC.

Isabel recalled the debate. “I think I remember her now. She doesn’t mince her words.”
“No,” said Jamie. “She sautés them and they come out pretty hot.”

The Geometry of Holding Hands is the thirteenth book in the Isabel Dalhousie series by Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith. As a philosopher, Isabel Dalhousie always carefully considers what she says and does, be it a comment, a favour or an investment: the minutiae of everyday life are ripe for philosophical contemplation. Thus topics as diverse as boys in dresses, making fun of unfortunate names, stewardship of land vs profit-based approach, and the morality of inherited assets (investing ethically and using it well are key), are up for deliberation and discussion.

In this instalment of our favourite philosopher’s life: a certain incident in a restaurant results in Isabel being asked by a stranger to be the executor for his estate, which turns out to be much more complicated than she initially had anticipated; a champagne cork accident sees Isabel taking Eddie to the A&E.

Isabel’s niece, Cat, true to form, takes Isabel’s generous nature for granted. Then, Cat’s announcement about her relationship with the self-satisfied Leo leads Jamie to later congratulate Isabel on her breathtaking insincerity. Isabel thinks: “Surely there must be a category of justifiable insincerity, covering those social anodynes that people exchange simply to oil the wheels of daily life.” This is followed by yet more disturbing developments that threaten a major upheaval to the status quo.

Isabel’s thoughts regularly veer off on tangents: “Hers was a particular form of consciousness, she thought: not a stream of consciousness but a meandering, deltoid consciousness, in which memories and speculations—fantasies, even—rubbed shoulders with awareness of the present.”

As usual, Isabel agrees to help when she really should not get involved; as usual, she leaps to conclusions based on the flimsiest of evidence; as usual, Jamie is supportive and understanding and gives good advice; and as usual, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments both in dialogue and deed. Another delightfully entertaining dose of Alexander McCall Smith.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday

I'm very fond of the characters in the Isabel Dalhousie series. They are the substance of the introspective stories much more than any plot lines. In this latest installment, there were some interesting and welcome surprises in the narrative as well as the reassuring reappearances of certain flawed or troubled characters. I would have welcomed more about Grace and more about Charlie, both always interesting. The same for Dalhousie's nemesis, Professor Lettuce. Recommended.

Isabel Dalhousie is back in Alexander McCall Smith’s latest novel, The Geometry of Holding Hands. The usual characters are in attendance, which makes the novel a delight to read, especially during the current “Stay at Home” order.
There is always something to be learned while reading one of the books in this series, whether it be English or Latin vocabulary, music theory or principles of ethical thinking. The discussions either between characters or within Isabel’s own head are always interesting when read.
Although classified as a mystery, I’d say it’s more of a delightful and thoroughly readable novel and if one is addicted to the series, you’re in luck with this one!

To my mind Alexander McCall Smith is some kind of genius. He writes so well and he knows so much about everything. He has so many series running at the same time that I have a great deal of trouble keeping up with them all. I am sure he has never heard of writer's block and definitely never suffers from it. In fact I imagine his head must buzz all day just like his words do when he writes an Isabel Dalhousie novel.

Isabel is a philosopher and consequently she philosophises on anything and everything. She has the world's most perfect husband who understands her (luckily) and who can even enter into debates with her on occasion. She also gets herself involved in all sorts of issues which would be better left alone and sometimes misjudges events rather badly.

I have loved this series since book one and am always excited when another one comes out.