The Sweet Remnants of Summer (Isabel Dalhousie Novels)

Book arrived speedily. I am looking forward to enjoying this new book.

Another wonderful book of the Isabel Dalhousie series. I gave it only 4 stars because the cover is so rough and unpleasant to hold that I took it off. All other books are lovely to look at and to hold and give an added pleasure to the reading experience. I see it is an American publisher now so there are changes, naturally. But what were they thinking? Did they actually touch it?

An enthralling blend of psychology, moral philosophy and intrigue - another compulsive read from a rattling good storyteller. Isabel and Jamie become involved in complex entanglements, and each must consider their actions, their marriage and their children. On top if that, the thorny question - is one of their sons a bullying biter? And punctuating the story, rearing his russet nose at regular intervals, slinking like a shadow through the garden, is dear Brother Fox.

Any reader familiar with this series knows what they are going to get. Characters that have endeared themselves to us over the years, lots of musings on a variety of subjects and a wafer-thin plot that seems to get slimmer each year.Usually, the entirely charming nature of the text trumps any negatives. However, this latest book is rather lacking in charm and has even more philosophical padding/waffle than usual. The most interesting element is the 'sub-plot' of the bitten hand which occupies just a few pages. Boring is a strong word to use but, in this case, is entirely appropriate.Thankfully, the word 'olive' makes its usual appearance several times as well as mentions for Lettuce and Dove (though this leads to nothing). Sadly, Eddie makes just a cameo appearance at the end.To sum up - less of the same.

I love all the author’s books because they are funny and insightful as well as being an easy read. I love his characters, my favourite beingthose in the 44 Scotland Street series, especially young Bertie.

Good read

I've read and enjoyed all the Isabel Dalhousie novels and also found plenty to think about. Without giving anything away, I completely agree with the author about the contribution of teaspoons - if you read it you'll understand. This time Isabel did too much thinking to keep me engaged, and I found this episode particularly thin on the storyline and also repetitive. The author nods to events which may occur in Isabel's future and that isn't enough to keep me interested, especially at the publication date price. I'll wait for public library copies next time.

The author never disappoints.