The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday (The Sunday Philosophy Club series)

by: Alexander McCall Smith

Published by: Anchor Books

Reviewed by Carrie Padgett

Simple pleasures like a walk through the park, digging in the garden on a Saturday, and a sharp cheese to wake the taste buds; these are the essentials of life.

In The Comforts of A Muddy Saturday, the fifth installment in Alexander McCall Smith’s Isabel Dalhousie series, simple pleasures abound. Isabel is now the owner and publisher of the “Review of Applied Ethics” mother of a toddler, and in a committed relationship with musician Jamie, baby Charlie’s father.

Isabel is asked to look into the plight of a disgraced doctor acquaintance. She also fills in for her niece, managing Cat’s delicatessen for a week. Jamie has a new music associate who clearly antagonizes Isabel. She is caught in her own ethical dilemma regarding a submission to the “Review.” All this in addition to caring for her son.

The inquiry for the doctor leads to a conclusion unimagined by Isabel and the reader. Working with Eddie at the delicatessen lets Isabel put her philosophical ethics into practice when she gives him a sum of money but then wonders what her claim can be on Eddie and the funds. A gift not given freely is no longer a gift, she decides.

Smith’s books can be described as simple, but that is only on the surface. There is subtext laid down on every page which only deepens the reading experience.

Precious Ramotswe, the protagonist of Smith’s best-known series, “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency,” is a straightforward thinker and doer. Isabel is her opposite. Every thought leads to three others and each of those lead to three more. Instead of feeling lost in a rabbit warren though, Isabel is a tour guide to the reader and leads us through the maze and out to enjoy her conclusions in the warmth of her clarity.

Armchair Interviews says: The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday is a warm and welcome addition to any collection.

Author’s Web site: http://www.McCallSmith.com