I have read many of Alexander McCall Smith's novels and especially loved the African series, No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. So when I came across the Isabel Dalhousie Novel at a local library book sale, I snapped it up.
The Quiet Side of Passion isn't the first book in this series which is set in Scotland, but it wasn't difficult to jump in at this point and understand the dynamics between the characters.
From the cover:
Isabel Dalhousie grappled with complex matters of the heart as she tries to juggle her responsibilities to friends, family and the philosophical community.
Isabel Dalhousie grappled with complex matters of the heart as she tries to juggle her responsibilities to friends, family and the philosophical community.
With two small boys to raise, a mountain of articles to edit for the Review of Applied Ethics and the ever-increasing demands of her niece, who always seemed to need a helping hand at the deli, Isabel barely has time left for herself. Isabel makes the acquaintance of Patricia, the mother of her son Charlie's friend, Basil and makes an effort to be supportive of the single mother but when she sees Patricia in the company of an unscrupulous man she tries to determine the correct course of action.
