Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
70 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Right Attitude to Rain (Isabel Dalhousie 3)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside another edition of this book

The Right Attitude to Rain (Isabel Dalhousie 3) (Hardcover)

by Alexander McCall Smith (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
RRP: £16.99
Price: £11.89 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £5.10 (30%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Wednesday, July 22? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
21 new from £2.21 38 used from £0.01 11 collectible from £1.49
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 5 used & new from £18.95
Paperback (New edition) £7.99 £5.59 62 used & new from £0.01
Hardcover (Large Print) 7 used & new from £9.79
Audio CD (Abridged,Audiobook) £15.65 £15.65 27 used & new from £1.84
Audio CD (Audiobook,Unabridged) £19.56 £16.63 10 used & new from £10.79
Show more editions and formats

Frequently Bought Together

The Right Attitude to Rain (Isabel Dalhousie 3) + The Careful Use of Compliments: Careful Use of Compliments v. 4 (Sunday Philosophy Club) + Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (Isabel Dalhousie 2)
Price For All Three: £21.76

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Careful Use of Compliments: Careful Use of Compliments v. 4 (Sunday Philosophy Club)

The Careful Use of Compliments: Careful Use of Compliments v. 4 (Sunday Philosophy Club)

by Alexander McCall Smith
4.1 out of 5 stars (14)  £4.99
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (Isabel Dalhousie 2)

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (Isabel Dalhousie 2)

by Alexander McCall Smith
3.3 out of 5 stars (9)  £4.88
The World According to Bertie (44 Scotland Street 4)

The World According to Bertie (44 Scotland Street 4)

by Alexander McCall Smith
4.2 out of 5 stars (17)  £4.98
The Sunday Philosophy Club

The Sunday Philosophy Club

by Alexander McCall Smith
2.8 out of 5 stars (50)  £4.84
Love Over Scotland (44 Scotland Street)

Love Over Scotland (44 Scotland Street)

by Alexander McCall Smith
4.3 out of 5 stars (12)  £4.20
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 251 pages
  • Publisher: Little, Brown (5 Oct 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0316727814
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316727815
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.4 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 149,162 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Review
** 'Delightful ... McCall Smith is a writer who celebrates kindness, in short supply in the world today' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH ** 'Isabel is an appealing character, always trying to work out the right thing to do, and McCall Smith presents her with a series of dilemmas. One is personal, the ethics of beginning an affair with a younger man who used to be her niece's boyfriend, and the other is whether to intervene in the troubled engagement of an American millionaire ... This is an unconventional novel, in which the power of emotion to cloud human intelligence takes precedence over everything else, but it is shot through with a gentle humanism that will delight McCall Smith's admirers' SUNDAY TIMES

Sunday Times
'Shot through with a gentle humanism that will delight McCall
Smith's admirers'


See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
(13)
(11)
(11)
(11)
(9)
(5)
(4)
(4)
(2)
(2)
(2)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Right Attitude to Rain (Isabel Dalhousie 3)
79% buy the item featured on this page:
The Right Attitude to Rain (Isabel Dalhousie 3) 4.1 out of 5 stars (16)
£11.89
The Careful Use of Compliments: Careful Use of Compliments v. 4 (Sunday Philosophy Club)
6% buy
The Careful Use of Compliments: Careful Use of Compliments v. 4 (Sunday Philosophy Club) 4.1 out of 5 stars (14)
£4.99
The Unbearable Lightness of Scones (44 Scotland Street)
5% buy
The Unbearable Lightness of Scones (44 Scotland Street) 3.7 out of 5 stars (7)
£3.99
The Sunday Philosophy Club
5% buy
The Sunday Philosophy Club 2.8 out of 5 stars (50)
£4.84
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Examined Life Examined, 25 Jan 2007
By Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)      

Once upon a time philosophers dealt with practical questions of ethics: When is it appropriate to lie? When can you take another life? When may you be silent while another makes a mistake? Alexander McCall Smith returns us to those musings, dressed up in the clothing of a divorced woman, Isabel Dalhousie, dealing with her personal life and her profession as the editor of the Review of Applied Ethics. For those who like some intellectual depth with their stories, this series will be most rewarding. For those who want big laughs and ironies that make you instantly smile, go back to The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

This is the third book in the series. In the prior books, Isabel shows herself to be a woman who likes to take her time to examine her behavior . . . before acting . . . and usually kicks herself when she doesn't let her intellect lead her. While being concerned about her niece, Cat, Isabel mostly is disappointed that Cat has rejected the handsome and worthy Jamie for a series of less good marital candidates. But Isabel has taken solace in keeping Jamie for a friend, while Jamie pines for the uninterested Cat.

When it rains, is that a blessing . . . or bad luck? In Scotland where it usually rains, you'd better take the former attitude. That's the theme of this story: How should you handle the unexpected?

The story moves forward on a number of fronts: Isabel develops an interest in an odd couple of Americans who turn out to be friends of her cousin; Cat has a new man in her life; Isabel and Jamie seem to drift closer together than either expected; Isabel helps Cat find some new help; and Isabel sets out to buy a home for Grace, her housekeeper. Each story element turns on the nature of male-female relations and examines those relations in different ways.

While there are the usual conundrums (What if someone misunderstands your purpose and offers you a bargain? What should you do if you think someone is in bad relationship? What's the right reaction when love offers itself?), there is actually more plot development in this story than in the previous two combined. I also liked the way that this book points out the limits of trying to lead with one's mental faculties. There is, after all, a strong emotional side to all of us.

I found my interest in the series to be greatly increased by this book. I'm very much looking forward to the next installment in the series.

Bravo!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Examined Life Examined, 26 Jan 2007
By Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)      
This review is from: The Right Attitude to Rain (Isabel Dalhousie Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Once upon a time philosophers dealt with practical questions of ethics: When is it appropriate to lie? When can you take another life? When may you be silent while another makes a mistake? Alexander McCall Smith returns us to those musings, dressed up in the clothing of a divorced woman, Isabel Dalhousie, dealing with her personal life and her profession as the editor of the Review of Applied Ethics. For those who like some intellectual depth with their stories, this series will be most rewarding. For those who want big laughs and ironies that make you instantly smile, go back to The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

This is the third book in the series. In the prior books, Isabel shows herself to be a woman who likes to take her time to examine her behavior . . . before acting . . . and usually kicks herself when she doesn't let her intellect lead her. While being concerned about her niece, Cat, Isabel mostly is disappointed that Cat has rejected the handsome and worthy Jamie for a series of less good marital candidates. But Isabel has taken solace in keeping Jamie for a friend, while Jamie pines for the uninterested Cat.

When it rains, is that a blessing . . . or bad luck? In Scotland where it usually rains, you'd better take the former attitude. That's the theme of this story: How should you handle the unexpected?

The story moves forward on a number of fronts: Isabel develops an interest in an odd couple of Americans who turn out to be friends of her cousin; Cat has a new man in her life; Isabel and Jamie seem to drift closer together than either expected; Isabel helps Cat find some new help; and Isabel sets out to buy a home for Grace, her housekeeper. Each story element turns on the nature of male-female relations and examines those relations in different ways.

While there are the usual conundrums (What if someone misunderstands your purpose and offers you a bargain? What should you do if you think someone is in bad relationship? What's the right reaction when love offers itself?), there is actually more plot development in this story than in the previous two combined. I also liked the way that this book points out the limits of trying to lead with one's mental faculties. There is, after all, a strong emotional side to all of us.

I found my interest in the series to be greatly increased by this book. I'm very much looking forward to the next installment in the series.

Bravo!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Isabel Dalhousie returns, not a lot happens, but still a good book, 8 Aug 2007
By S. Loddick - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Right Attitude to Rain (Sunday Philosophy Club) (Paperback)
Isabel returns in this, the third, in the Sunday Philosophy Club series of novels. The characters continue to grow on me, and so despite the minimalist central plot, I enjoyed this book more than the previous two.

Alexander McCall Smith doesn't need a thrill a second or cleverly twisting plot to offer us an enjoyable or enlightening read. His gentle writing provides us with a thought provoking observation on the moral dilemmas that some of us may encounter on our own journey through life, and the fact that the characters are perhaps a little too convenient doesn't matter. After all this is fiction.

If you enjoy McCall's Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency, you are very likely to enjoy the company of Isabel Dalhousie.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Right Attitude to Rain
I am glad that Alexander McCall Smith is writing books which remind us
of ethics and morals and are a delight to read. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Marjorie Lanham

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful
The Right Attitude to Rain (Sunday Philosophy Club)

As a fan of Alexander McCall Smith, primarily from his No. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Rachel Johnson

4.0 out of 5 stars Always have hated rain...now really like Isabel
I LOVE McCall Smith's No 1 Ladies's Detective Agency series and so looked forward to this series as well. Read more
Published 5 months ago by MayGoodComeToUs

5.0 out of 5 stars A comfortable book to read at bedtime
I started with book 4 of the series and then read 1, 2 and this one (no 3). I'm hooked and will have to order number 5! These books are perfect for bed-time reading. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Bluebell

3.0 out of 5 stars Evening Cocoa
This book is very pleasant and undemanding stuff.
The plot inches along and any pretense at investigating crime has been abandoned. Read more
Published 20 months ago by A. I. Mackenzie

4.0 out of 5 stars My goodness, Isabel Dalhousie is human after all.
I was very disappointed with the first Isabel Dalhousie book, 'The Sunday Philosophy Club'. Most of the characters, and especially Dalhousie herself, emerged with all the... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Steve

5.0 out of 5 stars The Examined Life Examined
Once upon a time philosophers dealt with practical questions of ethics: When is it appropriate to lie? When can you take another life? Read more
Published 22 months ago by Professor Donald Mitchell

5.0 out of 5 stars The Examined Life Examined
Once upon a time philosophers dealt with practical questions of ethics: When is it appropriate to lie? When can you take another life? Read more
Published 22 months ago by Professor Donald Mitchell

5.0 out of 5 stars The Examined Life Examined
Once upon a time philosophers dealt with practical questions of ethics: When is it appropriate to lie? When can you take another life? Read more
Published 22 months ago by Professor Donald Mitchell

5.0 out of 5 stars The Examined Life Examined
Once upon a time philosophers dealt with practical questions of ethics: When is it appropriate to lie? When can you take another life? Read more
Published 22 months ago by Professor Donald Mitchell

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

More From Alexander McCall Smith

Tea Time for...

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built

It is a troublesome fact on which even Mma Ramotswe and her assistant... Read more
£14.99 £8.51

 

Up to 53% off Braun Series Shavers

Braun Series 3 390cc Clean & Renew System Rechargeable Foil Electric Shaver
Get in touch with your smooth side with Braun Series shavers, now with Gillette blade technology.

›Discover Braun Series at Amazon.co.uk

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates