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Friends, Lovers, Chocolate

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Friends, Lovers, Chocolate

By: Alexander McCall Smith
Narrated by: Davina Porter
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£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

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Isabel Dalhousie thinks often of friends, sometimes of lovers, and on occasion of chocolate. As an Edinburgh philosopher she is certain of where she stands. She can review a book called In Praise of Sin with panache and conviction, but real life is... well, perhaps a bit more challenging... Contemporary Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction
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This lady reader is competent enough.
So - why a two star score for performance? Simple. I didn't like her, with that quasi-Embru accent but with bent English vowels finding their way into her speech. This is very Scottish book by a Scottish author, set entirely in lowland Scotland, in the country's capital. That deserves a Scots actress/reader. This reader isn't that, and from time to time she throws out reminders that grate on my 100% Scotsman's ears.
Then there's the book. I've read a great many of this author's books, particularly the Scotland Street set and the Mma Ramotswe books set in Botswana.
These Dalhousie books are - different. The voices are harsh, too harsh to my mind.

Not the best reader

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I really enjoyed this book Davina Porter has such a lovely voice and the story was unusual and very entertaining

Good book

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I loved this book. I wonder so much about Alexander McCall-Smith, the author. He was a classicist like me. Then he went into the law. Then he taught. He plays in the Really Useless Orchestra in Edinburgh and he clearly knows some Italian and loves Italy. I have had a similar life so I really identify with his thoughts, ideas and interests. I met a Scots lady who knows him lately and we get on well. She also played in the same orchestra. We do not share my passion for duplicate Bridge or my faith in God. Isobel I think must be an atheist. I wonder how the author has got into the mind of a curious woman philosopher so well, including her thoughts about men.
I long for more audible books in this series and in the 44 Scotland Street series. It hurts my eyes to read these days. So I listen instead. I love the gentle Scottish accent of the reader. She is so much better than Radio 4's "Book at Bedtime." Thank you both for giving me so much pleasure.

3rd in Isobel Dalhousie series

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Boring. Pretentious. Narrator's voice irritating. Pity, as I have enjoyed other work by this author.

Don't bother

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I kept waiting for a plot to materialise. Half way through the book I realised that wasn't going to happen. The premise of the book is essentially this: a pleasant lady observes other people. That's pretty much it. It's quite a calming book, without any excitement, nice enough to listen to but not compelling. It's just a description of the main character meeting various people, talking to them, and having feelings about it. The narrator does a good job.

No Plot

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