Book Club Discussion Questions
For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, and our BookBrowse Review of The Sunday Philosophy Club.
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Isabel Dalhousie is fond of problems, and sometimes she becomes interested in
problems that are, quite frankly, none of her business. A highly intelligent
single woman who edits a philosophy journal, she is also a person of
irrepressible curiosity. So when she witnesses a young man fall to his death
from the balcony of Edinburgh’s main concert hall, she sets out to discover
whether he was pushed or whether, as the police have concluded, he fell. Despite
the advice of her housekeeper, Grace, who has been raised in the values of
traditional Edinburgh, and her niece, Cat, who, if you ask Isabel, is dating the
wrong man, Isabel is determined to find the truth—if indeed there is one—behind
the man’s death. Her investigation, pursued in an informal fashion, leads her
into the realm of secret deals and private greed among a few members of Edinburgh’s investment-banking community. While she pursues
information about the likely suspects, Isabel engages in delightfully thorny
debates, with herself and others, about the possible outcomes of moral choices
along the way. Like his immensely popular series, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective
Agency,
The Sunday Philosophy Club abounds in wry humor and sharp
observations of human nature.
Reader's Guide
- Isabel Dalhousie is a single, wealthy, literary woman of settled habits
with a strong interest in moral behavior. In what ways is she a model female
sleuth, and in what ways is she a surprising one? How does she compare with
Precious Ramotswe of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency? How does she
compare with other female detectives in literature?
- Geoffrey McManus is a person with terrible manners. He interrogates
Isabel, wanting to know how the face of the dead man looked as he was
carried out on a stretcher, then he insults her, calling her “spinster of
this parish” [p. 34]. Toby, too, according to Isabel, has bad manners; she
notes that he reaches eagerly for the largest pieces of the smoked salmon at
dinner. Isabel speaks of “the decline of civility” [p. 108]. Why are
people’s manners a point of interest for Isabel [pp. 140–41]? Should The
Sunday Philosophy Club be considered a novel of manners, in the
tradition of Jane Austen and Henry James? How are manners indicative of a
person’s moral philosophy?
- Judging by her realization that even though she wants John Liamor back
he will never return to her [p. 47], it seems that Isabel is the kind of
person who loves only once in life. However, there are hints that her
affection for Jamie might develop further. Does the story suggest that
Isabel and Jamie are better suited to each other than Cat and Jamie?
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- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Anchor Books.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
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