Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Lost Art of Gratitude
    The Lost Art of Gratitude
    The Lost Art of Gratitude
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Lost Art of Gratitude

    Written by Alexander McCall Smith

    Narrated by Davina Porter

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith crafts the sixth entertaining novel starring the ever ethical Isabel Dalhousie. The sensational sixth installment in the best-selling chronicles of the irrepressibly curious Isabel Dalhousie finds our inquisitive heroine and new mother racing two very troublesome people from her past. Isabel's son, Charlie, is only eighteen months, but his social life is already kicking into high gear, and it's at a birthday party, where Isabel is approached by Minty Auchterlonie, an old adversary and now a high-flying financier. Minty, it seems, is having trouble in her personal life, and seeks Isabel's help. To make matters worse, the anything but peaceable Professor Dove has accused Isabel's journal of plagiarism. There is also the ever-pressing question of the future of her relationship with Jamie. As always, she makes her way toward the heart of each problem by philosophizing, sleuthing, and downright snooping as only she can
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateSep 22, 2009
    ISBN9781440759901
    The Lost Art of Gratitude
    Author

    Alexander McCall Smith

    Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the award-winning series The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and he now devotes his time to the writing of fiction, including the 44 Scotland Street and the Isabel Dalhousie series. He is the author of over eighty books on a wide array of subjects, and his work has been translated into forty-six languages. Before becoming a full-time writer he was for many years Professor of Medical Law at Edinburgh.

    More audiobooks from Alexander Mc Call Smith

    Related to The Lost Art of Gratitude

    Titles in the series (16)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Body Language

      Oct 9, 2023

      William smiled at his wife, but it was a manufactured smile, the kind he’d worn when she first met him, many years earlier. He’d gone back to needing levers and pulleys to make his face do what he wanted it to do. She could feel him thinking: Make Sy

      2 min read

    • Article

      How to Stop Crying

      Nov 7, 2019

      How to Stop Crying
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Only Punishment

      Feb 10, 2022

      The floor of the room was white, but three of the walls and the ceiling were light blue. His own bland pajamas were light green. It was probably supposed to be calming, but it only angered Rats. He knew what this was—a fregging brainwashing facility,

      16 min read

    • Article

      On Saying: Finding the Language to Describe Chronic Pain

      Aug 6, 2018

      1. I’ve always been wary of oversharing with my husband. I often tell my friends my news before I tell him. I base this on something I read a long time ago that stuck in me, something about keeping boundaries with the people you love so as not to ove

      10 min read

    • Article

      Ben Marcus

      Jun 15, 2018

      My wife, Gin, once knocked gently on my head, as if it were a door. “Hello,” she kept saying. “Hello. Who’s in there?” She and our therapist, Dr. Sherby, laughed a little about this, so I did, too. What fun. Keep knocking on my head like that, like i

      23 min read

    • Article

      Defy the Stars

      May 11, 2017

      Count to five, Noemi decides. If she’s cracking up—if the terror of the past few minutes has scrambled her mind to the point where she’s hallucinating—then this will all go away in a couple of seconds. If this is for real, the mech will be standing h

      25 min read

    • Article

      Concerning The Future Of Souls

      Mar 19, 2024

      As a toddler she had caused a sensation in her family when she announced she wanted to live in a little hole like the ant. Not an ant, the ant. This might have been misheard. She was an easygoing child, not particularly thoughtful and stubbornly inar

      13 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Mairead Small Staid

      Dec 7, 2022

      Mairead Small Staid reflects on 2022 through the books she read. The post A Year in Reading: Mairead Small Staid appeared first on The Millions.

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Hidden Origins of Mankind

      Nov 12, 2019

      The Hidden Origins of Mankind
      8 min read

    • Article

      Sigrid Nunez

      Sep 15, 2017

      During the 1980s, in California, a large number of Cambodian women went to their doctors with the same complaint: they could not see. The women were all war refugees. Before fleeing their homeland, they had witnessed the atrocities for which the Khme

      23 min read

    • Article

      Don’t Fight the Boredom

      May 9, 2020

      Don’t Fight the Boredom
      4 min read

    • Article

      Not Writing Right Now

      Apr 14, 2021

      NOT long ago I wrote a piece published in this magazine identifying different species of so-called writer’s block and offering curative suggestions for each one. This “not long ago” time, however, was pre-pandemic time and, as such, feels eons away.

      12 min read

    • Article

      Get It In Writing

      Mar 1, 2023

      Get It In Writing
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Nurse’s Coronavirus Routine: Recording Videos She Hopes Her Family Will Never Need To Watch

      Apr 3, 2020

      Anticipating a call to treat #coronavirus patients in the ICU, a Seattle nurse makes videos for her family — just in case she doesn't come home one day.

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Wolf

      Nov 6, 2018

      The Wolf
      12 min read

    • Article

      The Listening World: Neurodivergent Voices for a More-Than-Human World

      Apr 8, 2020

      This week I was video chatting with Meghana Junnuru, one of my non-speaking autistic students, and she typed: “We will not get back to normal. We will only get back to natural.” Living in Minneapolis, I am graced with a slew of regional parks and nat

      16 min read

    • Article

      The Village Explainer

      Jan 8, 2020

      The Village Explainer
      5 min read

    • Article

      Detonator

      May 10, 2019

      Detonator
      22 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Lost Art of Gratitude

    4/5

    23 ratings18 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      As always, a delightful book by this author. This time he shows a little more of the dark side of human nature, although he does not lose the positive attributes he imbues all his main characters with.
    • 4/5
      Here's the latest goings-on in the life of Isabel, Jamie, their baby, Charlie, Isabel's niece Kat, etc., etc. As usual, Isabel becomes involved in a few other peoples' problems, but it's nothing too major this time. It's more like checking in with some old friends to see how they are doing at this point in their lives. It's a very pleasant read about very civilized people, and there is a slightly surprising development at the book's end. Definitely a good diversion.
    • 4/5
      This excellent series about Isabel Dalhousie the editor of a Philosophy journal and a philosopher herself is such a joy to read. Isabel's internal monologues on various conundrums of the everyday world are very entertaining and enlightening. Now I know how to select whom I should save if two people I disliked were drowning together.
    • 4/5
      Another pleasant diversion into moral philosophy with Isabel.
    • 2/5
      I was not able to get into this series at all, but that doesn't mean it isn't for everyone or anyone else. This is the 6th installment of the irrepressibly curious Isabel Dalhousie, set in Edinburgh, Scotland. This world iskind, gentile and full of creature comforts, so readers will be enjoying this as they get acquainted with depictions of Edinburgh. I will try this book again and give a kinder review at that time, I am sure.
    • 3/5
      This was my first Isabel Dalhousie novel (but the sixth in the series), a philosopher who pontificates about the mundane and lives in her own private hell where every word, gesture and movement has to be thought about, absorbed and dissected.The book, even though a quick read, is very slow to present itself. It takes about 60 pages before the plot starts and about 220 pages before anything remotely interesting (plot wise) is happening. That being said, I did not find the book boring. The characters and their interactions are interesting; Isabel’s pontifications are poignant, funny and thought provoking.I could give you a rundown of the weak plot, but it’s not that interesting and is not the main point of the novel, or was it what grabbed me and made me finish the book. The story is about a 40 year old woman, a philosopher who struggles to be happy while trying not to whip herself too hard (figuratively speaking), has a soft heart and a habit of getting involved in matters which she knows she should avoid. The story takes place in the charming village of Edinburgh, Scotland which is just as much a character as any other person in the book and has many subplots which allows Ms. Dalhousie to enlighten herself about the human condition.The world this book takes place is funny, gentle where trouble and suffering are there, but not take precedence over the race for happiness and the dodge ball one has to play from friends, family and adversaries alike.I gave this book three stars, I’m sure that it would have been higher if I would have read the series from the start.
    • 5/5
      With her 18-month old son Charlie in tow, Isabel Dalhousie meets her long-time nemesis Minty Auchterlonie at an Edinburgh café. Minty is also the mother of a toddler, the overly aggressive Roderick. Although she would prefer to avoid Minty and her little one, it’s hard for Isabel to decline Minty’s invitation to Roderick’s birthday party. While there, Minty asks Isabel for a very personal favor. As the editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, Isabel is keenly aware of her own ethical lapses and, to avoid one, agrees to help.Minty informs Isabel that Roderick is the child of her former lover Jock Dundas, not her husband Gordon McCaig, who is unaware of the boy’s true paternity. It appears that Jock will go to any length – including pulling nasty tricks on and, possibly blackmailing Minty – to remain a part of his son’s life. Minty wants to keep the secret from her husband and convince Jock to butt out. She asks Isabel to intercede with Jock , to try to convince him to her secret and give up any claim to Roderick. Talk about ethical quandaries!Such is the stuff of the lovely novels featuring Isabel Dalhousie. They are light on plot and action, heavy on philosophical musing and insights into the delightful (and often humorous) mind of our singular heroine. When paragraph one of chapter one opened with a reference to Charlie, it was obvious I had missed something … and I had: books four and five in the series. In the last book I read, Charlie wasn’t a character. Isabel was a single woman in a philosophical debate with herself about her whether to continue her relationship with Jamie, a much younger lover – who had once been her niece’s beau. The Lost Art of Gratitude (book six) is wonderful! Usually, I blast through books pretty fast. But there’s something about an Isabel Dalhousie novel that has me telling myself, “Just slow down, sip don’t gulp, savor it!” Once I’m settled into the book, I focus, settle down and thoroughly enjoy the experience. They are not books for readers who enjoy wall-to-wall action, but I’m guessing everyone else will be pleading for more. I already have the two books I missed on my bedside table.By Diana. First published in the Cozy Library October 14, 2009.Review based on publisher- or author-provided review copy.
    • 5/5
      I would think that anyone who, like me, has enjoyed earlier titles in the Sunday Philosophy Club series is highly likely to enjoy this latest outing for MacCall Smith's Edinburgh based philosopher Isabel Dalhousie. As ever, she is unable to prevent herself getting tangled up in other people's affairs. This time it is a "wicked" investment banker, which may well reflect the zeitgeist of autumn 2008 when I suspect this book was probably written. As in the past, Isabel also has to tread carefully in her relationship with her neice Cat, though not as carefully as Cat's latest boyfriend who is a tightrope walker - or a fonambulist as our heroine informs us, not a term I had come across before. Picking up additional vocabularly, a bit of art history, and a smattering of philosophical musings is one of the things I appreciate about this series. There are also some wonderful puns and other humorous moments. If you are looking for something to read over the holiday period that is both intelligent and cosy, you can't go far wrong with this.
    • 4/5
      Another very enjoyable read by one of my favorite authors. Isabel's philosophical ruminations are a breath of fresh air. Just one VERY small critical note: it is clear in this book that it was written by a male writer. Why? Because in this one Isabel has a baby (well, it started from the previous book...), and I was amused: only a man can present such an idyllic life while taking care of barely a toddler - no fussing, no crying, no sleepless nights :), just a tiny bit unrealistic :)... But that's just a small part of it - I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
    • 3/5
      I am never sure why I like this series when I start reading, but by the time I am halfway through I find them enchanting. Not much happens in these stories, but the author's use of language is delightful. Interesting enough, I do not care for the No. 1 Detective series. I look forward to the next Isabel Dalhousie novel.
    • 3/5
      Audible. Isabel Dalhousie is a favorite of sorts. These books are reliable. Sweet. Make me think about the small moral acts that we make each day. Isabel's stories are, I must admit, pure fantasy. But I love to listen to these stories. They make me think. Make me want to be a better person. Make me smile. This is a recommendation.
    • 4/5
      My first Isabel Dalhousie book. It started slow but improved. The second half definitely better than the first half. I prefer his No 1 Ladies and the Corduroy Mansions series. I'll try another and see how it goes.
    • 4/5
      After all, what can one say about life that hasn't been said before? Jamie, Isabel, Grace, the aptly named Cat, and young Charlie are here presented for our quiet pleasure, going about their lives and moving through their entirely real world. The characters are deeply enmeshed in the pleasure centers of a certain type of reader, the one who smiles fondly at Ellen Glasgow or Elizabeth Goudge books when they emerge, raining the slight wisps of dust that neglect engenders, from a long shelf-slumber. McCall Smith manages to bring these characters to modern life, Trollopean in his expansion of the core characters's world but maintaining a caring and kindly focus on them.I wish more people could achieve the feat of getting novel cycles like this published. It's not that there is anything that will win a Nobel contained in these pages, but rather that every page of them affords the voyeuristic pleasures that reading always does, but without the slightly unsavory prurience that so often seems obligatory in current sex-drugs-violence potboilers.I expect, one day soon, to visit Edinburgh and see Isabel's "green Swedish car" tootle by me as I stand at a zebra crossing, Charlie in his carseat and Jamie animatedly making a point to a composedly driving Isabel, as I wait to cross the Royal Mile. I can think of no more precious compliment to give to Alexader McCall Smith than that.
    • 4/5
      The tone of these books is hard to describe but easy to enjoy. The main characters are delightful and the book is mostly a slice of their life and thoughts, with little Plot. Funnily enough, I didn't miss it. Lovely.
    • 4/5
      Love the growing love between Jamie and IsabelI'm in heaven each time I get a few lines about Edinburgh / Scotland / Scottish history, etcWish the ending had been stronger
    • 3/5
      The feeling of sit-com is so overwhelming that I waited for the commercial break. McCall style is smoothness. The setting is political correct post-modernistic-family-structure wrapped up in a non-nerdish-philosophy-light, easy-read-way. The story is built on not-too-deep-problems on the upper shelf, waiting to be solved by the not-to-deep-delving heroine with solutions that does not leave too-deep impressions on the reader. Actually I have already forgotten most of it; (I usually wait a few days after I put the book down to write the review, to help the synthesizing prosess. Usually the good bits begin to delineate given time.) What remains with this book is the chocolatte-like feel-good-feeling of a pacifying television sit-com whose goal is everyday-lesson for ordinary people in solving daily-life-problems in as stress-less way as possible. The magi behind McCalls enormous output is easily understood then; Much of the comfort found in sit-coms lies in the fact that they go on to season two - season three - season four...... and on..... and on. Taken for what it is, I guess the craft is as good as it gets. And who has not need of comfort-food from time to time?
    • 3/5
      Isabel deals with the subject of gratitude and that nasty Minty Auchterlonie rears her ugly head again. Isabel gets caught up in someone else's drama, as usual, only this time it's been deliberately arranged.
    • 4/5
      The latest in the Isabel Dalhousie series of books by McCall Smith. I have come to like Isabel Dalhousie very much.