At the Reunion Buffet

An Isabel Dalhousie Story

By: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by: Davina Porter

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency author Alexander McCall Smith also writes the hugely popular Isabel Dalhousie mysteries. A favorite novella in that series, At the Reunion Buffet showcases Isabel's grit and grace as a friend - and dinner host.

Inviting 25 former classmates to a reunion dinner, Isabel sees an opportunity to finally resolve age-old differences among her classmates. But when damaging secrets and long-held resentments surface, Isabel finds the path to true forgiveness runs along a very slippery slope.

©2015 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2016 Recorded Books

Too short

I enjoyed it but didn’t realize it was only two hours long when I selected it. It could have longer and more developed.

Philosophical Conundrums

The Sunday Philosophy Club is one of my favorite Alexander McCall Smith’s series. When listening to Davina Porter I feel as though I am sitting with Isobel Dalhousie, Ph.D. over tea and listening to her discuss her day. I know some people are put off by Isobel’s musings but I enjoy the intellectual stimulation they trigger.

Isobel is hosting the first event of her class reunion in her home. Smith has some general discussion about class reunions. I found it interesting he discusses the effect of a class bully on individual members of the class after all these years. Of course, Isobel confronts the class bully and discovers a different set of memories.

The novella is well written. Smith is a master storyteller and I enjoy his fabulous vocabulary. There is at least one word in every book that sends me to the dictionary. I also enjoy the depth of his discussion on societal philosophy.

Davina Porter does a masterful job narrating the book. Porter is one of my favorite narrators. Porter is an actress and award winning audiobook narrator and has won Audiophile’s Golden Voice Award many times.

Shorter than usual, sweet and light

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

For a short listen, yes.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I love Jamie and would have loved to see more of him in this book.

What does Davina Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The accents, of course! She is a fine reader.

Do you think At the Reunion Buffet needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Could be . . . it was very short and I thought there was much more exploration to do of the interesting reunion guests. They were briefly sketched and a couple of them verged on easy stereotypes, but others seemed to have interesting backstories that we didn't get to hear.

Resonance 

 The author has a very reliable knack for making his story and the characters very relatable and exploring interesting issues  while entertaining the reader, it is interesting to see how he creates the The characters, and applies his engaging technique to entirely different settings and casts.  He is very reliable.

A short story by my new favorite author filled with his typical observations of life and humans.

What a joy during this cOVID-19 pandemic to discover an author whose wit, frame of reference, humanitarian values and observational skills never seem to wane. As a matter of fact, if anything, they become more acute.