Rating: 
Summary: O'Henry Endings To Romantic Stories
Review: A.M. Smith has a quaint style that is charming and effective. Unlike his African Detective stories, not all of these have the same compassionate heart, but all the stories are unique and entertaining, with clever if not always satisfying endings.
Rating: 
Summary: Modern Day Immaculate Conception
Review: Alexander McCall Smith is recently best known for his "Ladies No. 1 Detective Series" which takes place in Botswana. And true to those roots, his showcase story, "Bulawayo" does take place in Botswana, but since it is set in 1951, he uses the old name, Rhodesia.This book is truly masterfully crafted. Smith describes 9 'dates' that men and woman have, and mostly, the problems they encounter in the dating. Only 2 of his stories end 'happily' if you will. The others are virtual disasters. But the beauty of the construction of the book is how the complexity of the dating gets more complicated and the story Smith tells about each has a somewhat different character, although a certain dryness of style that Smith uses is unmistakably done intentionally. Smith's wonderfully "Freudian" story "Intimate Accounts" is just like reading out of "The Psychopathology of Everyday Life" by Freud himself. And in his final date,"A Heavenly Date" he describes what seems to be, a modern day story of an immaculate conception. Yet there are other explanations, as there are for the Biblical event, the feeling of ethereality is truly entrancing. The book shows the great talent that Smith possesses for understanding and communicating the thoughts and actions of people. And once again, shows that no matter what culture you are in, the human problems are always much the same, whether they are spoken in English, French, German or Setswana, they are still the same types of problems.
Rating:
Summary: Modern Day Immaculate Conception
Review: Alexander McCall Smith is recently best known for his "Ladies No. 1 Detective Series" which takes place in Botswana. And true to those roots, his showcase story, "Bulawayo" does take place in Botswana, but since it is set in 1951, he uses the old name, Rhodesia. This book is truly masterfully crafted. Smith describes 9 'dates' that men and woman have, and mostly, the problems they encounter in the dating. Only 2 of his stories end 'happily' if you will. The others are virtual disasters. But the beauty of the construction of the book is how the complexity of the dating gets more complicated and the story Smith tells about each has a somewhat different character, although a certain dryness of style that Smith uses is unmistakably done intentionally. Smith's wonderfully "Freudian" story "Intimate Accounts" is just like reading out of "The Psychopathology of Everyday Life" by Freud himself. And in his final date,"A Heavenly Date" he describes what seems to be, a modern day story of an immaculate conception. Yet there are other explanations, as there are for the Biblical event, the feeling of ethereality is truly entrancing. The book shows the great talent that Smith possesses for understanding and communicating the thoughts and actions of people. And once again, shows that no matter what culture you are in, the human problems are always much the same, whether they are spoken in English, French, German or Setswana, they are still the same types of problems.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: Alexander McCall Smith's Botswana series is so delightful; I had expected more of the same in his short stories. Not so. Perhaps some may enjoy the disturbing accounts of romantic flings which he has carefully crafted, but for anyone hoping to find the down-to-earth, straightforward, sympathetic sorts of figures which people his other novels, Heavenly Date will be an unpleasant shock. I threw it out--not worth keeping on my shelf.
Rating:
Summary: Dark and depressing
Review: Child pornography without the pictures. This is NOTHING like McCall Smith's other books. One wonders if the editorial reviewers who found it so light and touching actually read it. In one story a man hires a child who has been forced into prostitution, in another a woman stuck in a loveless marraige chooses a sickening way out and seduces a high school student. In another, a woman tricks her date into entering a crocodile's lair in a zoo and he dies. It's a disturbing book that I regret buying and can not bring myself to even finish.
Rating:
Summary: Ironic Stories about Dating
Review: Dating sounds wonderful as a concept, but many people find the reality can be far less rewarding. If everything goes perfectly, the date can work and provide happiness. But if too many things go wrong, the results can be painful for each person.
In this volume Alexander McCall Smith leaves behind the beautiful world of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency to consider extreme versions of the mating dance. The stories are starker than most about human relations so be prepared for ugliness amidst the beauty.
The book opens with Wonderful Date in which a pair of wealthy people uses dating to overcome boredom . . . and find joy when they break out of their usual comfortable habits to mix with younger people. From the opposite perspective, Mr. Smith explores the challenges of marriage in Bulawayo . . . and holds out hope for the triumph of romance even after love dies.
The most offbeat story is Heavenly Date, in which a young woman has a most unusual picnic . . . leading to unexpected results.
Some of the stories are quite humorous, especially Intimate Accounts and Fat Date. In their humor, these stories seem more human than the rest by portraying us with our warts and all.
Maternal Influence is a story that will take you back to your teenage years, as you sought to create space for yourself independent of your family. I thought that this story was the most universal of the stories.
I particularly liked the way the stories covered many continents and people of different nationalities. The stories gain richness from these many different contexts.
It's best not to know too much about each story. They unveil themselves in surprising ways. They are intended to appeal to the person who loves people, rather than to those who love romance.
I would have liked the stories better if they had built around a narrower, common theme. But I found them surprising, fresh and intriguing.
Recorded Books offers a fine CD set narrating the stories that will add to your pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: hugely disappointing
Review: I fell in love with McCall Smith's luminously written Botswana series so I raced out to buy this book the moment I heard he had written it. How disappointed I was after reading it. This is a collection of short stories based on "love", yet these are largely dark stories where disappointment hangs palpably in the air in many (and unforgivably, in the reader) and the endings seem to end without being planned. There is no feeling evoked for the characters either positive or negative, and despite being well written, these stories do not capture the reader and often end without point. This is quite a departure for readers who have come to know McCall Smith through the Bostwana books. This is not a "keeper" for one's bookshelf and not a book I would recommend buying.
Rating:
Summary: Great short stories
Review: I really enjoyed the varied short stories in this book. Each was totally different from the other.
I disagree with the readers who rated the book poorly. I think they were disappointed that it was so different from No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
Remember, it's a rare author who can handle different gendres and do them well.
Rating:
Summary: A Warning Label Should Be Attached
Review: I was one of the "Ladies Number 1 Detective Agency" fans who searched for 'more of the same' after reading, and throughly enjoying, all five books. The only positive thing I could say about these stories is that they were well written. However, the subject matter was totally surprising and repulsive to me. The characters in Heavenly Dates were NOT the wholesome, decent, honest, and likeable characters encountered in the Detective Agency books. Unfortunately, sleaze, seduction of teenage children, violence, and malice seem to be the norm in these stories. This volume is in the trash (I certainly could not recommend it to my friends!) and I will not purchase any more A.M.Smith books. I am very disappointed because I had been looking forward to Smith's next series.
Rating:
Summary: HORRIBLE change of pace from NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE series
Review: I was so pleased to find another book by Alexander McCall Smith. I adore the NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE books. Those stories are not only interesting , uplifting reads but are set in the wonderful world of Botswana, Southern Africa. I lived in Southern Africa for 2 years so I especially enjoyed his tales of life there and was pleased to see that Southern Africa was revisited in this collection. THAT is where the pleasure ended. Unsatisfying endings combined with adultery, prostitution, child exploitation, etc. made for a book SO unsavory that I could only make myself read about half of them before totally giving up in disgust.
If you enjoy gentle, endearing stories that embrace the best in life, then this book is NOT for you! I will be reading McCall Smith's new series, THE ISABEL DALHOUSIE MYSTERY, with trepidation.
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