Customer Reviews:
 A pleasure to be savored January 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, first published in 1998, is the first in Alexander McCall Smith's acclaimed Botswana series. Precious Ramotswe is the lady detective behind the book's title. She opened her agency with money inherited from her father, Obed Ramotswe. In this first installment we learn about Obed's life--he worked for years in South Africa's mines, saved his money, and later invested in cattle--and also about Mma Ramotswe's early history. ("Mma,"pronounced "mah," is a term of respect that appears throughout the book.) She grew up in Mochudi, raised by her father and a cousin. Against her father's wishes she leapt into an unhappy marriage that left her alone and grieving her only child's death in infancy. It's an unhappy chapter in Mma Ramotswe's life, but it packs meat onto her character: she is not all homespun goodness, that is, but was capable in her youth of great folly, and what wisdom she has was hard won. The book offers an account of Mma Ramotswe's earliest cases, which she solves with legwork and good sense and the occasional help of her friends, in particular Mr. J.L.B. Maketoni, the proprietor of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors. Mma Ramotswe is not the sort of detective one calls upon to solve grand crimes, but neither are all of her cases trivial. In addition to dealing with a client's wayward daughter, for example, and a doctor's worry about his colleague's competency, she is concerned throughout this book with the case of a missing eleven-year-old boy. The story of his disappearance and of her involvement in the case is woven throughout the book.
McCall Smith's series is not plot-driven. Mma Ramotswe's cases give the books their framework, but the focus is on Mma Ramotswe's character and on the country of Botswana itself: the setting of McCall Smith's books is at least as important to the stories as his protagonist. But although one doesn't think of the books primarily as mysteries, they are in fact good cozies, so the books can be enjoyed on that score as well.
If you haven't yet stumbled on McCall Smith's series, you have yet to experience the singular joy of slipping into Mma Ramotswe's world. There is something soothing about the experience, and I'm not sure how the author achieves this magic: the simplicity of his language, perhaps, or of his characters' ethos. At any rate, the books are a pleasure to be savored.
-- Debra Hamel
the beginning December 31, 2007
I wish there were 100 books in this series...pure charm and delight. Mma Ramotzwe's world is peopled overwhelmingly with folks who mean well. I love her point of view.
A very good book December 28, 2007
A friend of mine referred me to this book. Once I read it I was immediately charmed by the characters and the easy way of storytelling.
This book will lead you on an adventure and you will come to love the characters in the story. Once you finish this book you will want to continue on in the series.
Well Written Enjoyable Read December 26, 2007
This is an eloquently written story with colorful characters that takes the reader on a relaxing journey. The writing and story flow smoothly throughout the book without any dullness or letdowns. Smith has created an enjoyable main character that is a lady detective in Botswana in Africa. She gets involved in interesting situations that provide stimulation and entertainment without overdoing it. Although this is about a ladies' detective agency, the book is not just for ladies as I had imagined. I found it delightful reading and look forward to reading the remaining books in the series.
 You can't help but like Madame December 21, 2007
Even though some of her cases were a bit predictable I found Precious Ramotswe to be delightful. She commits a series of rookie faux pas, some of which are pretty funny, but she's always honest and humble. She has suffered an abusive early marriage and the death of a premature baby, but she takes it all in stride and is always ready help those in need. She is also a member of a large and largely ignored set of demographics: She is black, over 35, and wears a size 22. Most refreshingly, she doesn't give a crap about dieting and she's not preoccupied with finding a man. She tools around Botswana, and occasionally South Africa, in a small white van.
|
