- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited; First Edition edition (1 Mar 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1904598986
- ISBN-13: 978-1904598985
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 243,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
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Review
Simple, elegantly written and gently insightful (THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE )
Perfect escapist fiction (THE TIMES )
There is a timelessness to the tales, yet they are also of the moment . . . His talent is to see the god in small things (SUNDAY TIMES SCOTLAND )
This is delicious, light-hearted stuff and I love it - my only criticism is that these books are just not long enough (THE LADY ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Perfect escapist fiction (THE TIMES )
There is a timelessness to the tales, yet they are also of the moment . . . His talent is to see the god in small things (SUNDAY TIMES SCOTLAND )
This is delicious, light-hearted stuff and I love it - my only criticism is that these books are just not long enough (THE LADY ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Sunday Times Scotland
'There is a timelessness to the tales, yet they are also of the
moment' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
moment' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Mma Grace Makutsi enjoys shopping. New dresses are a fine thing to buy, but for Grace, shoes are nearly an obsession. While most people are limited in their available shopping times, Grace has a bit more flexibility. One day, she follows her impulse to visit the shops. What follows is a cascade of events with unexpected results. Among other things, it brings on a clash with her employer, Mma Precious Ramotswe of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. The confrontation is rather intense for two such mild-mannered ladies, but the success of the business may be at stake - as well as the type of lifepath each lady will follow. Grace makes a decision regarding her future. It's the first of several mis-steps that occur in this tale.
McCall Smith may have reached a new peak with this book. Each character seems enlarged through this volume - particularly when compared to the earlier works. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, proprietor of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors facility - which also houses the Agency - takes on a richer role here. As Precious' husband, he is challenged as never before, as a man and as a mentor. The author grants him more introspective opportunities, and we learn even more about him than the earlier books conveyed. Even Charlie the apprentice mechanic becomes something more than just an aggravation to both Mr Matekoni and Grace. For one thing, Charlie has also determined to enlarge his role - in unexpected ways. It, too, proves a difficult, almost tragic, step in the wrong direction.
The "mysteries" the Agency must resolve are of the usual type. There is the suspected unfaithful husband. A printing shop is being victimised by one of its own employees. And in distant Mochudi, patients in the local hospital have died under mysterious circumstances. Mochudi, of course, is a special place to Mma Ramotswe, and she must travel there to investigate this bizarre circumstance. Meanwhile, Mr J.L.B. Matekoni has taken it upon himself to address the adultery issue with surprising results. Is he going to become a detective instead of keeping to his beloved mechanic's role?
McCall Smith seems to add triumph upon triumph in this series. His ability to depict characters is unexcelled, brought here to new heights. He has already given vivid life portrayals to both Precious and Grace. They are more fully revealed in this book. The added thoughts and feelings of Mr J.L.B. Matekoni are especially moving. Although most of these novels may be read without reference to the other works, this one's value cannot be fully embraced without having at least the first one under the reader's belt. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
McCall Smith may have reached a new peak with this book. Each character seems enlarged through this volume - particularly when compared to the earlier works. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, proprietor of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors facility - which also houses the Agency - takes on a richer role here. As Precious' husband, he is challenged as never before, as a man and as a mentor. The author grants him more introspective opportunities, and we learn even more about him than the earlier books conveyed. Even Charlie the apprentice mechanic becomes something more than just an aggravation to both Mr Matekoni and Grace. For one thing, Charlie has also determined to enlarge his role - in unexpected ways. It, too, proves a difficult, almost tragic, step in the wrong direction.
The "mysteries" the Agency must resolve are of the usual type. There is the suspected unfaithful husband. A printing shop is being victimised by one of its own employees. And in distant Mochudi, patients in the local hospital have died under mysterious circumstances. Mochudi, of course, is a special place to Mma Ramotswe, and she must travel there to investigate this bizarre circumstance. Meanwhile, Mr J.L.B. Matekoni has taken it upon himself to address the adultery issue with surprising results. Is he going to become a detective instead of keeping to his beloved mechanic's role?
McCall Smith seems to add triumph upon triumph in this series. His ability to depict characters is unexcelled, brought here to new heights. He has already given vivid life portrayals to both Precious and Grace. They are more fully revealed in this book. The added thoughts and feelings of Mr J.L.B. Matekoni are especially moving. Although most of these novels may be read without reference to the other works, this one's value cannot be fully embraced without having at least the first one under the reader's belt. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Welcome back to the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency - where the lives of the staff cause more problems for Mma Ramotswe then the cases her clients bring her. In fact, to any fan of detective fiction on TV or in books, the solution to the case that Mma Romotswe undertakes herself is all too familiar - yet the outcome at the end of the book is as warm and compassionate as fans of this series have come to expect.
Meanwhile, Charlie the apprentice has an idea for a business of his own - a taxi service for female clients only - but will Mr J L B Matekoni give his blessing to such a scheme? Should he insist that the apprentice-ship is completed first? And what of Mr J L B Matekoni's own attempts at detective work? He fails to warm to his first client, a rude woman - will this affect the work he undertakes on her behalf?
And Mma Makutsi - she of the 97% grade from the Typing School? Could a misunderstanding with her boss and friend really cause her to resign and seek alternative work?
Everything that readers have come to expect is contained in this new book. The gentle pace of life, the descriptions of the landscape, the Red Bush Tea drinking are beautifully laid before us like a feast. For new readers the story will unfold at a steady rate - and established fans will welcome another dip into the lives and case-loads of some well loved friends.
So, get into that little white van, stock up on Red Bush tea and rich fruit cake, and return to Alexander McCall Smith's glorious Botswana.
Meanwhile, Charlie the apprentice has an idea for a business of his own - a taxi service for female clients only - but will Mr J L B Matekoni give his blessing to such a scheme? Should he insist that the apprentice-ship is completed first? And what of Mr J L B Matekoni's own attempts at detective work? He fails to warm to his first client, a rude woman - will this affect the work he undertakes on her behalf?
And Mma Makutsi - she of the 97% grade from the Typing School? Could a misunderstanding with her boss and friend really cause her to resign and seek alternative work?
Everything that readers have come to expect is contained in this new book. The gentle pace of life, the descriptions of the landscape, the Red Bush Tea drinking are beautifully laid before us like a feast. For new readers the story will unfold at a steady rate - and established fans will welcome another dip into the lives and case-loads of some well loved friends.
So, get into that little white van, stock up on Red Bush tea and rich fruit cake, and return to Alexander McCall Smith's glorious Botswana.
45 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Once more we are back in Botswana in the company of Mma Ramotswe, the 'traditonally built' proprietor of the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency. Mma Ramotswe is, as always, kind and tolerant and understanding as she unravells yet another mystery. Her husband, Mr J.L. B. Matekoni, owner of Tlokwong Road Speedy Motors, decides he wants to do a little detecting for a change, so Mma Ramotswe, with some misgivings, allows him to take on a case. Naturally, things don't go quite as expected.
Mma Ramotswe's assistant, Mma Makutsi, is as always somewhat less charitable and more abrasive than her employer, and Mr J.L.B. Matekoni's two apprentices are as feckless as ever.
As usual, there are no murders or violent happenings, and nobody is really very wicked. Botswana is vividly evoked, so that you can almost see what Mma Ramotswe sees, and understand her passionate love of her country. A trip to Botswana with Mma Ramotswe is always a pleasure.
Mma Ramotswe's assistant, Mma Makutsi, is as always somewhat less charitable and more abrasive than her employer, and Mr J.L.B. Matekoni's two apprentices are as feckless as ever.
As usual, there are no murders or violent happenings, and nobody is really very wicked. Botswana is vividly evoked, so that you can almost see what Mma Ramotswe sees, and understand her passionate love of her country. A trip to Botswana with Mma Ramotswe is always a pleasure.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Keep them coming
One of the few writers of fiction who can draw me into his world entirely so that I can beleve I am actually there in Gaborone as I read, and am witnessing Mma Ramotswe in action.
Published 29 days ago by D. J. Elmer
Accidents and catastrophies resolved in beautiful Botswana
More quirky tales from the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Charlie's taxi service suffers a brief and tragic ending: so too a series of patients sharing the same bed at Mochudi... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Daniel Park
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
I am reading this book now. Once again a charming gentle series of stories about the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency in Botswana. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Tickboxcards
Great series
Fantastic series. I have now read all the books in the series and cannot fault any of them. Looking forward to some more being written - I hope.
Published 9 months ago by Mrs. J. A. BYRNE
The whole No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series is a great read
The whole No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series is a great read, ten books in all. It's probably preferable, I think, to read them in order. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Judith H. Marie
Placid waters - deep reflections
We have learned to know that the Number One Ladies Detective Agency is some way removed from the back streets of Baltimore; Botswana is a country of wide skies and slow-moving... Read more
Published 11 months ago by G. M. Sinstadt
Love these books
I have read all of the first set of No 1 Lady Detective Agency books and was delighted to find that there are another three more to read of these charming books. A delight! Read more
Published 14 months ago by ginny
Witty,warm and full of human goodness
Mma Ramotswe has done it again. Warm, feeling and full of human drama and problems solved in her inimitable sensitivity. Once the get started, the book is unputdownable. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr. M. A. R. Dasan
Love this book
I love this book they just bring Africa to life and are so full of colour, I cannot wait to read the next one.
Published 21 months ago by Fiona J. A. Boss
Role Reversal?
In this the eighth tale of Botswana and the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency and everything is not quite right. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Joanne D'Arcy
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