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Review
Anthony Daniels, Sunday Telegraph
Mma Ramotswe had a detective agency in Africa, at the foot of Kgale Hill. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reasoning with Ramotswe,
By Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Paperback)
Precious Ramotswe inherits her father's cattle herd and sells it to start a new life. The options are limited for a woman in Botswana. She sets out on an uncharted course, opening the first private detective agency run by a woman. At least in Botswana. Mma Ramotswe is a commanding figure. She's stout, observant and reasons with precise logic. She would have made a great politician. Instead, she buys a house, an office, hires a secretary, installs a telephone - and sits down to wait for clients. It seems she's likely to shut it all down within a week.Instead, clients come calling. The result is a series of vignettes of her clients' problems and their resolutions. There are wandering husbands, rebellious teen-age children [are there any other kind?] and a missing, probably murdered child. Justice, although never mentioned by either McCall Smith or Mma Ramotswe, is an important element throughout these episodes. Justice and the value of being an African. McCall is knowledgeable about Southern Africa and its people. He imparts that understanding with marvelous skill. His Scottish background never intrudes or distracts. Except perhaps in one of Mma's more bizarre cases. The Scots treasure their reputation for producing fine doctors. One of Mma Ramotswe's mysteries is the occasionally inept doctor. It is clearly the highlight of this superb book. Mma Ramotswe, in establishing her unique agency, might be thought to have shed her personal life. After all, she had a brief, unhappy marriage. Men are to be watched, controlled, and manipulated in ways to prevent their wandering. Yet, as might be expected, there is a man in her town whose value transcends the image dominated by wandering husbands or lovers. He knows her worth and she his, but his stumbling proposal is rebuffed. There's no strain on the friendship, however, and it becomes clear the two will be useful to each other in the future. McCall Smith has accomplished something very special with this book. It cries out for a sequel [of which there are now four] for many reasons. It certainly shatters the long-standing image of the "detective" novel with its stacks of corpses, inept policemen and implausible characters. Mma Ramotswe is nothing more than a capable woman without special powers. She simply focusses on the problem at hand, keeps distractions at bay and refuses to deal in absolutes. McCall Smith's powers of characterisation, locale and story place him far above the traditional examples of the "mystery" genre. He is compelling reading for anyone. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
101 of 104 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is going to be my number one christmas present,
This review is from: The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Paperback)
A cracking start to the trilogy (so far - more I hope on the way) sees the establishment of Botswana's number one detective agency for ladies. And if you want to read something happy and uplifting for a change, this will send your spirits soaring. Precious Ramotswe is the complete antithesis of the emaciated, fashion-conscious, glamourous heroine we are often stuck with nowadays. A huge, beautiful, wise and proud woman who does not suffer fools at all - sets out against all odds to use her inheritance to make a real difference to other people's lives. If you think it's going to be a worthy, dull, stick of a read with Africa and Africans portrayed as victims, think again. I haven't laughed so much in a long time and it's rare to read a book with so much humanity.
50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Gentle Touch,
By
This review is from: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Paperback)
Our heroine does not carry a gun, run after suspects in ridiculous pursuits. Rather Precious Ramotswe (or Mma Ramotswe as she's better known)uses her sharp wit and fenale charm to solve whatever case her clients send her way.Mma Ramotswe is from Botswana, and proud of it. A size 22 and not ashamed of it (and her unfashionable size doesn't stop her from having her fair share of male attention). Neither is she superwoman. Too many European heroines take on home and work, Mma Ramotswe leaves much of the domestic side to her cleaner and enjoys life. It's a gentle novel, humourous rather than comic. It doesn't shy away from comtemporary African problems (Aids, witchcraft), but they are not central to the story, and the author does not offer solutions, quick fix or otherwise. They are there to reflect the society and culture of Botswana. Rather, the story builds up the character of Mma Ramotswe and shows an African woman cutting a sway in a male orientated society.
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