The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Ratings97
Average rating3.5
Reading The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, my overwhelming feeling was how very Holmesian the book felt. Each chapter dealt with a different mystery (excepting the earliest chapters, which instead were Precious' back story.) However, the whole book was in chronological order and themes and techniques that occurred earlier would recur in later stories – very evocative of Doyle's classic mystery works.
So the layout, was an initial draw for me. What kept me reading was the theme; most of the mysteries in this installation revolve around the relationships between women and men – dating, affairs, familial relationships, etc. McCall Smith paints Precious as somewhat of a feminist (a “modern woman”), while contrasting her with the mores of the more traditional people in her town. At times, I felt that the narrative swung the other way – depicting men as scoundrels and cheaters, which I felt was unnecessary.
Much has been made of McCall Smith's portrayal of Botswana, and this is where the book truly shines. I had no small amount of trepidation about reading a book with an African female protaganist written by a white man, but it turned out to be unfounded. McCall Smith depicts Botswana aptly, with no hint of Orientalism. It is clear from the outset that McCall Smith loves Subsaharan Africa, and his portrayal of such is fair, not veering into noble savages on one extreme, or war-torn, abject poverty on the other. In addition, McCall Smith takes care to show the reader Botswana itself, with the politics and history, rather than a generic “Africa” setting. This delicacy and honesty is what truly promotes the book from a three star rating to a four.
Interesting stories within the story. Felt it was a little harder to relate to this book, probably because of the cultural aspects. I didn't love this book, but it was a nice read.
It was pretty good, but so not what I was expecting. I suppose with a title like this, I thought it would be more of a mystery novel, rather than a novel about a woman who is a detective.
Another exquisite surprise. Don't be put off by the genre: this is not a chewing-gum whodunnit. It's a gently meandering tale of hope and joy and hardship and wisdom set in an environment that, to most of us, is as foreign as Mars. McCall Smith writes richly, vividly. The reader on this audio CD is engaging. I never intended to read or listen to this... but I trusted a friend's recommendation and I'm glad I did.
A delightful and brave female lead. It's wonderful to imagine mysteries in other countries.
low rating mostly because I was expecting a mystery book. even outside of that, would not really go above a 3.5.
I enjoyed this book immensely. I love the very atmospheric writing which details the setting and forms a very clear picture of a character's surroundings. I also love how each mystery is resolved in a chapter or two and are quite realistic unlike other books in the same genre. However, what kept it from being a 5-star book for me was the ending. I just felt that everything was tied so neatly at the end that the resolution to the overarching mystery felt kind of a cop out. Despite this however, I still want to read more about Mma Ramotswe's life and adventures as a lady detective. Now, if only I could find the next book in this series...
Precious Ramotswe sets up a detective agency in the African country of Botswana, and in come the customers, all with a difficult problem for her to solve.
Simple as a children's story, but full of old wisdom.
Recommended.
I enjoyed my visit to Africa and reading about Precious Ramotswe and how she came to start her detective agency. I loved reading about her father and was sad to hear about her marriage to a man who wasn't good to her. She drank a lot of “bush tea” so I looked it up and ordered some. I enjoyed trying something new.
I’ve never been anywhere in Africa and I know nothing about Africa so keep that in mind.
Kind of cute and charming but not a proper mystery with a main mystery that needs to be solved or something bad happens. Someone called it vignette styled writing and I agree 100%. Small little snippets aka cases. This style might not be for everyone but I was fine with it.
Not sure I’m fine with a man writing about “fat” women and “fatness” or “traditionally build women”, it rubbed me the wrong way.
I also didn’t like the comment from Sunday Times at the back, “Forget the library - the body is in the mud hut.” There are no bodies in this book and like 2 huts in connections to cattle stations, they have houses in Africa…
A number of little character stories along the way to solving a bigger ones. This was a good airplane book for me.
I had started this book a few years ago but couldn't get interested. I picked it up again this fall and was able to make it all the way through this time. I didn't love it but I sort of understand the accolades for this series. It's a charming setting with characters who are somewhat likable. Probably won't read any more though.
Nice light enjoyable stories. If you prefer weighty stories with many layers and great depth in plot and character this may not be for you. As fun as that can be this book is a unique style that is beautifully worded to be enjoyed without draining your brain. Kind of like a calming meditation. Great for before bed!! I don't normally read books like this but I always enjoy good writing. It's nice to read stories that hold such strength of character, morality and common sense.
For fun, this is my favorite passage: “The problem, of course, was that people did not seem to understand the difference between right and wrong. They needed to be reminded about this, because if you left it to them to work out for themselves, they would never bother. They would just find out what was best for them, and then they would call that the right thing. Thats how most people thought.” (just change thought to think and you're describing the current state of the world, in my opinion)