Great read.

Everyone knows all about Mma Ramotswe and her No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. It's delightful, set in Botswana, and filled with the local flavours. In this book, Mma Ramotswe gets an important client from the government, JLB Matekoni is suffering from depression, Mma Makutsi gets her first solo triumph by solving a case for a huge fee. The bankrupt company is flush again!My two facourite quotes: This sad truth was hilariously put - "Women, as usual, were expected to behave better than men, and in...

Reading these books is more like visiting with friends. If you are looking for action and plot, this will not really appeal to you, especially if you have read some of the others. These books are more of a slice of life.This was one of my favorites because of the depression that overcomes Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni. It comes over him so gradually and the people who love him are so concerned for him. I could almost feel myself becoming concerned for him also. Since I suffer from depression from time t...

4★“There were people who made it their business to remember the affairs of the community, and this was obviously one. Today they called them oral historians, she believed; whereas in reality, they were old women who liked to remember the things that interested them most: marriages, deaths, children. Old men remembered cattle.”We met Mma Ramotswe and her secretary/“Assistant Detective” Mma Makutsi in the first two instalments of the delightful No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. As before, there are

Spotted this afternoon in the philosophy section of a Berlin bookshop. I didn't dare ask if it was an imaginative interpretation of the content or just a mistake.

I would love to learn about Alexander McCall Smith’s experience with Botswana, for the Scotsman’s series has arisen from certainly knowing the people and place. Whenever we open books, there should be no expectations except that they will tell us their stories. There are stories that surprise us by not having familiar structures and they are a gift. “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” enduring series is a fictional cultural portrait first, peppered with mystery cases for Precious’ career. This

I enjoyed being back with these lovely characters and seeing their lives and careers progress. Mma Ramotswe continues with her work although she is more of a life coach and counsellor with philosophical advice to her clients than a detective. The mysteries are easily wrapped up but the stories we hear on the way are interesting snapshots of people's life.I never tire of hearing about the traditional Botswanan way and loved the expression 'stand on your toe' as an equivalent to fingers crossed! T...

Third read - Is it possible that every time I read this series, I like it even more?! Between the audiobook performance and the wisdom and wit in his writing, this series gets better every time I read it. Long live AMS and his wonderful Botswana!<><><><>Second read - I'm really enjoying revisiting this series. It's a good thing my memory is pretty bad, because it's almost like picking them up for the first time, except you know for sure you will love it. Bravo to Alexander McCall Smith for these...

Like so many other readers, I really enjoy McCall Smith's stories of Mma Ramotswe, and her Botswana detective service. Mma Ramotswe is a remarkable character, and I love her simple and moral nature. Yet, of the three books I have read in this series, I found _Morality for Beautiful Girls_ to be the weakest story so far.Mma Ramotswe is pulled in many different directions in this book, and only a few of the circumstances really go anywhere. Nearly a whole chapter is devoted to a young boy that is

A delightfully gentle series of books by Alexander McCall Smith - set in and around Botswana's capital city of Gaborone and stories of the 'No.1 Ladies Detective Agency'.McCall Smith has created a lovely world of mainly (very) amateurish sleuthing - which whilst ostensibly the theme which is central to these books, is ultimately almost incidental. The main draw here is the cast of well drawn, well written, very memorable and on the whole very endearing (if occasionally frustrating) characters -

Mma Makutsi rises to her own in this volume "Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 3)". As Mma Ramtoswe feels the pinch economically and emotionally, what with money being tight in the agency and the illness of her fiance, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, she comes to rely on the unexpected talents and strength of her secretary. Mma Makutsi, with her too dark complexion and too big glasses, a less than beautiful facial features, shows true beauty in her no-nonsense approach to

I can’t get enough of these Precious Ramotswe stories. This is the third in a series that shows no signs of flagging as yet, and indeed which seems richer, deeper and more spellbinding each novel you read.MORALITY FOR BEAUTIFUL GIRLS follows the same template as before, although the detective cases here seem even more of an excuse to have Smith reflecting on aspects of life applicable to both Botswana and the world in general. Here, we take a look at dysfunctional families, depression and female...

A fun simple good feeling read.

Book Three. As you can see, I love these books! Here are some nuggets:"Most morality, thought Mma Ramotswe, was about doing the right thing because it had been identified as such by a long process of acceptance and observance. You simply could not create your own morality because your experience would never be enough to do so. What gives you the right to say that you know better than your ancestors? Morality is for everybody, and this means that the views of more than one person are needed to cr...

I am not an authority on detective stories. I've read a little Sherlock Holmes, but I've only seen Agatha Christie through the eyes of the BBC. But when I pick up books from this series and always see the New York Times Book Review quote on the front, "The Miss Marple of Botswana," I start to think that Mma Ramotswe belongs in the discussion – not because she fits the mold, but because she seems to offer a different perspective within the genre.In a sense, I think these are classic detective sto...

This is an entry consistent with the prior two books in this delightful series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Tears of the Giraffe.The focus here is on beauty and young women. Precious helps a politician who believes that his younger brother’s beautiful young wife is poisoning him. Rawotse’s assistant gets a case of her own, in which she helps the head of a beauty pageant determine which of the finalists is a truly honest girl. Mister Matekoni, Precious’ fiancée, is suffering from depre...

And there goes another one. Reading a No.1 Ladies Detective Agency’s book is always so much fun.In this one, the story broadens: we have Mma Ramotswe's investigations as always but also the newly promoted Assistant Detective, Mma Makutsi, whom also has to keep an eye the apprentices at Tlokweng Speedy Motors because the Agency has moved there to save costs. It’s nice to see her step out a bit of her usual secretarial activities and have her investigate on her own. That way we can switch focus fr...

It's just such an easy series to read! It requires little effort and I enjoy it. Sure, it's not the best thing I've ever read but each book is a pallet cleaner and can be enjoyed over a couple of days. This one was no exception but (view spoiler)[I was a bit sad that Mr fiance was sick with depression - then again it's not his story so it was nice to hand over the reigns of the mechanic shop. (hide spoiler)]. And yes, I've bough the next one :)

I enjoyed this , the writing style is unique and light . It was a quick, funny and lighthearted read that I found very enjoyable. I will certainly read more in this series.

Although a "detective" series, I am drawn to these books for the keen observations of landscape, history, characters, and the human heart. As Precious Ramotse and increasingly her secretary and assistant Mma Makutsi go about investigating and resolving cases in a resourceful and satisfying way, I love that I can see the red dust of Botswana, feel the thirst of the land and the shade of the acacia trees, and smell the change in atmosphere when the rain comes.. One day people would no longer do th...