Alexander McCall Smith
J. L. B. Matekoni had been uncertain what to say, He wondered if he should ask Mma Ramotswe why she had not consulted him, but decided against it, If husbands started to question their wive's decisions, then where would it end, and what purpose would it serve"
And that's why I love this series, and will continue reading each installment as long as Smith keeps writing them.
This series isdegrees from a hardcharging thriller still, mystery and cozy readers will like this gentle book that nonetheless deals with weighty topics.
Highly recommended. Prolific author Alexander McCall Smith writes gentle novels that remark on the foibles we human beings fall prey to, His characters in the No,Ladies Detective Agency have become my old friends, There is Precious Ramotswe, the owner of the Agency who is determined to respect the hearts and feelings of everyone around her, That is not the case with her acerbic assistant, Mma Makutsi, She is quick to share her opinion regardless of whom it might offend, Mma Potokwane must make some awesome fruitcake as it seems to dependably cajole others to volunteer their time/energy on behalf of the orphanage, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni is the perfect husband for Preciousalways supportive, always willing to listen, and occasionally offers a wise observation,
As the title suggests, this offering has Mma Ramotswe seeking to help an old friend, In addition, Charlie is in a quandryin love with QueenieQueenie, a young woman from a much wealthier family, How can he ever expect to raise enough money to meet her families bride price, Enjoy!
,stars
In thisth book in the 'No,Ladies' Detective Agency' series, Mma Ramotswe who owns the agency gets involved in various disparate situations,
The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the series is a plus,
Mma Ramotswe is at a wedding celebration when she spots an old friend, Calviniah Ramoroka, whom she hasn't seen in years.
Later, when the women are lunching together, Calviniah confides that her daughter Nametso has become distant, and Calviniah doesn't know why,
Mma Ramotswe intuits that Calviniah wants her help, and the detectives at the 'No,Ladies' Detective Agency' proceed to follow and investigate Nametso, One scene where Mma Ramotswe, her detective partner Mma Makutsi, and assistant detective Charlie are all stuffed into the front seat of Mma Ramotswe's tiny white van is hilarious.
Mma Ramotswe also learns that another old friend named Poppy, who had accumulated a substantial nest egg, is now almost broke.
It seems Poppy has given her new preacher a VERY expensive Mercedes Benz,
Mma Ramotswe is distressed by Poppy's plight and would like to help,
Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe has been hired by a woman called Mma Mogorosi, who wants to know if her husband is cheating on her.
Mma Ramotswe finds that the hubby isn't unfaithful but is secretly taking math lessons, This isn't the end of the story though, .
On a day off, Mma Ramotswe visits her friend, orphanage director Mma Potokwane, who always serves bush tea and delicious fruit cake.
At the orphanage, Mma Ramotswe meets one of the house mothers, and a surprise follows,
Lastly, assistant detective Charlie, a young man who works as an assistant to Mma Ramotswe and a parttime mechanic for Mma Ramotswe's husband Mr.
JLB Matekoni at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors says he wants to marry his girlfriend Queenie Queenie,
There's a big problem though, Charlie is very poor, Queenie Queenie's family is very rich, and Botswana customs require a substantial bride price, A possible solution presents itself, but Charlie is ambivalent about jumping in,
In the end, a series of unlikely coinidences help resolve many of the above situations,
The books in this series are never really about solving mysteries, but rather about Mma Ramotswe's kind heart, desire to think the best of people, and philosophy of life.
As always, Mma Ramotswe has entertaining conversations with her husband and staff, and Mma Makutsi's shoes which like to chime in with opnions make some fun comments as well.
The novel is just the ticket for an afternoon's light reading,
You can follow my reviews at sitelink blogspot. com Second read:
I love this series, Medicine for the soul.
first read:
The latest Mma Ramotswe novel is out, and yes, The magic is still there, I love the wisdom and the kindness but without any type of feeling of sickeningsweetness in these books, There is humor that is genuinely funny, sometimes laugh out loud funny, because as you get to know these characters, you can't help but love them, even for their faults.
They are real and I love spending time with them,
AMS loves Botswana, and it shows, He loves and appreciates trees, the sky, gardens, birds, etc, He has a sensitive soul, as do I, and this is obvious when you read him, I just love him and his wonderful characters, that's all there is to it, He is a man after my heart, and may God continue to bless his keyboard, pen, hands, paper, all of it, The world needs civility times a thousand, and every time I read his books, I get a refill,
In addition, the wonderful Lisette Lecat narrates every audiobook in this series, I listen to close to a hundred audiobooks each year, She is in my top three alltime narrators, There is no way the audio performance could be improved it would be impossible, I encourage you to listen to this series and drink it in, particularly if, like me, you're troubled by all the animosity in the world today.
This series and this author will revive you, like an oasis in the desert,
Thank you, Alexander McCall Smith, I am not sure why I disliked this book when I read it inas a review copy, But though it has too many silly Mma Makutsi
argues with Mma Ramotswe or Charlie sequences, I enjoyed it a lot more this time around.
Disappointing. I've read all previous, but probably won't read any more in the series, It reads like it was written quickly, to a publisher's timetable, There is a fair bit of filler here, And the repeated comments on the supposed behaviours of men is really getting on my nerves, it's repetitive and wrong and sexist in my opinion, and occurs in almost every chapter.
I know he is writing for his feminist audience and they probably lap it up, but even then, these biting criticisms come across as the most condescending of writings.
They may have been meant as funny, but it's not, it's just juvenile, Men and women deserve a better commentary, And readers deserve a better writing and plot and storylines, Poor old Alexander has hit rock bottom here, I look forward to each of these books as I would to visiting with old, dear friends, There is gentle humor, delightful dialogue, warmhearted scenes, interesting mysteries, and just the feeling of kindness and of people relating to each other in different ways.
There's an unhurried atmosphere throughout each book, which I especially like, since during too much of life we seem to want rush through it in a matter of minutes.
I very much like each of the regular characters, and as the series has progressed I am glad to see the development and maturation of Charlie, from a lazy, sexist young man to a useful, thoughtful, considerate person who is getting along with Grace Makutski better and better.
They have reached a level of comfort and sympathy for each other that is very attractive, In this story I felt for Charlie, as he tries to navigate through the highs and lows of his romantic life, and of his sense of being a more useful part of the detective agency.
This my favorite series of books, and this title reinforced my belief, A joy to read from beginning to end, Mma Potokwane comes through in the clutch in this lovely, relaxing adventure, The ladiesand Charlieeach took a turn reminding me why these books are my happy place,
Botswana Botswana Botswana There is just something so refreshing about reading another Precious Ramotswe book in this long running series, I just love how much she loves Botswana and her life, I like how her kindness finds unique solutions to her investigations, This is so apparent in her case of a man whose wife suspects him of cheating with his math tutor, I love the solution to that case,
Precious also discovers a friend that she had long thought was dead and her renewed friendship leads her into an investigation of a church established by a lay person with the name Mechanic in the title.
I like this church as it's held outside by a river with a barbecue going the entire time, Now that's my idea of church, Of course, there's more going on,
Old favorites are also featured including Charlie who finally has something wonderful happen to him, And what book would be complete without Mma Makutsi and her shoes And there is wonderful news from the orphanage that adds joy to Precious and her family.
You don't read these books necessarily for the story but for how good they make you feel and this one made me feel excellent.
I had a big smile on my face when I was done, Now that's a satisfactory ending, I cannot "not like" any of these stories, I just love the characters and the Botswana setting too much, Still, this one was sadly a little lacking, I missed the usual slow buildup of the one central case, where we are on a journey of discovery together with Mma Ramotswe and her helpers.
Also the other developments, Charlie's engagement and baby Daisy, are treated a little too fleetingly for my taste,
I love Mr McCall Smith's writing, but could it be that he is working on too many projects
,Stars
If you read and loved this story, you may not want to read this review, Looking at the Goodreads overall rating, it appears that Im a definite outlier! Im offering this unpopular opinion as a fan of the series, . . Ive read them all. . however, this recent installment is a huge disappointment, Fans of the series may want to read it and may enjoy it I suggest that this is one to borrow and not buy, but if you decide to skip it, you wont have missed much, One pet peeve is that the love triangle between Charlie, QueenieQueenie, and Fanwell that is noted in the books description never occurs in the story.
In fact, it appears as if the person who wrote the summary never read the book, Another frustration is the amount of time the author devotes to philosophizing, . it hijacks the story and almost seems like the main reason he writes it, I am left with the impression that it was written as a filler to meet contract obligations speculation! If you want to read a good story in this series, I suggest reading House of Unexpected Sisters from two years ago.
I usually dont write these types of negative reviews, I simply give it a star rating and move on, . but as a fan of the series and of Maa Ramotswe, I am deeply disappointed and decided to speak up, I encourage you to check out other more positive reviews to gain a more balanced perspective! If you read it and loved it, Id love to hear what I may have missed!
Even though this was a disappointing read, I did note a few quotes because The author has a lovely way of expressing thoughts:
“Kindness, after all, did not distinguish between those who merited it and those who did not.
It was like rain, she thought, It fell everywhere and made everything green and new and alive once more, That is what it did, ”
“That nurturing of plants, that desire to cultivate, to sow and reap, lay at the heart of the culture, along with the deepseated desire to tend cattle.
according to the rules of the old Botswana morality, as an older relative she had at least some responsibility for him, That was how it was: nobody was left alone, unrelated, and uncared forsomewhere, in the vast tangle of human relationships, everybody could say to at least someone: I am one of your people.
”
“The world was not like that, she knew we had to fit in with the world rather than the world fit in with us, but every so often it was nice to imagine that it was the other way round.
And there was no doubt, she thought, that Botswana fitted her to perfection, It was the right size it was the right shape on the map the people who lived in it and the cattle they kept were just as she would want them to be it was so perfect that she imagined that God himself had thought: I shall invent a country that is just right for Mma Ramotswe when she comes along, and I shall call it Botswana, and it will be a good place.
”
For more reviews visit my blog sitelinkwww, readingladies. com.
And that's why I love this series, and will continue reading each installment as long as Smith keeps writing them.
The latest installment from the beloved THE NO,LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY series
TO THE LAND OF LONG LOST FRIENDS
Mr J, L. B. Matekoni usually steers clear of Mma Ramotswe's cases, but on this occasion he is approached by a client of the garage who tells a tale of woe.
This man has entrusted his brother to oversee the building of a house, yet the project is complete and now the brother won't leave, How is he to get him to move on Surprisingly, Mr Polopetsi comes to the rescue, Elsewhere, a woman with a troublesome daughter comes to see Mma Ramotswe, and Mma Ramotswe finds herself trying to reconcile the two, Finally, Charlie is still enamoured of QueenieQueenie, She, however, has developed a fancy for Fanwell, With the threat of an awkward love triangle looming, Mma Makutsi gets involved and so do her shoes, . .
This series isdegrees from a hardcharging thriller still, mystery and cozy readers will like this gentle book that nonetheless deals with weighty topics.
Highly recommended. Prolific author Alexander McCall Smith writes gentle novels that remark on the foibles we human beings fall prey to, His characters in the No,Ladies Detective Agency have become my old friends, There is Precious Ramotswe, the owner of the Agency who is determined to respect the hearts and feelings of everyone around her, That is not the case with her acerbic assistant, Mma Makutsi, She is quick to share her opinion regardless of whom it might offend, Mma Potokwane must make some awesome fruitcake as it seems to dependably cajole others to volunteer their time/energy on behalf of the orphanage, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni is the perfect husband for Preciousalways supportive, always willing to listen, and occasionally offers a wise observation,
As the title suggests, this offering has Mma Ramotswe seeking to help an old friend, In addition, Charlie is in a quandryin love with QueenieQueenie, a young woman from a much wealthier family, How can he ever expect to raise enough money to meet her families bride price, Enjoy!
,stars
In thisth book in the 'No,Ladies' Detective Agency' series, Mma Ramotswe who owns the agency gets involved in various disparate situations,
The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the series is a plus,
Mma Ramotswe is at a wedding celebration when she spots an old friend, Calviniah Ramoroka, whom she hasn't seen in years.
Later, when the women are lunching together, Calviniah confides that her daughter Nametso has become distant, and Calviniah doesn't know why,
Mma Ramotswe intuits that Calviniah wants her help, and the detectives at the 'No,Ladies' Detective Agency' proceed to follow and investigate Nametso, One scene where Mma Ramotswe, her detective partner Mma Makutsi, and assistant detective Charlie are all stuffed into the front seat of Mma Ramotswe's tiny white van is hilarious.
Mma Ramotswe also learns that another old friend named Poppy, who had accumulated a substantial nest egg, is now almost broke.
It seems Poppy has given her new preacher a VERY expensive Mercedes Benz,
Mma Ramotswe is distressed by Poppy's plight and would like to help,
Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe has been hired by a woman called Mma Mogorosi, who wants to know if her husband is cheating on her.
Mma Ramotswe finds that the hubby isn't unfaithful but is secretly taking math lessons, This isn't the end of the story though, .
On a day off, Mma Ramotswe visits her friend, orphanage director Mma Potokwane, who always serves bush tea and delicious fruit cake.
At the orphanage, Mma Ramotswe meets one of the house mothers, and a surprise follows,
Lastly, assistant detective Charlie, a young man who works as an assistant to Mma Ramotswe and a parttime mechanic for Mma Ramotswe's husband Mr.
JLB Matekoni at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors says he wants to marry his girlfriend Queenie Queenie,
There's a big problem though, Charlie is very poor, Queenie Queenie's family is very rich, and Botswana customs require a substantial bride price, A possible solution presents itself, but Charlie is ambivalent about jumping in,
In the end, a series of unlikely coinidences help resolve many of the above situations,
The books in this series are never really about solving mysteries, but rather about Mma Ramotswe's kind heart, desire to think the best of people, and philosophy of life.
As always, Mma Ramotswe has entertaining conversations with her husband and staff, and Mma Makutsi's shoes which like to chime in with opnions make some fun comments as well.
The novel is just the ticket for an afternoon's light reading,
You can follow my reviews at sitelink blogspot. com Second read:
I love this series, Medicine for the soul.
first read:
The latest Mma Ramotswe novel is out, and yes, The magic is still there, I love the wisdom and the kindness but without any type of feeling of sickeningsweetness in these books, There is humor that is genuinely funny, sometimes laugh out loud funny, because as you get to know these characters, you can't help but love them, even for their faults.
They are real and I love spending time with them,
AMS loves Botswana, and it shows, He loves and appreciates trees, the sky, gardens, birds, etc, He has a sensitive soul, as do I, and this is obvious when you read him, I just love him and his wonderful characters, that's all there is to it, He is a man after my heart, and may God continue to bless his keyboard, pen, hands, paper, all of it, The world needs civility times a thousand, and every time I read his books, I get a refill,
In addition, the wonderful Lisette Lecat narrates every audiobook in this series, I listen to close to a hundred audiobooks each year, She is in my top three alltime narrators, There is no way the audio performance could be improved it would be impossible, I encourage you to listen to this series and drink it in, particularly if, like me, you're troubled by all the animosity in the world today.
This series and this author will revive you, like an oasis in the desert,
Thank you, Alexander McCall Smith, I am not sure why I disliked this book when I read it inas a review copy, But though it has too many silly Mma Makutsi
argues with Mma Ramotswe or Charlie sequences, I enjoyed it a lot more this time around.
Disappointing. I've read all previous, but probably won't read any more in the series, It reads like it was written quickly, to a publisher's timetable, There is a fair bit of filler here, And the repeated comments on the supposed behaviours of men is really getting on my nerves, it's repetitive and wrong and sexist in my opinion, and occurs in almost every chapter.
I know he is writing for his feminist audience and they probably lap it up, but even then, these biting criticisms come across as the most condescending of writings.
They may have been meant as funny, but it's not, it's just juvenile, Men and women deserve a better commentary, And readers deserve a better writing and plot and storylines, Poor old Alexander has hit rock bottom here, I look forward to each of these books as I would to visiting with old, dear friends, There is gentle humor, delightful dialogue, warmhearted scenes, interesting mysteries, and just the feeling of kindness and of people relating to each other in different ways.
There's an unhurried atmosphere throughout each book, which I especially like, since during too much of life we seem to want rush through it in a matter of minutes.
I very much like each of the regular characters, and as the series has progressed I am glad to see the development and maturation of Charlie, from a lazy, sexist young man to a useful, thoughtful, considerate person who is getting along with Grace Makutski better and better.
They have reached a level of comfort and sympathy for each other that is very attractive, In this story I felt for Charlie, as he tries to navigate through the highs and lows of his romantic life, and of his sense of being a more useful part of the detective agency.
This my favorite series of books, and this title reinforced my belief, A joy to read from beginning to end, Mma Potokwane comes through in the clutch in this lovely, relaxing adventure, The ladiesand Charlieeach took a turn reminding me why these books are my happy place,
Botswana Botswana Botswana There is just something so refreshing about reading another Precious Ramotswe book in this long running series, I just love how much she loves Botswana and her life, I like how her kindness finds unique solutions to her investigations, This is so apparent in her case of a man whose wife suspects him of cheating with his math tutor, I love the solution to that case,
Precious also discovers a friend that she had long thought was dead and her renewed friendship leads her into an investigation of a church established by a lay person with the name Mechanic in the title.
I like this church as it's held outside by a river with a barbecue going the entire time, Now that's my idea of church, Of course, there's more going on,
Old favorites are also featured including Charlie who finally has something wonderful happen to him, And what book would be complete without Mma Makutsi and her shoes And there is wonderful news from the orphanage that adds joy to Precious and her family.
You don't read these books necessarily for the story but for how good they make you feel and this one made me feel excellent.
I had a big smile on my face when I was done, Now that's a satisfactory ending, I cannot "not like" any of these stories, I just love the characters and the Botswana setting too much, Still, this one was sadly a little lacking, I missed the usual slow buildup of the one central case, where we are on a journey of discovery together with Mma Ramotswe and her helpers.
Also the other developments, Charlie's engagement and baby Daisy, are treated a little too fleetingly for my taste,
I love Mr McCall Smith's writing, but could it be that he is working on too many projects
,Stars
If you read and loved this story, you may not want to read this review, Looking at the Goodreads overall rating, it appears that Im a definite outlier! Im offering this unpopular opinion as a fan of the series, . . Ive read them all. . however, this recent installment is a huge disappointment, Fans of the series may want to read it and may enjoy it I suggest that this is one to borrow and not buy, but if you decide to skip it, you wont have missed much, One pet peeve is that the love triangle between Charlie, QueenieQueenie, and Fanwell that is noted in the books description never occurs in the story.
In fact, it appears as if the person who wrote the summary never read the book, Another frustration is the amount of time the author devotes to philosophizing, . it hijacks the story and almost seems like the main reason he writes it, I am left with the impression that it was written as a filler to meet contract obligations speculation! If you want to read a good story in this series, I suggest reading House of Unexpected Sisters from two years ago.
I usually dont write these types of negative reviews, I simply give it a star rating and move on, . but as a fan of the series and of Maa Ramotswe, I am deeply disappointed and decided to speak up, I encourage you to check out other more positive reviews to gain a more balanced perspective! If you read it and loved it, Id love to hear what I may have missed!
Even though this was a disappointing read, I did note a few quotes because The author has a lovely way of expressing thoughts:
“Kindness, after all, did not distinguish between those who merited it and those who did not.
It was like rain, she thought, It fell everywhere and made everything green and new and alive once more, That is what it did, ”
“That nurturing of plants, that desire to cultivate, to sow and reap, lay at the heart of the culture, along with the deepseated desire to tend cattle.
according to the rules of the old Botswana morality, as an older relative she had at least some responsibility for him, That was how it was: nobody was left alone, unrelated, and uncared forsomewhere, in the vast tangle of human relationships, everybody could say to at least someone: I am one of your people.
”
“The world was not like that, she knew we had to fit in with the world rather than the world fit in with us, but every so often it was nice to imagine that it was the other way round.
And there was no doubt, she thought, that Botswana fitted her to perfection, It was the right size it was the right shape on the map the people who lived in it and the cattle they kept were just as she would want them to be it was so perfect that she imagined that God himself had thought: I shall invent a country that is just right for Mma Ramotswe when she comes along, and I shall call it Botswana, and it will be a good place.
”
For more reviews visit my blog sitelinkwww, readingladies. com.