Tears of the Giraffe

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Summary: Couldn't stop reading...I wanted to know these people!
Review: I came upon this book cold at the library, never heard of the author or the series. I'm so glad I picked it up. First my husband read it, then I read it, then my sister, then my daughter (31yr. old)--who were visiting for Christmas. We each loved it and passed it to the next one. It goes quickly yet engrosses one completely. It is a treasure. Has a BIT of the feel of the film "The Gods Must Be Crazy" maybe because of the locale...but also the pure joy and goodness of the people in this story. I can't wait to find more stories of Ms. Ramotswe and her friends.

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Summary: Life Affirming Novel From Botswana
Review: This is my favorite of the 4 Ladies Detecttive Agency books written by A.M. Smith. All are charming, this one has a little more grit than the others, but you really should read all four; and I hope some more to come. The characters are all flawed, but this only makes you care about them and their struggles to find justice, love, and a place in a pretty hard world which the main characters embrace with all of their hearts.

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Summary: A continuing great pleasure
Review: "Mma Ramotswe found it difficult to imagine what it would be like to have no people... Many white people were like that, for some unfathomable reason; they did not seem to want to have people and were happy to be just themselves. How lonely they must be..." (p. 180)

If you liked the first Precious Ramotswe book and are after more of the same, this book delivers very much that. It has more of a continuous thread running through it as Precious is preoccupied throughout with a single case, the attempt to discover what happened, ten years ago to an idealistic young American son of a World Bank regional manager and his recently widowed wife who now seeks her assistance. It may be tempting to feel a certain mild regret at the introduction of this western dimension into a fictional world which hitherto had been so thoroughgoingly African. But as complaints go, that is about as minor as they come.

If there is a bigger quibble, it is this: a good crime story does two things: the mystery and suspense of the investigation should grip us and the characters should engage our interests and sympathies. On the first of these desideratum this book is actually a little weak. It's interesting enough to learn what happened to Michael Curtin but that is not what keeps one turning the pages.

What does that is McCall Smith's spectacular success with the second desideratum. The main drama is the developing relationship between Precious, who is imperturbably comfortable with the fact that she is, not fat, but "traditionally built", and Mr J. L. B. Maketoni, proprietor of Speedy Motors, now her fiancé, profoundly cautious about the financial commitment of buying an engagement ring but who allows himself to be talked into adopting two children with almost no resistance. Then there is Precious' secretary, Mma Makutsi, who is a little fed up of being a secretary with almost nothing to do and wants to be promoted to assistant detective, and Mr Maketoni's dishonest maid whose position Precious threatens at some risk. It's a compelling and joyful short book about people and the importance of having some of your own.

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Summary: Delightful respite
Review: Oh my, how wonderful these little books are! Tears of the Giraffe is just as refreshing as No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - like a second visit with a good friend. Light, yet not patronizing, simple, yet not condescending - just a refreshing respite from all the heavy, too-many-layered stuff out there. I'm hooked.

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Summary: This is even better than the first in the series
Review: This does not merely live up to the first int the series - it is even better, as McCall Smith's writing skills have clearly improved even more. (It also lacks the terrible misprints that the British first edition of his first book had in profusion). So why not do more than enjoy this book but buy 10 copies for friends at Thanksgiving and 10 more at Christmas and see all these splendid books, set in Botswana, on the bestseller list. They are all a joy and McCall Smith is truly a national treasure. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)

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Summary: Another triumph for McCall Smith
Review: Once again McCall Smith has demonstrated his compassion and love of Africa and its people, with Precious Ramotswe solving the disappearance of an American man in the Kalahari desert, amongst other problems both at work and in her personal life. Smith manages to convey the simplicity and complexity of Africa in this delightful novel. And for those readers who are interested to read more about this fascinating continent, once they have finished all these Botswana novels, I recommend A TELLING TIME, by Glynnis Hayward, which tells a gripping tale set in South Africa that will have them turning the pages.

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Summary: Cross Cultural Revelations
Review: In Alexander McCall Smith's second book in the series of the exploits of Mma Ramotswe the only "Lady Detective" in Botswana, he again delights us with Mma R's simple but elegant solutions to her detective work. Each of her adventures are well illustrated and wonderfully narrated. And yet, Smith gives us more in this book than in his first with respect to the cultural elements of Botswanian society.

He clearly points out the traditional Botswanian approach to life versus the modern day approach. The loss of certain values within the society are elucidated. And the reaction of those who still hold to more traditional values is described.

And yet, once again, Smith paints a truly wonderful and revealing picture of a proud country, that sees itself on the leading edge of Democracy in the African continent. The book is extremely fine in its genre and a recommended read of all observers of human behavior.

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Summary: Rra Maketoni Meets an Orphan Girl
Review: Tears of the Giraffe is the second volume in this series, following The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. In the previous volume, Precious Ramotswe exposes an unfaithful husband, a con artist and a fraudulent doctor, returns a lost child, and agrees to marry Mr. J.L.B. Maketoni.

In this novel, Precious inspects the house of Mr. J.L.B. Maketoni and declares it unsuitable for their domicile; they agree to live in the house on Zebra road. However, he is not to store automobile engines and parts within the house.

Since Mr. J.L.B. Maketoni will no longer live in his present house after the wedding, he notifies his maid that her job will be terminated at that time. The maid, Florence Peko, is not very good at her job, but she has trained Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni to accept what is offered and does not really want to lose the position. Jobs are scarce and hard to come by. If it wasn't for that Ramotswe woman, she would keep her job. Florence wonders how she can get rid of the odious woman.

Mr. J.L.B. Maketoni has helped the Orphans Home with mechanical repairs for years. When Mma Potokwane calls for his assistance with an overheating water pump, he drives out to fix it. While he is working on the pump engine, one of the orphans, a young girl in a squeaking wheel chair, brings him some water and stays to watch him finish the repairs. Afterwards, he oils the bearings and frees a sticking brake lock on her chair.

Mma Ramotswe acquires an American client who is searching for her lost son. The client had come to Botswana over a decade ago with her husband and eighteen year old son. Her son had found interesting work on a farm commune and stayed behind when his parents left. A couple of years later, the son disappeared one evening and was never seen again.

Highly recommended for McCall Smith fans and anyone else who enjoys detective stories set in foreign locales.

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Summary: Joy in another culture makes for greatest mystery
Review: The mysteries of Precious Ramotswe, owner and head detective of the No. 1 Ladies'Detective Agency, are so steeped in the culture of Botswana, that even as she investigates genuine inquiries for her clients, one feels an almost mystic quality to her life. The respect Mma Ramotswe finds in her interchange with an American woman searching for her long disappeared son, something as simple yet significant as a properly supported handshake, convinces her of the sincerity of the mother's quest. And, roundabout, for that is the way of Mma, she faces the other complications of her life, including becoming engaged to Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni. Through the disheartening experience she has with the belligerant and deceitful maid of Matekoni and her surprising discovery that he has adopted two children, one of whom is handicapped, without even discussing the matter, Mma faces her personal challenges while quietly pursuing the leads that finally bring her to a solution.

The characters in this second in the series of Precious Ramotswe novels are the key to enjoyment. The corruptness that she encounters is wisely handled by a traditional African woman of not too many years. Her interaction with her future husband and his new children, an acceptance and even joy, let the reader understand that she and he have a lot to share and are comfortable in doing so. (Even though her need for a diamond ring surprised me, she still demonstrated great good sense in the final choice, a ring with a diamond from African soil.) Their ability to live life to its gentle fullness, in a traditional Botswanan way, brings forth chuckles and smiles and an good-all-over feeling upon completing another book. Indeed, each book with Precious Ramotswe in it is a gift, like the tears of the giraffe.

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Summary: More No.1 Detective Stories
Review: More stories of light mystery, wisdom, and the amazing land of Botswana. Could it really exist? I love these stories, and based on this second novel in the series, ordered the last two. You will want to read "The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency" first.