Tears of the Giraffe

Rating:
Summary: perhaps a kinder and gentler world
Review: Three cheers for Alexander McCall Smith! For he has written a gentle humorous book that brings us face-to-face with the dignity, strength and courage of the Botswanan people--- and by extension the human race. But never fear, dear cynics, Smith loves Botswana, but it IS love, not infatuation. The Botswana of TEARS OF THE GIRAFFE, while peopled with exemplary individuals, is plagued by the usual human amalgam of crime, poverty, disease and injustice.

In TEARS OF THE GIRAFFE, the second, I believe, of the series, we become further acquainted with Mma Precious Ramotswe, the owner of a detective agency in Gabarone, Botswana. The reader follows her through the ups and downs and conundrums of her personal and professional life. A missing child, a grieving mother, a young employee, a dishonest maid, a beloved fiancee and two orphaned children are some of the key characters in this African tale. I very heartily recommend this book to those readers who like a gentle mystery. Read it and Botswana will become more than a place on a map. Read it and you will smile.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent ~ BEST in series!
Review: You have to read this book just to know the poignant symbolism of the title! I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it was clever in all parts.

Rating:
Summary: awesome...lyrical and beautiful
Review: Mr. Smith does it again! And this time round its better than the first book in the famous Botswana private eye Mma Ramotswe and her No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Set in Botswana, Africa, Mr. Smith weaves a simple yet extraordinary tale of simplicity, love, roots and a dash of mystery.

The essence of Africa is beautifully captured in a simple 227-page read that ends even before you've begun to savor Africa's aromas and tastes. After reading the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Tears of the Giraffe, I've had the yearning to drink the bush tea that is spoken about constantly in the book. I might want to add that you must read its predecessor before tears of the giraffe - as both the books are interlinked and entwined as the river is to the sea.

Something about the plot now: We are treated to various mystery cases in the course of this book. An American mother wants to know what happened to her teenage son in the Kalahari Desert and why did he disappear from the face of this planet. A butcher wants information on his wife and her on goings with another man. There are more tales that give this book its beauty of language and the craft of writing.

Mr. Smith takes us on a roller-coaster ride through Africa - its people, their beliefs, the simple life they still lead mingled with technology and new-found ideologies. Africa - in the heart of the world is an unusual place - full of brightness and brotherhood.

We are introduced to Mma Makutsi (Mma Ramotswe's secretary) in a new avatar of a junior detective and her first case. We are further lead to Mr. Maketoni - the fiancé of Mma Ramotswe and the problem of the orphaned children he has to take care of. Will Mma Ramotswe take the children in? Will the American mother find her child? Read this awesome book to find out...


Rating:
Summary: Tears of the Giraffe
Review: A real yawner! It didn't help that the characters names were too difficult to remember.