Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations

Rating:
Summary: Modern Day Immaculate Conception
Review: Alexander McCall Smith is recently best known for his "Ladies No. 1 Detective Series" which takes place in Botswana. And true to those roots, his showcase story, "Bulawayo" does take place in Botswana, but since it is set in 1951, he uses the old name, Rhodesia.

This book is truly masterfully crafted. Smith describes 9 'dates' that men and woman have, and mostly, the problems they encounter in the dating. Only 2 of his stories end 'happily' if you will. The others are virtual disasters. But the beauty of the construction of the book is how the complexity of the dating gets more complicated and the story Smith tells about each has a somewhat different character, although a certain dryness of style that Smith uses is unmistakably done intentionally.

Smith's wonderfully "Freudian" story "Intimate Accounts" is just like reading out of "The Psychopathology of Everyday Life" by Freud himself. And in his final date,"A Heavenly Date" he describes what seems to be, a modern day story of an immaculate conception. Yet there are other explanations, as there are for the Biblical event, the feeling of ethereality is truly entrancing.

The book shows the great talent that Smith possesses for understanding and communicating the thoughts and actions of people. And once again, shows that no matter what culture you are in, the human problems are always much the same, whether they are spoken in English, French, German or Setswana, they are still the same types of problems.

Rating:
Summary: Dark and depressing
Review: Child pornography without the pictures. This is NOTHING like McCall Smith's other books. One wonders if the editorial reviewers who found it so light and touching actually read it. In one story a man hires a child who has been forced into prostitution, in another a woman stuck in a loveless marraige chooses a sickening way out and seduces a high school student. In another, a woman tricks her date into entering a crocodile's lair in a zoo and he dies. It's a disturbing book that I regret buying and can not bring myself to even finish.

Rating:
Summary: Stands On Its Own
Review: Unfortunately most other reviewers here were looking for a continuation of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series when selecting Heavenly Date. I am also a fan of the Botswana detective books, but I believe it is important to review this book based on its own merit. The stories are engaging and the characters are well distinguished from one story to the next. Each story gives a concise insight into impulses and oddities found in relationships and personal interactions. It is offbeat, the locations are varied, and the stories range from humorous to slightly bizarre. I found this to be an extremely entertaining book for light reading. So, if you enjoy this author's ability to explore a broad range of subjects as well as his insights into people and relationships between them, give the book a chance. If you are looking more about Precious Ramotswe, wait for the next book in the series.