Rating: 
Summary: Fun! Pick it up
Review: Really fun, light read. Will definitely pick up the sequels. Nice twist on your average mystery with endearing characters. Enjoyed reading about the country and its people, as well.
Rating: 
Summary: A light, pleasant read
Review: A nice, easy, and often funny read about a country I know little about. So many of the reviews here repeat all of the obvious good points of this book. Let's do something different; let's talk about some of the book's weaknesses. Did you know that over a third of the population of Botswana is infected with HIV? Not from reading this book. Botswana is rich in cattle and diamonds, but there is little mention in the book about the terrible working conditions, inequalities, and corruption. It's great that Precious is happy as a fat African, in contrast to American arrogance, but sometimes the author gets heavy-handed with the pity Precious feels for Americans. It's great that Precious feels love and pride for her country and her people, but then we see how common it is for men to beat, desert, or cheat their women. It's great that Precious wants to be like Agatha Christie, but, c'mon, the story about the crocodile? And for all of the hype against America, the book has a good, old-fashioned American happy ending, where the good guys defeat the bad guys and only the bad guys get hurt. As I said, it's a light, fun book. But the weaknesses will keep me from reading the rest of the series. I only want to know if Precious will really marry Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific!
Review: Just a great book about everything and nothing! The characters are rich with tradition, the plot is fast moving and interesting, the backdrop of Africa is unforgettable.
I will be looking for the sequels to read and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshingly original
Review: Bravo, Mr. Smith, for creating such a delightful character in Precious Ramotswe. A plump divorcee in her early thirties, Mma Ramotswe decides to open the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency in her small village near modern Botswana, using the inheritance left by her loving father upon his death. The unconventional act itself of creating a detective agency, when she has no experience or qualifications other than her calm self-assurance and determination, right away conveys the message to the reader that we're dealing with a special woman worthy of respect and affection. Using instinct and good old-fashioned common sense, Mma Ramotswe solves one case after another. In the process, introducing us to colorful characters in interesting circumstances, sometimes comical, sometimes horrible.
The setting only increases the book's lure. Smith describes Africa with great love and reverence. Seen through the eyes of Mma Ramotswe, the beauty and mystery of Africa vividly appears in the mind. I found myself feeling almost ashamed of the self-imposed hectic life I lead in the sterile corporate world, constantly striving to attain bigger and better yuppie toys like leaf blowers and snow mobiles. I cheered Mma Ramotswe's scolding of people like me who fail to notice the beauty of our surroundings or to appreciate a good bowl of stew and a long chat with a friend while sitting on the porch watching the sun set.
A refreshingly original story, simple and sweet. I can't wait to visit Mma Ramotswe again.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet but forgettable
Review: I really can't think of anything bad to say about this novel. The heroine is extremely likable, the descriptions of Botswana beautiful, and the tales of Mma Ramtowse's cases light-hearted and entertaining. I enjoyed the stories of the wayward Indian daughter, the husband eaten by the crocodile, and the philandering twins. The only thing about this story was that I forgot it as soon as I finished it. Nothing much there really stayed with me. Even the "big" case involving the boy abducted by witch doctors didn't have much substance. Sweet, yes, but not much meat. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone looking for a pleasant escape--and that's not a bad thing.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay, so I really prefer thrillers.
Review: Call me simple, but I couldn't get through the first tape of the unabridged audio book. I tried to be patient, but after an hour, the plot still hadn't begun to take shape. Although I can't offer much in the way of a review, I nonetheless felt the need to post one, because I bought this book BECAUSE of the rave reviews. It may warm up, but all indications pointed to ramblings of cultures and complications in simple lives, and I was absolutely bored to death. The slow speech and accent of the reader may have contributed to the coma this book attempted to put me in.
Rating:
Summary: Simplistic title has delightful writing
Review: I read this book, then the second one (Tears of the Giraffe), and can't wait for the next one. Alexander McCall Smith has captured a character who stands not alone, but who represents womanhood and hopefully those of modern Botswana. Having never been to Africa it was a delightful opportunity to read of someone else's descriptive manner at detailing a storyline around a whole of their people. Since I do not have any experience to this observation, let it suffice to say that it intrigued me and kept me reading. The main character was just that, a character. Her life and that of the simple life around her was developed in such a manner that I wanted to find out more of how she thought, lived, and developed her detective agency in such a place. Her main male interest was charming as well. He had pride, depth, and honesty when often we think of those we don't know in far away places as perhaps not being as morale as we believe ourselves to be. It was eye-opening, interesting, and worth the read. The sad part was reading some viewpoints from readers who found the book not a "great" detective novel. They missed the point entirely. Her neighbors and clients were charming folks with lives that had simple fears, hopes, and dreams. What more could a reader ask than to have a glimpse into their lives. Read on folks, the second book is as delightful as the first.
Thank you. Reader in California
Rating: 
Summary: Too simplistic
Review: While the characters are mildly engaging, the plotlines in this book are rather uninteresting. I found the solutions to the mysteries glaringly obvious, and I am not one of those people who can routinely figure out whodunit by page 15. Precious Ramotswe is a likable but bungling detective who repeatedly gets found out by the people she is supposed to be trailing (yes, I know it's part of the plot, but it's rather irritating). The novel is just barely worth reading for the pleasant local color, but as far as intelligent mystery fiction goes, I would rather reread any Dorothy Sayers novel--except the execrable _Thrones, Dominations_, completed posthumously by another author--for the umpteenth time, than continue following Mma Ramotswe's career.
Rating:
Summary: A woman would have made a difference!
Review: A beautiful story, the life of Mma Ramotswe a detective agent in Botswana, Africa. She takes us back through her childhood and brings us to the present to meet her customers where each story unfolds two pictures of Africa now and then. Mma Ramotswe symbolizing the modern African woman and the conflict that goes between modernization and culture. Humor is one of Mma Ramotswe's qualities and she never fails to make you laugh out loud! Whether she's analyzing her problems or trying to solve a mystery.. it is so simple and hilarious! She loves her country, but tries hard to eradicate horrible old beliefs. She cherishes her freedom and the new way of life but nevertheless holds tight to her roots. She portrays wisdom and femininity, and pours out her opinion whenever possible. A romantic ending to a beautiful story!
Rating:
Summary: Move over Miss Marple, Precious has come to town...
Review: Mma. Precious Ramotswe is Botswana's one and only female Private Detective who gets her debut in this delightful first novel by Alexander McCall Smith. This is an easy yet intriguing read with Mma. Precious Ramotswe getting her first case and finding out that being a Private Detective is as much about common sense and good advice as it is about the investigation of a client's case. The plot is neatly cut up into interlocking sections with Mma. Precious Ramotswe taking on her first case to prove if her client's father is actually HER client's father! She gets the answer in a most ingenious way and this opens the door to more cases, including the disappearance of a young boy and a sinister mystery in the form of a small bag of human bones... As you weave your way through the story you meet a selection of wonderful characters like Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni the owner of Speedy Motors who is sweet on Precious, and Mma. Makutsi, the cleverest secretary in Botswana, she scored 97 percent on her secretarial exam and now works for Mma. Precious Ramotswe, serving bush tea, introducing clients and secretly pinning her hopes on becoming a trainee Private Detective! This book is not what you call an exciting read but this does not stop it from being totally engrossing and enjoyable; in fact if you are looking for excitement it is best that you give this book a miss as you will be disappointed. It is slow an interesting read, with plenty of description about Botswana life and her people, as well as the mystery element of a Private Detective novel. Mma. Precious Ramotswe has been likened to an African Miss Marple, well I am inclined to disagree though I do think she is as clever as Miss Marple, she does not have Miss Marple's ruthless streak. Rather she is compassionate and understanding about the frailties of human nature. In the not so distant past she herself was a battered wife with a short lived marriage to a violent trumpet player who deserted her as well as having the joy of motherhood for a brief few days. Because of this Precious has acquired an acute understanding of what it is to be flawed and full of human desires and like Miss Marple uses her experiences to understand the situations she is asked to investigate. But as I said before the similarities between the two is like chalk and cheese. Well worth the read, but remember don't expect fast cars, fast women and fast men. This is a story about life on the edge of the Kalahari, were life can be both beautiful and harsh. A cracker of a first novel.
|
