Just as with all the other books in the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series, this one evokes a clear sense of place and characters. Simply put, it makes me want to be in Botswana right now. One of the things I like best about Alexander McCall Smith's writing is the way he develops his characters through their lives and actions and not much in the way of a narrator's analysis. The author seems to feel a great deal of affection for his characters even when they make unwise choices. These books ar...

Yay for this series! I'm glad there are so many. It actually inspired me to read more about Botswana. Here is a nugget from this book:"People's lives were delicate; you cannot interfere with them without running the risk of changing them profoundly. A chance remark, a careless involvement, may make the difference between a life of happiness and one of sorrow." pg 164

This series is my current comfort-read. A lovely world to escape into for late-night reading, beautifully written, sensitively told. Really life-enhancing. Wonderful.

Fourth installment in this amazing series. You don't read Mma Ramotswe novels for the action or even for the mysteries. You read them for the gentle rhythm of the narration, the wise philosophy of the characters. In this we rejoin Mma Ramostwe as she waits for her fiancée to set a date for their wedding after his illness. Mr Matekoni is slowly coming out of depression and finds his motor repair shop in the good hands of Mma Makutsi who shares her time between the detective agency and the auto re...

These books drive me crazy, but instead of talking about what I don't like about them, I want to say what I do like. I keep reading them for some reason, so I think it is about time I figure out why.The first reason is that the author, clearly, has an affection for Botswana. He describes cattle in a way that makes me want to love cows. He describes a desert in way that makes me want to vacation there.The second is that I can appreciate a book that isn't in a hurry, I read a lot of action/adventu...

The story of _Kalahari Typing School for Men_ was much like its immediate predecessor, _Morality for Beautiful Girls_. The novel focuses a great amount on the development of some characters, and leaves others "out to dry", and ultimately strays away from the things that made books 1 and 2 of the series so good: the cases, the interactions, and the values of the Botswana people. That is not to say that this book does not have any detective cases, but I find the novels have shifted from their orig...

4★“‘Ex-CID,’ said Mma. Ramotswe. ‘A retired policeman then. That is not good news for us. People will love the idea of taking their problems to a retired policeman.’‘And ex-New York,’ said Mma. Makutsi admiringly. ‘That will impress people a great deal. They have seen films about New York detectives and they know how good they are.’ Mma. Ramotswe cast a glance at Mma. Makutsi. ‘Do you mean Superman?’ she asked. ‘Yes,’ said Mma. Makutsi. ‘That sort of thing. Superman.’”Oh dear! Competition. And i...

***Fourth read***I'll never stop reading this series. 😀***Third read***I can't get enough of this series. Every time, they just get better. The audio performance by Lisette Lecat is just perfect, in every way, and since I listen more than read, I enjoy her performance as much as the words. Please, please listen to this series. Most libraries offer the downloads for free. I highly recommend them. I'm so glad this series stands up well to rereads, as I love them all so much. 💙****Second read****4....

Another lovely slice of Botswana, served as always with Mma Ramotswe's wisdom and philosophy. In this book we see Mma Makutsi come into her own with her new business venture and rise unscathed from a (view spoiler)[ romance with a man whom she didn't know was married but was being investigated by Mma Ramotswe on suspicion of cheating, under instruction from his wife. (awkward situation) Luckily Mma Makutsi is saved from this knowledge by her friends thoughtfulness and the cheating husband leaves...

Alexander McCall Smith - image from famousauthors.org Guilt is the subject here. The theme is threaded throughout. The primary client of the book is a mister Molefelo, a hotelier and ostrich farmer. He had committed a crime as a youth and wishes to atone for his sins. Precious helps him of course. Mma Makutsi acquires a beau, Mister Seleliping. She also attempts to begin a new business, and does, the typing school of the title. The detective agency gains competition in the form of a male-run ent...

A delightfully gentle series of books by Alexander McCall Smith - set in and around Botswana's capital city of Gaborone and stories of the 'No.1 Ladies Detective Agency'.McCall Smith has created a lovely world of mainly (very) amateurish sleuthing - which whilst ostensibly the theme which is central to these books, is ultimately almost incidental. The main draw here is the cast of well drawn, well written, very memorable and on the whole very endearing (if occasionally frustrating) characters -

I just can't seem to get enough of this series.I find it soothing, but not boring. I love the setting and learning more about Botswana. But mostly I love the lifestyle of the main character. I love her simplicity. I love that they live in a non-materialistic world so that the focus is truly on important things. I love the kindness she shows to everyone. I love the directness and honesty of almost all the characters. I love the way they greet each other as family and welcome new people into their...

I like The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books. The characters are interesting and well defined, especially Mma Ramotswe, with her fine eye for incidents of moral turpitude.

“The Kalahari Typing School For Men”, our fourth trip to Botswana courtesy of the compassionate, insightful dramas and mysteries of Alexander McCall Smith, tends to receive four or five stars from all fans, including me. The previous volume only seemed to tie off threads to pave the way for subsequent novels. This 2002 combination of personal and mystery solving stories at last, has returned to a clear foundational focus. It included a male run detective agency. It illuminated not if women make

Reading a book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series is like catching up with old friends. Mma Ramotswe is still proud to be a traditionally-built woman living in the greatest country in Africa, if not the world. Her assistant, Mma Makutsi, reminds anyone who will listen that she scored a 97 at her typing school and laments that prettier girls get the best jobs. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni finally stands up to the mistress of the orphan home-- by agreeing to fix more things for free. Then there ar...

Africa is a continent that is somehow really close to my heart. This is largely because I have had several friends from the continent, coming from Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria to name a few. One of my closest friends after marriage is from Liberia. Added to this fact, is that my husband makes regular visits to the continent during the course of his work and comes home with some splendid tales about living in that continent. Botswana was a mystery for me, despite the fact that I have a cousin living

My colleague and I have recently groused together that a certain novelist who writes a certain set of trashy novels to which we are both addicted, is such a poor writer that even though the novels are set in Lousiana, when we read the dialogue what we hear in our minds' ears are the voices of people just like us who live in the Pacific Northwest. And upon reading these admittedly addicting trashy novels, I have no reason to picture the heat and damp and mosquitos with which I know Louisiana must...

Still charming though not enough investigating, which was missing for me.

Precious Ramotswe has several more cases to work on in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Botswana. Her good people skills lead to satisfactory outcomes for everyone.Her assistant, Mma. Makutsi, opens an evening typing school for men. In addition to bringing in extra income to help support her relatives, she's hoping for an opportunity to meet an eligible man.This charming cozy series has a good sense of place since the author lived in Botswana for many years. Mma. Ramotswe again treats her f...

Another outstanding adventure with the No. 1 Ladies' Detective, Mma Ramotswe, her assistant Mma Makutsi and the best mechanic in Botswana, Rra J. L. B. Matekoni. Mma Ramotswe helps people right wrongs from the past and save face with current missteps. She skillfully engages even the hapless mechanic apprentices in giving her needed help. Full of life lessons drawn from the wisdom of the traditional Botswana morality which Mma Romotswe holds so dear. Why I'm reading this: Comfort and joy! I'm on