Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Double Duty
Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a passionate tale of a love affair with Africa alongside a poignant tale of a struggle for gender equality. Precious Ramotswe, a private detective, sets up her first business venture in the African country of Botswana with her inheritance from her father's death. Coupled with Precious' desire to honor her father's cherished memory, this rotund detective is driven to make a solid place for herself in the male-dominated professional world. Social commentary abounds throughout the text through small details. For instance, the success that Precious meets in her detective endeavors stems not from her trusty "Detective Guide" written by a male but from following her own female intuition. Also, the author's passion and respect for an independently governed Africa shine through as peaceful Botswana is continually juxtaposed with the apartheid-ridden South Africa. Readers will enjoy the adventures and risks that Precious Ramotswe encounters through this fun, unique, and socially challenging first novel of the series.
Rating: - The No. 1 BOOK
A far cry from the fast paced, violent nature of the Walter Mosely mysteries, Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency opens on the doorstep of a calm, warm afternoon in Botswana, Africa, with Precious Ramotswe sipping tea on the porch of the detective agency that she opened with the money from the inheritance bequeathed to her by her beloved father. She lives a difficult life, facing the loss of her mother at an early age, betrayal by her husband, the death of her child, and the death of her father. Initially the townspeople are skeptical of her agency because of her gender, but she repeatedly proves that her wisdom and her instincts are invaluable to the successful resolution of cases dealing with various types of charlatans, disappearances, and crimes. Through the pure, limpid quality of straightforward storytelling, we see that she becomes a community confidante, a "fixer of lives" conducting herself with dignity and grace, yet doing what she must do to put those lives back together when they fall to pieces. On a continent faced with impending changes due to exposure to the modernity of the western world, Mma Ramotswe represents a passionate tribute to the beauty of the old Africa, recording the "unrecorded voices" of those who still follow the old traditions and reminding us that, when thought gets you nowhere, you still have to eat your pumpkin.
Rating: - Utterly charming!
"Mma Ramotswe had a detective agency in Africa, at the foot of Kgale Hill. These were its assets: a tiny white van, two desks, two chairs, a telephone, and an old typewriter." So begins Alexander McCall Smith's charming novel, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.Precious Ramotswe grew up in Botswana, an African country that has known relative peace compared to its more unlucky neighbors. When her father dies after a hard life as a miner, Precious inherits a decent sum of money left her by him. Mma Ramotswe invests it all in a rather unusual business-a detective agency proudly named "The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency." Business is brisk for Mma Ramotswe and she gets right down to it with a trusty "detective manual" by her side. In real life, however, it is not simply bookish knowledge that matters. Ramotswe is a special combination of resource, intelligence, and will. She solves her cases with ample common sense and bravery. Smith's novel, set in the Africa of the 90's, is no hard-boiled thriller. Instead most of Ramotswe's cases depict the many foibles of the human character-cheating husbands, insurance scams and even distrustful fathers. The book's language is wonderfully simple and direct. The individual "mysteries" are good stand-alone short stories in their own right. Interspersed amongst them are pictures of a beautiful country, Botswana, and the quiet grace of its people. Mma Ramotswe's everyday interactions with her fellow citizens are captured wonderfully. Ramotswe meets life with smart sensibilities and a wry sense of humor. She is comfortable in her ample frame (a size 22) and proud of her Africa. She "did not want Africa to change. She did not want her people to become like everybody else, soulless, selfish, forgetful of what it means to be an African, or, worse still, ashamed of Africa." In a crazed rushed world, Mma Ramotswe stands for everything right about a less frenetic pace of life. In her, McCall Smith has created a perfect embodiment of Africa. Mr. Smith, who has enjoyed some schooling in Zimbabwe but is a Scot himself, has done a great job both in portraying Botswana and in creating a beautiful portrait of a strong woman. I enjoyed the trip immensely. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is just the right book for a lazy weekend afternoon. I especially recommend it with a side of Mma Ramotswe's favorite drink, a steaming cup of redbush tea!
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