The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No 1 Ladies Detective Agency 1)

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Alexander McCall Smith

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Pages: (Audio CD)

ISBN: 1405500018

Pub: Time Warner AudioBooks

Pub date: 2003-11-13

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 12432

Reader Reviews:

A beautiful story (0/0 people found this helpful)

This beautifully written story with exquisite characters is not only humorous, but also full of wisdom in it. I particularly loved the style of writing and the amazing feel of Africa that the work generates in the reader. That feeling made me not to put it down from the moment that I began until the very end. What is more, I became drawn to Botswana after reading this book. Highly recommended along with: The Usurper and Other Stories, A blade of Grass, Disciples of Fortune,Tears of the Giraffe, Union Moujik for being captivating.

African Wisdom (2/2 people found this helpful)

Written by a man, The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency has enough of a feminist persepctive for me to feel I was reading something actually written for me, rather than feeling as I usually do when reading, that I am trying to take pleasure in literature created for an audience of which I am not a part. McCall Smith' s feminism is simple but fundamental : men should not beat their wives, the better fathers are those who encourage their daughters to be independent and realise their dreams, women have a right to happiness.

These beliefs are just part of the basic philosophy of the central character, Mma Precious Ramotswe, the first lady detective in Botswana, who imparts her basic moral philosophy at the same time - murder is worse than lying, relationships are more important than money, intuition is a kind of knowledge. While all of this philosophy may seem clichéd, as perhaps it is, it appears naturally in the book as part of the character and helps us to understand her approach to solving the cases brought to her.

Woven throughout all of this is a picture of Botswana, considered by Ramotswe, and presumably McCall Smith, as the best and most successful country in Africa. Independent from the British since 1966, there is enormous pride in her accomplishments, and only the ongoinging black magic practices of some of the country's witchdoctors cast a shadow on the shining accomplishments of Botswana's diamond-fueled progress.

Most powerfully of all, it is the love of the land that sings throughout the book. Botswana - stretching from the Kalahari desert to the Limpopo river, a country where « there is a place for me, and for everybody, to sit down on this earth and touch it and call it their own ». A country with its distinct riches - « that was what her country was so rich in - emptiness...those empty spaces, those wide grasslands that broke and broke the heart ». With its thorn trees that know how to survive in the searing heat and the birds and snakes of Mother Africa. Where nature is a family member and where the rising of the sun and its setting at the end of day are events to be savoured in the daily rhythm of life.

I read this book in a relaxed afternoon, and felt I had passed my time with a pleasant companion, who had painted pictures for me of a place I might otherwise never visit.

Relaxing and easy (7/7 people found this helpful)

I loved this book and I havent read such a good book in ages. I had to run out and get the rest of them. I find it a great read if you want to relax and get away from it all. The contents are very simple but with little truths or lessons we should all perhaps remember. I find these books relaxing and easy and I certainly would recomend them to anyone who is stressed and just wants to have a read and forget about work or whatever and can't handle another witty and stressful modern comedy book. I loved it and gave it as a gift to several people along with some red bush tea!!

Well worth it (2/2 people found this helpful)

It has taken me some time to get around to trying this prolific author, and I found the start of this book rather slow (or was it just me ?). Once the characters established I found myself hooked, and am about to start Tears of the Giraffe. I suppose you can't have a better recommendation than wanting to read an author's other works. The strong sense of place reminded me of a completely different book I loved: Universal office diary by Joe Hebden.

A deceptively simple story that rewards the interested reader (5/5 people found this helpful)

McCall Smith's deceptively simple writing is wonderfully evocative of Africa in general, and Botswana in particular. The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency is populated with wonderful characters who invite you into their lives, and in doing so, help you understand your own, and if your are interested, offer moral guidance.

There is a plot, but perhaps the plot isn't the most important part of the book. Similar to Seinfeld, the "show about nothing", the book's strength and your enjoyment, comes from the characters, and the insights they offer.

Don't buy this book if you are after a detective thriller, do buy this book if you are interested in an author's view of Africa and want to be introduced to a marvellous set of characters who you can grow with over the course of the series.

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