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470th out of 4,072 books
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19,783 voters
The Kalahari Typing School for Men (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #4)
by
Alexander McCall Smith (Goodreads Author)
A beguiling mystery and lyrical novel of Africa -- the fourth in a series that the L.A. Times calls “thoroughly engaging and entertaining.”
Now that The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (the only detective agency for ladies and others in Botswana) is established, its founder, Precious Ramotswe, can look upon her life with pride: she’s reached her late thirties (“the finest ag...more
Now that The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (the only detective agency for ladies and others in Botswana) is established, its founder, Precious Ramotswe, can look upon her life with pride: she’s reached her late thirties (“the finest ag...more
210 pages
Published
(first published 2002)
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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...more
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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...more
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...more
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...more
A charming novel in the series by Alexander McCall Smith, set in Botswana and starring the redoubtable Mme. Precious Ramotswe as the proprietor of the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. It is remarkable how one is drawn into the lives of these Botswanans (is that the word?) in the very simple and direct language used by the author.
This is number 4 in the series. Mme Ramotswe has moved her office into the premises of her intended, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, mechanic and proprietor of Tlokweng Road Spe...more
This is number 4 in the series. Mme Ramotswe has moved her office into the premises of her intended, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, mechanic and proprietor of Tlokweng Road Spe...more
Tras La primera detective de Botsuana , Las lágrimas de la jirafa y Lecciones para chicas guapas, ésta es la cuarta y por ahora última entrega de las aventuras de Mma Ramowtse, la primera detective de Botsuana.
Es una serie que no revolucionará el género de novelas de detectives, ni mucho menos. Son libros sin pretensiones, plácidos, amables, a veces ligeramente costumbristas, a veces ligeramente críticos con los males endémicos de África, a veces ingenuos, a veces enternecedores...
Alexander McCa...more
Es una serie que no revolucionará el género de novelas de detectives, ni mucho menos. Son libros sin pretensiones, plácidos, amables, a veces ligeramente costumbristas, a veces ligeramente críticos con los males endémicos de África, a veces ingenuos, a veces enternecedores...
Alexander McCa...more
My bookclub discovered The Number One Ladies Detective Agency in 2005, and we just loved it. A couple summers ago, I began a tradition of reading one book in the series during my annual beach vacation. This one is the fourth book, and I think it's the best since the original. The author is masterful at conveying a sense of charm without allow it to feel "precious" (no pun intended with regard to the lead character). I have never been to Botswana, but there is something about both the narrative a...more
This is not the best book in the series, but it was still a good read. It felt a lot shorter than the others and The Case wasn't as riveting. It didn't even have a very sunny ending. And I like these books to be long, interesting and sunny. If I wanted to read books about the problems different African countries face today I would not have chosen these books. What I like most about them, and probably what someone from Botswana would like the least, is how simple the characters and choices are. I...more
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...more
I think it's incorrect that many people consider these Mystery Novels. Yes, there's the Detective Agency in the title; however, these novels are much less about solving cases than they are a study of the characters, and praise of tea and the "old Bostwana morality". And that's really fine, if that's what you want in a book. But, when I read a mystery, I expect to find out why a child smells like he's been raised by lions; if the case involves 4 suitors, I'd like to learn about all 4 suitors befo...more
This is the fourth book in Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. I read the first three a while ago (pre-GoodReads) over a span of a couple of years, and haven’t been back to the well lately. I remember grabbing the first book because I was looking for something a little out of my wheel-house, and a tale of a lady detective in Botswana seemed to fit the bill. I loved that first book, No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, and quickly became a fan of Smith’s writing.
These books...more
These books...more
Fourth in a series about The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency of Botswana, The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith is an easy read. There is nothing terribly exciting or riveting about this novel, but the simple storyline will make you smile.
In The Kalahari Typing School for Men Mma Precious Ramotswe and her assistant Mma Makutsi run a detective agency. Business is slow and a competitor has moved into town so the ladies are forced to develop new ways to earn business and money...more
In The Kalahari Typing School for Men Mma Precious Ramotswe and her assistant Mma Makutsi run a detective agency. Business is slow and a competitor has moved into town so the ladies are forced to develop new ways to earn business and money...more
More slow charm and gentle truth seeking from our friends at the #1 Ladies Detective Agency, who now have a competitor in the form of the Satisfaction Guaranteed Detective Agency (“Don’t take any chances! Entrust your inquiries to a MAN!”). A ten year old could see the competition isn’t going to be that stiff, but the lack of subtlety is one of the most delightful qualities of these books, partly because it reminds me that most people really aren’t that adept at hiding unpleasant traits, and par...more
In Alexander McCall Smith's latest installment, the reader is once again treated to the unfolding life of Mma Ramotswe and the cast of characters that make up the world of the No. 1 Ladies Dectective Agency. In this story Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has recovered from his debiltating depression and lends a wonderful richness to the storyline. His character as always is understated and charming and we wonder when the the engaged couple will actually get married. Mma Makutsi figures prominently in the plo...more
Mma Ramotswe is back, and this time she is being challenged by a new detective agency in Gaborone. The new detective is a gentleman who claims that the fact that he was trained by the CDI in South Africa, has experience working in New York, and has lots of streets of smarts amkes his agency far superior than the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. It is frustrating to hear such sexist advertising, but our hero is never one to let that kind of thing get her down. She continues to pursue her cases to a...more
Definitely liked this one better than the two previous, although the first book in the series is my favorite so far. We still don't hear a lot about Mr. JLB Matekoni's depression and what he was babbling on about; we don't hear any more about the little wild boy found in the last book; still haven't heard anything about that cubic zirconium... helllllloooooooo! But this book lets Mma Matukusi shine and she's a dandy character. Lots of morality going on; more mentions of Christianity and AIDS, al...more
This is the fourth book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. I read the first three in 2005 and enjoyed them, but haven’t felt the need to pick up another. I came across this one at a library book sale and thought, why not?
Mma Ramotswe and her assistant Mma Makutsi are still running the detective agency. Mma Makutsi is trying to find a way to supplement her income and Mma Ramotswe is still adjusting to life with two new foster children.
The book moves slowly, unlike most mystery novels....more
Mma Ramotswe and her assistant Mma Makutsi are still running the detective agency. Mma Makutsi is trying to find a way to supplement her income and Mma Ramotswe is still adjusting to life with two new foster children.
The book moves slowly, unlike most mystery novels....more
It has become somewhat apparent that while reading McCall Smith's, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, there must be some unforgettable quotes. My favourite lines in this particular book are when Mma Ramotswe contemplating about men and marriages thought that boring men should 'seek out a dull woman, of whom were slow-moving and not very exciting, and should marry one of these bovine ladies..but the problem was that dull men often had no interest in such women...'. Hahaha...so true.
And how about...more
And how about...more
Smith's exploration of the moral universe of Botswana where he grew up, and Africa, and the many small places within them so much like his current home of Scotland continues in this delightful story.
In an unlooked-for place, the author himself makes an almost invisible appearance in this particular novel, drawing sharply his own moral connection to his writing and to the world of which it is part (p. 156):
"Who is this?" asked Mma. Ramotswe, pointing to a photograph of an elderly woman sitting at...more
In an unlooked-for place, the author himself makes an almost invisible appearance in this particular novel, drawing sharply his own moral connection to his writing and to the world of which it is part (p. 156):
"Who is this?" asked Mma. Ramotswe, pointing to a photograph of an elderly woman sitting at...more
In this book, Mma Makutsi, is becoming a better defined character. She is always looking for a way to use her training at secretarial school and her extraordinary 97% score. She decides that men need to know how to type in this computer age and thinks that they are reluctant to study with females in their class because they have come lately to a skill that has been associated with women in the past. She begins her school and is delighted to find that it is very successful.
Mma Patience Ramotswe...more
Mma Patience Ramotswe...more
The fourth book in the No 1 Ladies Detective agency series featuring Precious Ramotswe. This book can possibly be my favorite in terms of themes explored.
Precious has competition in the form of an Ex-CIA male detective who wants to rule Botswana. Her ever dependable assistant detective is struggling to make ends meet and decides to launch a typing school to earn a little something. Love blossoms in the most unlikely place and she is left reeling from it. The children who had been adopted from th...more
Precious has competition in the form of an Ex-CIA male detective who wants to rule Botswana. Her ever dependable assistant detective is struggling to make ends meet and decides to launch a typing school to earn a little something. Love blossoms in the most unlikely place and she is left reeling from it. The children who had been adopted from th...more
Despite that fact that Precious Ramotswe owns the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency, I feel that these books are more about the people and less about the mysteries. The pacing is slow, and the small case slowly appears during the course of the story (not at the beginning as in most traditional mystery novels). This book is more about the atmosphere and African philosophy and culture. It is definitely written to evocate a lifestyle, so you either like the slow descriptive writing or you don't!
Str...more
Str...more
This is the first time I have read one of this series in Hardcover and it puts you in the mood right away by having African patterned end papers. You want to get your hands on some fabric and in the later pages of the book, someone is given a dress-length - nice.
The sensitivity, humour and insight of the chief characters still abound in the Botswana of Smith. Some of the humour comes from picking on men and this from a male author. Some of it comes from the ordinariness in Smith's choice of wor...more
The sensitivity, humour and insight of the chief characters still abound in the Botswana of Smith. Some of the humour comes from picking on men and this from a male author. Some of it comes from the ordinariness in Smith's choice of wor...more
I am a big fan of this series in general. As with any series, some of the books are better than others, but overall the adventures of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency are delightful, funny, and always well-told. This book expands upon the lives of the side characters from the previous books, especially Mma Makutsi, Precious Ramotswe's oh-so-eager assistant. I enjoyed the filling out of the side characters because it adds detail and heart to the larger story arc. One of the reasons I love Alexan...more
I'm not entirely sure, but I think Alexander McCall Smith made a sort of cameo in this book! Mma Ramotswe is looking at some photographs with a friend, and she sees a man in one of them, smiling, and asks who it is. Her friend says he is a nice man who stays with them sometimes, and writes books. "You would like him." "I'm sure I would." I giggled: I'm sure this is the author referencing himself!
But anyway: another delightful novel about Mma Ramotswe, her detective agency, and her friends. What...more
But anyway: another delightful novel about Mma Ramotswe, her detective agency, and her friends. What...more
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
"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
"We must try to persuade her to value herself more than she does at present. We shall all change that, because it is possible to change the world, if one is determined enough, and if no one sees with sufficient clarity just what it is that has to be changed."
I must admit I have high expectations for this book since it comes from an international bestselling author & all. I remember all too well Roxanne's giddiness whenever she behelds titles by this author whenever we traipsed around Border...more
I must admit I have high expectations for this book since it comes from an international bestselling author & all. I remember all too well Roxanne's giddiness whenever she behelds titles by this author whenever we traipsed around Border...more
This is the fourth of a series and by now the characters have been established already. It is in this installment that a community of characters is being formed and that although they form one general story as they co-relate to each other, each character also has his or her own little story going on and this adds another dimension to this series. This book also touches on gender issues, particularly some biases against women , which makes this book a little more substantial compared to the past...more
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Another great book in a wonderful series.
Precious Ramotswe, founder of the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency has competition in the form of an arrogant, sexist man who has opened his Satisfaction Guaranteed Agency. He believes that his agency is the only one who can help people as he is a man with experience.
Her adopted son has shown some disturbing behaviour in killing a bird and she doesn't quite know how to handle the situation.
Her assistant, Mma Makutsi, wants a husband and decides to open The K...more
Precious Ramotswe, founder of the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency has competition in the form of an arrogant, sexist man who has opened his Satisfaction Guaranteed Agency. He believes that his agency is the only one who can help people as he is a man with experience.
Her adopted son has shown some disturbing behaviour in killing a bird and she doesn't quite know how to handle the situation.
Her assistant, Mma Makutsi, wants a husband and decides to open The K...more
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Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie Series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what...more
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“Why is it that there are always these problems and misunderstandings between men and women? Surely it would have been better if God had made only one sort of person, and the children had come by some other means, with the rain perhaps.”
—
23 people liked it
“We shall change all that...because it is possible to change the world, if one is determined enough, and if one sees with sufficient clarity just what has to be changed.”
—
6 people liked it
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