Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Jan 29, 2012

Anne Hawn rated it:

Reading these books is more like visiting with friends. If you are looking for action and plot, this will not really appeal to you, especially if you have read some of the others. These books are more of a slice of life.

This was one of my favorites because of the depression that overcomes Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni. It comes over him so gradually and the people who love him are so concerned for him. I could almost feel myself becoming concerned for him also. Since I suffer from depre More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Graham rated it:

I can’t get enough of these Precious Ramotswe stories. This is the third in a series that shows no signs of flagging as yet, and indeed which seems richer, deeper and more spellbinding each novel you read.

MORALITY FOR BEAUTIFUL GIRLS follows the same template as before, although the detective cases here seem even more of an excuse to have Smith reflecting on aspects of life applicable to both Botswana and the world in general.

Here, we take a look at dysfunctional familie More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Amy rated it:

Call it a “gentle read” or a “cozy mystery,” Morality for Beautiful Girls is a charming and easy read. Morality was written by Alexander McCall Smith, himself a fascinating character as a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer with a Ph.D. in law and a plethora of books, fiction and non, under his belt. It is the third in his series entitled The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, which feature the plucky Precious Ramotswe, her heart of gold, and the community mysteries in her beloved contemporary Botswana. More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Writerlibrarian rated it:

Third novel in his Lady Detective agency. It's a lovely book, old fashioned in its slow pace, very low key plot.It's a slice of life from a world that moves at a different pace from ours. In this we meet our detective Mma Ramotswe again facing the daily chores of a business woman (her business is not making enough money to cover Mma Makutsi's raised in status and pay), an engaged to be married woman (her fiancé Mr. Matekoni is acting strangely). Mma Makutsi takes on her first case and the appren More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Apr 14, 2009

Eliece rated it:

I'd add a half to that star if I could, but couldn't quite go to three. I really liked the first two in this series, but I guess this is why I stay away from series books as a general rule. They seem to lose appeal for me as they go along. I hate the summarizing from past books to catch you up. The characters in this are still endearing and I love the setting and the 'love of country' theme going on. I like the small moral lessons the books aim to teach and the simple writing style. This o More...

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Purplycookie rated it:

Mma Makutsi rises to her own in this volume "Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 3)". As Mma Ramtoswe feels the pinch economically and emotionally, what with money being tight in the agency and the illness of her fiance, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, she comes to rely on the unexpected talents and strength of her secretary. Mma Makutsi, with her too dark complexion and too big glasses, a less than beautiful facial features, shows true beauty in her no-nonsense ap More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Endah rated it:

Buat kamu yang baru akan pertama kali membaca serial ini–ya, ini sebuah serial terdiri dari beberapa judul, jadi sebaiknya dibaca secara urut dari buku pertamanya : Kantor Detektif Perempuan No. 1–aku ingatkan untuk bersiap diri mendapati kisah detektif yang berbeda. Kau tidak bisa berharap akan menemukan sosok perempuan super yang akan berkelahi melawan penjahat atau karakter wanita setua Miss Marple yang memecahkan misteri sembari merajut.

Mma Ramostwe bukan tipe perempuan seperti i More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 25, 2008

Sarah rated it:

Book Three. As you can see, I love these books! Here are some nuggets:

"Most morality, thought Mma Ramotswe, was about doing the right thing because it had been identified as such by a long process of acceptance and observance. You simply could not create your own morality because your experience would never be enough to do so. What gives you the right to say that you know better than your ancestors? Morality is for everybody, and this means that the views of more than one per More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Uci rated it:

Ada apa antara McCall Smith dengan wanita cantik? Kok sepertinya dia anti sekali dengan wanita-wanita cantik. Buku bagus ini agak 'ternoda' dengan kritiknya yang terus-menerus terhadap wanita cantik yang dianggapnya (sebagian besar) tidak berotak, tidak berkarakter, tidak mau bekerja keras, dan tidak punya integritas.

Meskipun demikian, saya tetap menikmati buku ketiga dari seri Kantor Detektif Wanita No. 1 ini. Saya tetap suka penggambaran indah Smith tentang Afrika yang cantik dan a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 31, 2009

Vanessa rated it:

What is not to like about Mma Ramotswe? She is able to see things for what they are. I enjoy these books. I especially enjoy that each book ties up all loose ends in a nice little bow for you by the end.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 07, 2012

Jaclyn rated it:

With each book in the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series, I get more and more charmed and more and more excited to read the next one. I liked The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, really enjoyed Tears of the Giraffe and liked this one even more than the second. This might have something to do with the fact that the main characters have all been introduced and developed over the course of the previous two books, so the author doesn't have to spend much time introducing people or se More...

0 comments like

Jun 21, 2011

Sarah rated it:

You would think that three books into a series that has the same set-up and style, the same basic plotlines with different details – you’d get bored of reading an author’s works. However, McCall Smith is one of the lucky few that can manage to keep your attention throughout each selection in his series and make it enjoyable, to boot. This series is a lovely, simple series – focusing on one major mystery per book with several other small conundrums strewn throughout the story.

Unfor More...

0 comments like

Jan 26, 2011

Eva rated it:

The third installment in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a continuation of the downhill progression from the first one. Smith has introduced too many characters to keep the plot line simple and focus on the atmosphere and environment. Mma Ramotswe needs a list to keep track of everything that is going on, and I felt like I needed one too. Mr JKL Matacomie has depression (which was handled poorly), a little boy is found in the wild, her adopted children are settling in, her assistant is bei More...

0 comments like

Sep 22, 2010

Matt rated it:

I am not an authority on detective stories. I've read a little Sherlock Holmes, but I've only seen Agatha Christie through the eyes of the BBC. But when I pick up books from this series and always see the New York Times Book Review quote on the front, "The Miss Marple of Botswana," I start to think that Mma Ramotswe belongs in the discussion – not because she fits the mold, but because she seems to offer a different perspective within the genre.

In a sense, I think these are More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 21, 2009

Lori rated it:

In the third installment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Mma Ramotswe faces new challenges that give this book a slightly different twist. In this story the focus seems to be more on the ever changing quality of Precious Ramotswe's life and the people in it rather than the cases that come into the agency. I missed Mr. J.L.B. Maketoni and his quiet gentleness in this book, as he was indisposed throughout most of the story with a mysterious illness. Mma Makutsi and her new job as the manager More...

0 comments like

Oct 02, 2009

Diane rated it:

I've been reading the books in this series backwards, not on purpose, but because I first was introduced to The No. 1 Ladies Detectives when I found one of the later books at a local bookstore. Maybe the fact that I know the future of these characters affects my attitude toward the earlier books, but I found this book, the third in the series, to be weak in a variety of ways. The plot is jerrymandered together, with several disparate elements brought into play. Part of the reason for this is tha More...

0 comments like

Apr 08, 2010

Jeanette rated it:

really like this series, but im starting to have some.. issues. first off- i want to say that i really like his descriptions of africa and the people of botswana. i havent read anything on the country, so i like the insight it gives.

my issues:
the book is titled morality for beautiful girls and the description on the back cover is about a case involving beauty contest contestants. unfortunately, that case doesnt come up until page 154! that's kind of annoying.

i thin More...

0 comments like

Jun 02, 2009

Yuki rated it:

Although a "detective" series, I am drawn to these books for the keen observations of landscape, history, characters, and the human heart. As Precious Ramotse and increasingly her secretary and assistant Mma Makutsi go about investigating and resolving cases in a resourceful and satisfying way, I love that I can see the red dust of Botswana, feel the thirst of the land and the shade of the acacia trees, and smell the change in atmosphere when the rain comes..

"One day More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 28, 2011

Natasha rated it:

"It is so hot these days..but I have a powerful fan in my office. If I turn it on to its highest setting, it can blow people out of the room. It is a very useful weapon."

Now, how could you not love a book with such funny lines? The antics of Mma Ramotswe and her friends are always highly amusing to me. Unfortunately, this time her fiance; Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni is suffering from depression. It's up to Mma Ramotswe to set him right again while the garage business is left to her More...

0 comments like

Sep 10, 2011

Rusty rated it:

In the land of Botswana, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is highly respected. However, the agency is not making much money and unless the situation changes how much longer can it last? Mme Romotswe finds herself out of the office investigating a suspected case of poisoning when a government official believes that his brother is being poisoned by his wife. However, the truth is far different from what he believes. Meanwhile, Mme Makutsi finds herself taking a case to determine which of four More...

0 comments like

Mar 21, 2011

AstrogirlM42 rated it:

This book is very similar in both style and content to the first two book. So if you loved the first two books in the series then you will also love this book.

Having said that, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first two books in the series and that may be because the format is very similar so after three books, the unique/novelty factor has faded. However, it is a quick and easy read, written succinctly. Not as many laugh out loud moments as the previous two books - but definite More...

0 comments like

Jul 23, 2011

Sam rated it:

So I have now read 3 books from the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series and I'm not that fussed to continue on to the others right away. The first book was fantastic, the main character Mma Ramotswe was solving crimes left right & centre, and along the way a little bit of Botswana history was thrown in but.... with this book I felt like it was the other way around. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a terrible book but I'm a bit disappointed in the amount of detective work that actually hap More...

0 comments like

Jun 06, 2011

Heather rated it:

I didn't really like this one as much as the first two--there was just too much going on in it, and less tying it all together. The story of the wild boy fell flat--we never find out anything about him other than that he smelled like lions when he was found. Since Mr J. L. B. Matekoni's depression was never explained, it seemed like a weak plot device to get Mma Makutsi to step into the role of garage manager.

It was also heavy on the morality, as the title would imply. There is a More...

0 comments like

Oct 04, 2010

Laura rated it:

This was a pleasure to read, with all the charms of the other books in the series — a calming but still intriguing setting in Botswana, interesting and likeable characters, with their own flaws, and Precious Ramotswe at the center. At first I felt unsettled by all the threads to the storyline, most of which were not obviously connected to each other, but after I’d read a bit, the plot lines were easier and I was hooked … Here we have a detective agency, a car repair business, an orphanage, a bea More...

0 comments like

Jun 30, 2009

Erica rated it:

Josey and Beth first mentioned this series of novels about two years ago. "Ladies Detective, what?" I asked.

Then, when I was in Nepal, Grady mentioned he read them all and said of them, "Yeah, they are really good!"

Two weeks ago, when I was in Berlin with Evan, he mentioned that a parent of one of his students gave him the series as a Christmas present and that he could "not put them down."

Okay, so I gave in.

Morality f More...

0 comments like

Oct 24, 2011

Melissa rated it:

I am really enjoying this series of books. Mr Smith writes in a way that lets me see his characters and the questions they have and solve. In this volume, Mr. Matekoni (Mma Ramotswe's fiance) is acting really strange. What could cause a person to change in such a dramatic way? Mma Ramotswe is again facing new decissions and new cases. She is also having to worry about what is going wrong with her fiance. I loved the solutions that Mma Ramotswe finds to all these problems and more. Mr. Smi More...

0 comments like

Mar 24, 2010

Laura rated it:

This is the third, and so far my favorite, of the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series. As always, Alexander McCall Smith’s simple, rhythmic prose seems to echo the plodding of cattle under a warm Botswana sun, lulling you into a world that has time for repetition and tradition and courtesy. While I found the first two in the series delightful, this was more moving and satisfying. And funny!

For some reason, I find the simplistic style charming, not banal. Perhaps that’s because it ref More...

6 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 12, 2009

Visha rated it:

Didn't seem as complete of a book as the previous ones - so many threads that aren't quite tied up. After all, what happened with Mma Ramotswe's cubic zirconium engagement ring? Did the beauty contest leaders REALLY chose the less beautiful, more moral girl... or did they go with one of the pretty, silly girls? I did find it eerily well-timed that I was reading this book while the whole "Miss America"/Miss California thing is going on... beautiful, silly, selfish girls? Yep, I believe More...

0 comments like

Aug 15, 2011

Brittany rated it:

These are very comforting and comfortable books that, nonetheless, give the reader a completely new outlook on the world.

This book (whose title is guaranteed to make your fiance laugh when he catches you reading it) covers the continuing adventures of Precious Ramotswe as she deals with a depressed fiance, and navigates the pitfalls of being an empathetic employer. In this book, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency investiates a possible case of spousal poisoning and tests to bonafides of More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 08, 2010

Jeannette rated it:

If you're into the suspense and sociopath sort of mystery, such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, this is not the mystery series for you. There is something warm and wonderful about this series that I really enjoy, though. One reviewer compared it to the Miss Marple books by Agatha Christie, and you can definitely see the likeness in that sort of sensible, feminine intuition that the protagonists have in both series.

This is the second book I've read by Smith (the 3rd in the serie More...

0 comments like

reviews