Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
2nd out of 293 books
—
979 voters
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #1)
by
Alexander McCall Smith (Goodreads Author)
Working in a mystery tradition that will cause genre aficionados to think of such classic sleuths as Melville Davisson Post's Uncle Abner or Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee, Alexander McCall Smith creates an African detective, Precious Ramotswe, who's their full-fledged heir.
It's the detective as folk hero, solving crimes through an innate, self-possessed wisdom that, combin...more
It's the detective as folk hero, solving crimes through an innate, self-possessed wisdom that, combin...more
Paperback, 235 pages
Published
February 6th 2003
by Anchor
(first published 1998)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
A lot of people are under the impression that Alexander Mccall Smith books are strictly for middle aged women. This is NOT the case at all. These books are for everyone. They are not even just for women. A lot of people are also under the impression that these books are mystery books. This is also a misconception. Mysteries are a very small part of these stories. These books are about humanity and the small things that make it so good to be both human and alive. I dare anyone who is not happy to...more
I'm no fan of mystery, crime or detective books - the bore me, generally, though I loved Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher books in high school and Agatha Christie's Ten Little Niggers gave me chills (since renamed And Then There Were None, for obvious reasons - but I've got an old edition).
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a real gem, however. I absolutely loved it. Wise, funny, intelligent, insightful and blushing with vigour and a heartfelt love of Africa, I'm not in the least surprised this...more
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a real gem, however. I absolutely loved it. Wise, funny, intelligent, insightful and blushing with vigour and a heartfelt love of Africa, I'm not in the least surprised this...more
Oct 30, 2009
Gail
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
lovers of mysteries and stories about Africa
This collection of vignettes disguised as a novel was a great read. The main character is a gentle African woman who decides to be a detective to help other people. She is a delightful character, with light humor and a big heart. Agency isn't like any other detective novels...the characters are much more developed and the "mysteries" aren't the usual murders, whether cosy or hard-boiled. If you'd like a sweet trip to another culture, calmer and gnetler than ours, this is a book for you.
Pleasant and somewhat interesting, but not compelling.
It's my impression that mystery novels are part puzzle and part vehicle for depicting a cross-section of life in some locale. The puzzle part in No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency was never very elaborate. Most mysteries arose and resolved in the span of one chapter. In fact it seemed like the point was to showcase Precious' subtle knack for zeroing in and keeping things from being more complex than they need to be. Precious and her approach to s...more
It's my impression that mystery novels are part puzzle and part vehicle for depicting a cross-section of life in some locale. The puzzle part in No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency was never very elaborate. Most mysteries arose and resolved in the span of one chapter. In fact it seemed like the point was to showcase Precious' subtle knack for zeroing in and keeping things from being more complex than they need to be. Precious and her approach to s...more
The only thing I didn't like was that it had to end.
I learned that you don't have to write elloquently to write a book. Marcos keeps telling me I should write children's books. This book was so simple and yet so enjoyable that it makes me wonder if I really could write a book too.
Because each mystery/case is so short and precise, it doesn't need all the suspense other books use. I think the suspense in this book is about finding out what the next problem wil be and how clever she is to solve it....more
I learned that you don't have to write elloquently to write a book. Marcos keeps telling me I should write children's books. This book was so simple and yet so enjoyable that it makes me wonder if I really could write a book too.
Because each mystery/case is so short and precise, it doesn't need all the suspense other books use. I think the suspense in this book is about finding out what the next problem wil be and how clever she is to solve it....more
Jun 23, 2008
Eric Bjerke
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Recommended to Eric by:
Deb Dooley
I put off reading this series for a long time until I found out that it wasn't a book for "ladies," but one to be enjoyed by readers of both sexes--and enjoy it I did.
In its simple and conversational manner, this book taught me a little bit about many things: Botswana, African culture in general, working in the diamond mines of South Africa, and human nature. Through the first-person account of Precious Ramotswe we are treated to an assortment of quirky detective stories that are intertwined wi...more
In its simple and conversational manner, this book taught me a little bit about many things: Botswana, African culture in general, working in the diamond mines of South Africa, and human nature. Through the first-person account of Precious Ramotswe we are treated to an assortment of quirky detective stories that are intertwined wi...more
Mar 07, 2009
Luann
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Luann by:
Verona Jarvis
Excellent! I enjoyed this a lot. Mma Ramotswe is a fun, common-sense character and a great detective. She reminds me of Miss Marple or Mrs. Pollifax. I'll definitely read another in the series sometime.
Just could not get past the very obvious fact that this book is written by a white guy, trying to tell a story through the eyes of a Botswana(ese?) woman. It felt a bit patronising, as in, look how simply these people live, just hanging out in the hot sun watching their cattle, oh to live so simply like this, oh look this woman is setting up a detective agency, can you imagine that, a woman? A black woman? How quaint and adorable, etc. etc. It was a cute story, but that was the problem, it was a...more
Jan 02, 2012
Lisa (Harmonybites)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Mystery Fans
Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Ultimate Reading List
I'm a fan of mystery novels, although I often find myself less than happy with the subgenre this corresponds to, the so-called "cozy mystery." Several things though lift this above the usual book on the mystery aisle. The style is simple, even spare, and the structure rather loose, but Smith's detective, Precious Ramotswe, is charming and clever--a worthy successor to the detectives that she mentions as her inspiration more than once, those of Agatha Christie. Like Christie's Miss Marple, she's...more
May 25, 2008
Lula
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
the ladies
Recommended to Lula by:
mom
Shelves:
novels
I listened to this book on CD! The woman reading it is awesome! And the African Music in the background sets the scene perfectly! This is the perfect, lighthearted book to listen to in the car. I drove around daydreaming that I was driving through the Kalihari! Loved it!
While the book had its charms, it was such a slow read. I kept thinking it would pick up and it didn't.
What a sweet book--and not in a cloying sentimental sense. A friend gave me his copy the other day; he'd read it while in jail (I think) and enjoyed it and thought I would, too. I try to read 3 books at a time: (1) in bed) (2) on the bus and (3) on the porch in the morning. I got so hung up on No 1 Ladies Detective I spent my whole time on the porch drinking tea and reading that I didn't get anything done today so far.
If one is expecting some kind of hard core mystery novel, forget it. This book...more
If one is expecting some kind of hard core mystery novel, forget it. This book...more
Christmas present from my sister Gem. She found it reminded her of her childhood in South Africa.
The book has charm, especially the main character, Precious Ramotswe. (When her much beloved father is on his deathbed, he summons her and says that he is leaving her money for her to start a business that will make her financially secure, such as a butchery or bottle store. She takes his hand and tells him she will open a detective agency. He looks startled, says "But... but..." and then falls back...more
The book has charm, especially the main character, Precious Ramotswe. (When her much beloved father is on his deathbed, he summons her and says that he is leaving her money for her to start a business that will make her financially secure, such as a butchery or bottle store. She takes his hand and tells him she will open a detective agency. He looks startled, says "But... but..." and then falls back...more
Sep 28, 2008
Fabian
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone with 3-4 hrs to spare--doesn't care much for tv
I read about Africa and I quickly want to be transported there. I want a more simple life...
The heart of this novel is its feminist protagonist, Mma Ramotswe who lives in a precious town in Gaborone, still untouched by technology or South African cosmopolitanism. This book is extremely feminist, in a very good, positive and enlightening way and it is anti-colonialist.
But to counter this notion there is a heartwarming case that Mma Ramotswe, the number one (and sole) female detective in Botswana...more
The heart of this novel is its feminist protagonist, Mma Ramotswe who lives in a precious town in Gaborone, still untouched by technology or South African cosmopolitanism. This book is extremely feminist, in a very good, positive and enlightening way and it is anti-colonialist.
But to counter this notion there is a heartwarming case that Mma Ramotswe, the number one (and sole) female detective in Botswana...more
May 05, 2012
Michele Brenton
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
africa-books
Three chapters in. I have listened to adaptations of this on Radio 4 - but reading it is so much better. It has made me cry twice already and smile a LOT and laugh once or twice so far. I'm going to read it slowly to make the most of it. What a consummate story teller and talented writer Alexander McCall Smith is. Sheer bliss.
I really liked this one, an extremely quick read and quite enjoyable. About a lady in Africa who sets up the first (and only) detective agency with a female detective.
It has nice short chapters with different cases, so it can be picked up and put down easily and can be read while reading something else without being distracted.
It has nice short chapters with different cases, so it can be picked up and put down easily and can be read while reading something else without being distracted.
Closer to 3.5 stars.
This is my first foray into literature set in Africa, and Botswana in particular. Others have mentioned, as does the cover's blurbs, that this is story has hilarious elements in it. While some of Mma Ramotswe antics and detective techniques brought a smile to my face, most of what she relates is heartbreaking. I think my heart would burst with the pain and suffering Africans endure on a daily basis.
Mma Ramotswe is a strong, intelligent woman, full of wisdom and insight. Her...more
This is my first foray into literature set in Africa, and Botswana in particular. Others have mentioned, as does the cover's blurbs, that this is story has hilarious elements in it. While some of Mma Ramotswe antics and detective techniques brought a smile to my face, most of what she relates is heartbreaking. I think my heart would burst with the pain and suffering Africans endure on a daily basis.
Mma Ramotswe is a strong, intelligent woman, full of wisdom and insight. Her...more
Don't know how I've gone so long without reading these books. Utterly charming and sweet and gentle. Also, quite funny in a way that will appeal to older readers. Loved it and you will quickly see the rest of the series hit my 'read' shelf.
This book is written in a style where it's not clear whether the narrator is just being very understated, or whether the characters are all just kinda simple-minded. I love that style in Daniel Pinkwater when he's writing about New Jersey, but I feel reservations about it when it's a white guy (even one raised in southern Africa) writing about Africa.
Granted, when the narrator makes sweeping generalizations about Africa as a whole (which happens a number of times), they are generally positive (e...more
Granted, when the narrator makes sweeping generalizations about Africa as a whole (which happens a number of times), they are generally positive (e...more
Sep 20, 2007
JG (The Introverted Reader)
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
fiction,
read_in_2007,
reviewed,
on_the_screen,
3_stars,
gave_away,
author_british,
setting_botswana,
cozy_mystery
This is a story about the first lady detective in Botswana, Precious Ramotswe. Mostly the chapters are about individual cases she takes on, but there are a couple about Precious's life and her father's life.
I liked it. Somehow, the writing came across to me almost as if someone were telling me the stories, rather than me reading them on a page. The language was pretty minimalistic and focused more on Mma Ramotswe's actions than on her every thought and feeling.
I really liked the character of Pre...more
I liked it. Somehow, the writing came across to me almost as if someone were telling me the stories, rather than me reading them on a page. The language was pretty minimalistic and focused more on Mma Ramotswe's actions than on her every thought and feeling.
I really liked the character of Pre...more
Very peaceful reading experience. McCall Smith is true to the African novel. This novel will not be hurried, and as is the tradition, the reader must first understand the past history. I just relaxed, read, and waited for the story to unfold.
The entire feeling of this book brought to mind my friends from college who were natives of Africa. I felt the language of this book echoed the way they spoke. It seems to me that Africa is a place where people have time to think and meditate, and it shows i...more
The entire feeling of this book brought to mind my friends from college who were natives of Africa. I felt the language of this book echoed the way they spoke. It seems to me that Africa is a place where people have time to think and meditate, and it shows i...more
I love all the books in this series. They are funny and insightful and full of wisdom. I can hardly wait for the next one to come out. These are books I love to read and don't hesitate to recommend to anyone. One friend I recommended them to didn't like them. She said it was like reading a book written for twelve-year-olds (Mr. McCall Smith has written several books for children). Well, maybe that's why I like them; I love to read childrens/young adult fiction!. I wouldn't hesitate to have a twe...more
An African woman uses her inheritance to open a detective agency even though she has no previous experience. Using her steady mind and logic she starts with small town problems, and then as she gains peoples' trust and recognition, is handed harder cases to solve, proving to herself and the community that an independent and hopeful woman can reach her dreams as well as any man.
I enjoyed reading about the cases she was handed in Africa, and the techniques she used to solve them. The main characte...more
I enjoyed reading about the cases she was handed in Africa, and the techniques she used to solve them. The main characte...more
I quite liked this book - I stumbled on by accident looking at an advertisment for Barnes and Noble that listed the latest book in this series, and I am so glad I decided to find the first book and read it. The writing is engaging and Botswana and the African peoples are so intersting to read about, even in a fictional context such as this book. I felt the author did a great job decribing the land, the people, the traditions, the changes, and how people related, even though interpersonal convers...more
الرواية جميلة ..
استمتعت بقراءتها ..
وبوصف السيدة راموتسوي لبلدها وحكاياتها عن والدها ومغامراتها بعد افتتاحها وكالة التحريات النسائية الأولى ..
This is certainly not a traditional detective story. The author has a unique way of giving the reader a view of African culture and tradition in the setting of a detective novel. The author even has the reader pondering social issues. The detective and mystery solver is a soft hearted detective, Precious Ramotswe. You can not help but find her enchanting. It is not the mystery itself but the unconventional methods Precious uses to solve a case that makes the multiple mysteries uniques. This book...more
This is a light read,but fun to learn aspects of African life and culture.
Interesting enough, very fast, easy read but not super moving. I read this book years ago and then recently read another book by the same author, The Careful Use of Compliments, and felt the same way about that book. Interesting enough to keep reading but something lacking. Then I realized that the author is a man writing about main characters that are women (not that I believe that there aren't any male authors that could pull off convincing heroines). I think he just doesn't have enough insigh...more
The sweetness of this series is not to be missed. Precious Ramotswe is a protagonist to write home about. She is tough, gentle, clever and unashamed of her "traditional" build. McCall Smith uses language so nicely in these books that the reader (listener in my case) falls in love over and over again with Precious, Grace and all of the other characters in this series.
PS. If you get a chance to listen to this series, do it! The reader is Lisette Lecat who is unbelievable. A white woman doing all k...more
PS. If you get a chance to listen to this series, do it! The reader is Lisette Lecat who is unbelievable. A white woman doing all k...more
This was a fun read. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like it too much, but once I got into it I enjoyed this easy read. I loved the subtle humor in it.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covers | 2 | 8 | 9 hours, 16 min ago | |
| The Challenge Fac...: May Barbara & Vi Reading The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency | 16 | 16 | 13 hours, 1 min ago | |
| No 1 Ladies Detectove agmcu | 24 | 174 | Feb 25, 2013 12:11am | |
| movie?!? | 18 | 109 | Nov 12, 2012 09:25pm | |
| Around the World ...: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Group | 33 | 62 | Oct 21, 2012 01:43am | |
| Language Arts 7 R...: reading log | 1 | 3 | Sep 22, 2012 09:15am | |
| Language Arts 7 R...: Reading Log | 2 | 5 | Sep 22, 2012 09:11am |
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
More about Alexander McCall Smith...
Share This Book
19 trivia questions
1 quiz
More quizzes & trivia...
1 quiz
“You can go through life and make new friends every year - every month practically - but there was never any substitute for those friendships of childhood that survive into adult years. Those are the ones in which we are bound to one another with hoops of steel.”
—
1,669 people liked it
“It was time to take the pumpkin out of the pot and eat it. In the final analysis, that was what solved these big problems of life. You could think and think and get nowhere, but you still had to eat your pumpkin. That brought you down to earth. That gave you a reason for going on. Pumpkin.”
—
62 people liked it
More quotes…
Feb 13, 2013 02:25pm
Feb 17, 2013 12:40pm