The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #1) in Around the World

Dec 06, 2011 Pragya rated it really liked it

Shelves: around-the-world, 2012

I have been to Botswana and back, with this book. Refreshing mystery tales, almost like short stories in themselves. I took an instant liking to the character of Mma Ramotswe, self-made, determined woman who opens up a ladies detective agency which was unheard of in that town. With her intuition and thinking abilities, she solves one case after another with ease. The book takes you in from the very start with a case to solve. Though I did not like the change from the case to learning about the l I have been to Botswana and back, with this book. Refreshing mystery tales, almost like short stories in themselves. I took an instant liking to the character of Mma Ramotswe, self-made, determined woman who opens up a ladies detective agency which was unheard of in that town. With her intuition and thinking abilities, she solves one case after another with ease. The book takes you in from the very start with a case to solve. Though I did not like the change from the case to learning about the life of Precious's father and her childhood, I realized that it is important for the building up of a character and took it in my stride. Later, this proved to be beneficial. I have always enjoyed mysteries, especially those where I get to think with the detective and give my mind a jog to solve it. I ended up doing that a lot with this book.

(view spoiler)

I loved to solve mysteries and be a detective since childhood, whenever something disappeared from our home, I would be the one to find it. The only case where it wasn't found was when I was the one who had hidden it in the first place. ;)

A lovely, short book that finished even before you realize it since you are so engrossed solving the mysteries.

I also picked up some great quotes from the book-

“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.”

'I am just a tiny person in Africa, but there is a place for me, and for everybody, to sit down on this earth and touch it and call it their own.'

'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.'

...more

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Dec 23, 2013 writer... rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary, scotland-reading, british-books-challenge

Satisfying to read this first in Alexander McCall Smith's series of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Good background information on our star of the stories and her establishment of the Agency, Smith also handles well some serious issues that provide understanding for her reasons for thinking and acting as she does. Until the conclusion adds its own little twist that has me hunting for book 2!

Homey characters and settings, despite being around the world from home for me, provide a level of casu ...more

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Oct 27, 2013 Emma rated it did not like it

Shelves: mysteries, around-the-world-in-52-books-readin, read-in-2013

I enjoy good vibrant, suspenseful mysteries.
As I had not yet read any by the famous Alexander McCall Smith,
and felt a bit ashamed about it,
I decided to remedy the situation a few months ago,
and finally set to read this popular book.

Mma Ramotswe is the only lady private detective in Botswana.
She set up her agency with money from her dad’s big cattle sale, when he died.
After telling us about her dad and her own education,
the author invites us to follow the detective in cases for her first clients. ...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Amanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, africa

I am always dubious about a man writing about women, but I really enjoyed this one. This is a series starring Jill Scott and I can see why.

I like that this was more about the people of Botswana than specific cases -- I really don't care for mysteries that much. The detective is the more interesting part, and Mma Ramotswe is a gem. ...more

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