Mystery Readers Book Blog
January, 2016
“Women are the ones who know what’s going on,’ she
said quietly. ‘They are the ones with eyes. Have you not heard of Agatha
Christie?” Mma Ramotswe
McCall Smith’s first in a series of sixteen books is
a delightful and heartwarming introduction to the charming lady detective, Mma Precious
Ramotswe. Readers thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and were interested in
the easy going society of Botswana compared to fast pace of life in the United
States. Everyone had positive things to say about Mma Ramotswe’s intuitive
nature and the unconventional ways she interacted with everyone in order to
solve her cases. She was fearless, determined and creative in her investigations.
Members spent a lot of time discussing the character
of the lady detective and how the circumstances of her life affected her. The
discussion was low key and reflected the pace of the novel which seemed more
like a series of short stories rather than one long involved story. No one had
a problem with this. It gave them the opportunity for detailed discussions.
Readers related personal and local incidents
inspired by the book. Although no one had visited Africa readers talked about
people they knew who had been there. There was also a discussion about the
government and economy of Botswana. It was decided that Mma Ramostwe’s home was
a pretty nice place. A cup of bush tea would have been a nice compliment to the
discussion about Botswana. Readers appreciated the non-violent tone of the book
and pronounced it a perfect summer read.
Have you read The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency? What did you think? Please share your
thoughts in comments.
