The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency 5-Book Boxed Set

Alexander Mccall Smith

Entertaining and endearing; a young African Miss Marple sets out to solve problems, big and small....more

Entertaining and endearing; a young African Miss Marple sets out to solve problems, big and small. The books are driven by stories, in which we meet a host of people, and held together by the efforts of Mma Ramotswe and Mr JLB Matekoni. McCall Smith deals with a variety of issues in understated prose, drawing an alluring picture of a Botswana loved by its people. Mma Ramotswe's own sense of tradition and nostalgia for the past, within a world which itself seems ordered and pleasant in comparison with ours, sits well with a Western audience looking for an escape into the exotic. Above all, however, the books deal with human beings and how, regardless of where we live, we are all quite similar.   hide

What a charming book! It had been on my to-read list for some time, and I regret that it took me so...more

What a charming book! It had been on my to-read list for some time, and I regret that it took me so long to get to. Precious Ramotswe is a clever, plucky woman in her 30s who decides to open a detective agency -- the only such agency run by women -- in her native country of Botswana. Although business is initially slow, the locals soon warm up to the idea and Mma Ramotswe takes on cases ranging from missing husbands and stolen cars to false fathers and fraudulent doctors. Getting to know Mma Ramotswe is a hoot, as is meeting her friends and clients. Throughout it all, Botswana's beauty and charm subtly take center stage.   hide

Loved this book! Didn't want it to end. It's a quick read. I was enjoying the book so much that...more

Loved this book! Didn't want it to end. It's a quick read. I was enjoying the book so much that about 1/3 of the way through it I went out and bought the other three in the series. (they all read as independent books, though - you don't need to have read one to read the others). Loaned this to my mom - she was clamoring for the other three books by about halfway through the first one. Big big thumbs up!   hide

Intriguing light reading that tackles some heavy storylines, a dip into a different culture, and...more

Intriguing light reading that tackles some heavy storylines, a dip into a different culture, and liberally sprinkled with simply worded profound insights about humanity that leave you nodding 'yes! yes! I see the same thing!' I'm finding the series is perhaps best read interspersed with other types of novels. Charm revisited retains full delight.    hide

A really nice portrait of modern Botswana. He does well in picking up daily African life,...more

A really nice portrait of modern Botswana. He does well in picking up daily African life, especially its wonderfully unique cultural tendencies that we all commit in one form or another, respectively. I recommend spacing them further apart, though, like one every few months. Now, I can almost cook Precious' pumpkin stew.    hide