The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Movie Tie-in Edition) (Random House Movie Tie-In Books)

Book 1 in a series about a traditional, independent, female detective in Botswana. Beautiful setting, endearing characters, excellent writing. Read them all!

It was fun to read the book, not the movie tie-in edition but the original, after seeing the HBO series. The series was great, and so was the book - the introductory book. Chapters of the book anchored episodes of the series.

GREAT fun. I will definitely be getting the sequels :)!!!

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would after reading the first story. I thought it was going to be simple and naive - simple yes, but naive no. I love the mix of innocence and savy that Mma Ramotswe has and also that she's a normal larger woman, yet she has many suitors. It's also fun to learn a little about Botswana although I could have done without the knowledge of...more

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would after reading the first story. I thought it was going to be simple and naive - simple yes, but naive no. I love the mix of innocence and savy that Mma Ramotswe has and also that she's a normal larger woman, yet she has many suitors. It's also fun to learn a little about Botswana although I could have done without the knowledge of the child bone "medicine". It was an easy read and had a lot more depth than appears on the surface. Can't wait to see the movie. I'll read Smit' others in the series as well.   hide

A Feel Good book for a rainy day

Described as a "series of vignettes," The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency uses a non-linear narrative style which at times makes you wonder what one chapter has to do with anything else. Mma Ramotswe, the main character, is a clever woman who is always minding everyone else's business. Her antics and interactions entertain but the writing style doesn't really "set...more

Described as a "series of vignettes," The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency uses a non-linear narrative style which at times makes you wonder what one chapter has to do with anything else. Mma Ramotswe, the main character, is a clever woman who is always minding everyone else's business. Her antics and interactions entertain but the writing style doesn't really "set the hook." In the end, it all comes together. I enjoyed the story once it was complete, but not always so much along the way.   hide

Cute. Enjoyable read. Somewhat simplistic...I don't know, maybe even a little condescending...in the portrayal of Botswanan natives. Or maybe they do speak English in that halting childlike way. I've never met a Botswanan, I couldn't tell you. Maybe a white man like AMcS really has perfectly conveyed the spirit of an African culture. Anything's possible, but I have my...more

Cute. Enjoyable read. Somewhat simplistic...I don't know, maybe even a little condescending...in the portrayal of Botswanan natives. Or maybe they do speak English in that halting childlike way. I've never met a Botswanan, I couldn't tell you. Maybe a white man like AMcS really has perfectly conveyed the spirit of an African culture. Anything's possible, but I have my reservations. Although I will admit, he does appear to all the best intentions in writing this stuff, the characters are generally pleasant and intelligent, he doesn't exotify the culture, or create unrealistic buffoons. The cases are interesting in a bizarre and foreign way. Like the missing husband who got eaten by a crocodile. Of course, that might happen in a Carl Hiaasen book, too...except it would be an alligator. Anyhow, even though I had fun reading this, I think the show may be better. Having real people saying the lines mixed with the native tongue makes it a little less cartoony. And the African landscape really is grand and beautiful. It's kind of amazing to think that with all the images of Africa that we're exposed to, we're almost NEVER shown the lives of everyday African people. It's either a nature doc, travel doc (hosted by foreigners), or thrillers about white people having adventures in Africa (a la Quantum of Solace's opening scene).   hide

This series of books are wonderful. Humourous read, only take a couple of days to get through them, they are difficult to put down!

Charming series of books about a strong yet feminine character who starts her own business in Africa. A real take-me-away, light read.