Morality for Beautiful Girls by alexander mccall smith

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

Il nostro compito consiste nell’aiutare la gente che ne ha bisogno a risolvere le faccende irrisolte nella loro vita. C’è ben poco di drammatico nella nostra vocazione; piuttosto, si tratta di un processo di paziente osservazione, deduzione e conclusione; il nostro mestiere ha ben poco di romantico e quelli che sognano esperienze avventurose farebbero meglio a posare questo libro e cercarsi qualcos’altro da fare.

Il libro non l’ho posato, anzi...
Mi sono ritrovata con una lettura tutto sommato piacevole che volendo offre anche spunti di riflessione su temi quanto mai attuali.
I casi trattati - molto semplici - vanno tutti a buon fine, è chiaro, ma è anche la parte più leggera del racconto. I veri protagonisti, a parte i personaggi seriali, sono il Botswana e la sua cultura, con usanze e credenze, ed ancora l’orgoglio, la solidarietà, il senso morale di questo popolo, di questa Terra... e poi i paesaggi, a volte evanescenti, a volte molto vividi tanto che ti sembra di essere lì... belli!!!

Insomma, alla fine mi ha strappato le tre stelle!

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dro73

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

The author's affections for Botswana are always simmering beneath the surface. The entire narrative is deliciously flavored with this spice and the reader can savor it after closing the book. The book is filled with often mundane tasks that culminate into a meaningful life for our main characters. As Annie Dillard once said,"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." The character development since the first book is such a rewarding aspect of slowly working through each volume. Mma Makutsi gets her day in Book 3 and it is such a joy to see her come into her own and use those abilities that scored her a 97 in secretarial school. We also anxiously await Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni's recovery from depression. The subject is handled gently, yet honestly. These people are like friends and I look forward to visiting them again in Book 4.

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AlexShinobi

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

This one I particularly liked. The story of the Government Man...the conclusion to his story. I liked Mma Matsuki gaining a bigger role in proportion to her abilities. I found that her relationship with the mechanics is hilarious and wonderful. And Mma Matsuki's case (while she's completely wrong on the shape-of-the-head-murderer thing) was otherwise a fulfilling story-line too. Normally I don't rate very many sequels, but I found this one to be compelling enough to warrant exception.

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Zeniatus

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

I can’t get enough of these Precious Ramotswe stories. This is the third in a series that shows no signs of flagging as yet, and indeed which seems richer, deeper and more spellbinding each novel you read.

MORALITY FOR BEAUTIFUL GIRLS follows the same template as before, although the detective cases here seem even more of an excuse to have Smith reflecting on aspects of life applicable to both Botswana and the world in general.

Here, we take a look at dysfunctional families, depression and female morality, and it’s all explored in a funny, heartwarming way. Fans of the series will appreciate this one just as much while newcomers to the fold should have a ball.

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Aru_Keehl

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

Call it a “gentle read” or a “cozy mystery,” Morality for Beautiful Girls is a charming and easy read. Morality was written by Alexander McCall Smith, himself a fascinating character as a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer with a Ph.D. in law and a plethora of books, fiction and non, under his belt. It is the third in his series entitled The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, which feature the plucky Precious Ramotswe, her heart of gold, and the community mysteries in her beloved contemporary Botswana.

Morality is partly mystery-solving of course, but mostly conversations among neighbors; between colleagues; and about that which makes Botswana run. As in the previous Ladies Detective Agency novels, Ramotswe is faced with one challenge after another, from assisting a Government Man who suspects his brother has been poisoned; to tending to her ailing fiancé; to training her protégé detective/manager. But we as readers never feel too worried; never fret the tasks may be too great for the Agency. Rather we move at the pace of Africa; sharing bush tea with neighbors along the road to solving mysteries.

If you’re familiar with Smith’s other cozy reads, this fits the same mold: slowly paced plot; quirky characters who frequently banter in jest; some contemplations on life’s meaning; and a domesticated, rural setting. Morality is endearing and simple. But, as the book progressed, I grew to appreciate the ever-present themes of feminism and women’s rights. Smart, hard-working, independent women are praised throughout; and in a place traditionally run by dominant males (marriage “gave men most of the rights and left women with the duties” pg. 140), Smith’s empowered female leads were a treat to observe.

Ramotswe’s Agency seeks to “help people in need to resolve the unresolved questions in their lives” (59), through patient observation and very little drama. If such an approach sounds suitable to you, this hopeful, peaceful book may be a good addition to your nightstand.

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k_kindawatchAnim

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

I liked these books to begin with but I don't know if I have become more suspicious of the "innocence" of texts (and of this author since reading his version of Emma) , or this one was more clear in its ideology than the ones I read formerly.

On the surface it is a story from the point of Precious Ramotswe, a woman in Botswana. She's a character the reader WANTS to believe in, because she is sassy and kind-hearted and all the things we stereotypically put on black women in remote parts of the world to be. The book, in a superficial sort of a way looks at the eistance of poverty (really glosses over it) but ignores the ways colonialism contributed to poverty in Africa and paints an idyllic and exoticised view of rural Africa. Any problems (or corruption and family-life issues) have an individual cause- those people over there are flawed in some way and should listen to the ideology spouted through fictional wise black women written by a white male author.

I initially assumed the author meant well but got in way over his head with portraying an "other" culture. I thought "Precious" is a good name for the character because the writing style and storytelling is precious for the most part, but as the story progressed the ideaology became less and less masked. There were long ranting paragraphs in the heads of both Mma Ramotswe and her assistant covering gender politics (men are inevitably difficult and women want to take care of them, p137, while women give lip service to the idea of independence they are happiest married and doing more than their share of the labour, p137 women ought to be put on a pedestal for being hard-working, p103 but without real feminist critique that would actually bring about change, men objectify women and this is essentially part of what it is to be male (or possibly African male) and not deeply problematic, we can shake our heads but not try to change it, p153, gender inequality while sad is inevitable 204), morality (morality is a clearcut thing and what is wrong with the world is people attempting to deconstruct absolutes, p75, people are inherently selfish and untrustworthy.

I think often real problems are pointed out but dealt with in a superficial "opium of the masses" sort of a way, not critically.

Apart from the ideology being the antithesis of everything I look for in a book, it was also dull when one of the characters sunk into their own thoughts like this, it was crudely done and tedious and there was far too much of it. I liked that there was a fairly decent (though still superficial) treatment of depression that was anti-stigmatising.

The two cases the "detective agency" solved were in this case a bit bland and disappointing. Some readers who are less sourpuss than me might enjoy this book as escapism. I did not.

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BentliDS

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

I adore this series, but I don’t think I would recommend this book to someone looking for a mystery, because despite the name of the series, and the blurb, it is not really a mystery. Or at least it isn’t a classic whodunnit.

For example, in this story the detective Precious Ramotswe doesn’t really start her investigation into the main mystery of the book until the more then half the story is told. What is so much more important than the mystery itself, are the lives of the characters themselves.

The fact that the mystery isn’t all that interesting could mean that as a genre novel it would fail, but it is just so much fun to watch these characters. The voice of the story, and the characters are just so likable that I keep coming back to this series.

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SynphonyKnight

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

I had to take another trip to Africa to get my cup of sunshine. It’s almost like taking a drug, needing more stories from Botswana to keep my spirit alive. Now I feel rejuvenated again and can start my day.

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No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #3

Morality for Beautiful Girls

alexander mccall smith

This edition

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alexander mccall smith

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