I began this series about 5 years ago (2007 or so) and absolutely love it! McCall Smith was born in Zimbabwe and returned to southern Africa in 1981 to co-found and teach law at the University of Botswana. The characters in this series, set in Botswana, feel genuine to me; their personalities reflective of people I have known from Africa. I finally started the series due to all the people who kept recommending it to me, and I'm glad I did! I've read them all!

This series just gets better!

Just picked up this series again and I’m so charmed and delighted- I will keep going

Spotted this afternoon in the philosophy section of a Berlin bookshop. I didn't dare ask if it was an imaginative interpretation of the content or just a mistake.

Funny, light-hearted look at everyday life, as the dynamic duo of Botswana's No.1 Ladies Detective Afency sort out life's problems, including lazy employeees, depression, family conflicts, and how to pick the winner of a beauty contest. Enjoyable addition to this excellent series

I read this book due to the title of course. I knew it would be bad, but then I felt bad for thinking it was bad because it ended up being about the experience of African woman, and I was like,,, shit, let me check myself, am I racist for thinking this book lacks complexity or anything new to say (the thesis was: “women rock! They can do hard work too! Except for those stupid woman who only care about beauty!), but then I realized the book was written by a man! and THEN I realized the book was written by a white man! I bet he felt like such a hero. Pathetic. gross. 0/10

Although a "detective" series, I am drawn to these books for the keen observations of landscape, history, characters, and the human heart. As Precious Ramotse and increasingly her secretary and assistant Mma Makutsi go about investigating and resolving cases in a resourceful and satisfying way, I love that I can see the red dust of Botswana, feel the thirst of the land and the shade of the acacia trees, and smell the change in atmosphere when the rain comes..

One day people would no longer do this; they would no longer go out to the lands for the planting, and they would buy their food in stores, as people did in town. But what a loss for the country that would be; what friendship, and solidarity, and feeling for the land would be sacrificed if that were to happen. She had gone out to the lands as a girl, travelling with her aunts, and had stayed there while the boys had been sent to the cattle posts, where they would live for months in almost complete isolation, supervised by a few old men. She had loved the time at the lands, and had not been bored. They swept the yards and woven grass; they had weeded the melon patches and told one another long stories about events that never happened, but could happen, perhaps, in another Botswana, somewhere else.

Series are like friends you grow with. This book moved a little slower than some of the others but it had some thoughtful moments about men and women and equality.

3½ stars. I liked seeing a bit more of Mma Ramotswe's assistant in this one.

Precious has some cases, and some problems.

To be honest, I liked the short stories a lot better.

"If these thin people became any more insistent, then the more generously sized people would just have to sit on them. Yes, that would teach them! Ha!"

omiljeni citat

I found this to be a most enjoyable book! Each time I read one of these books, it is like catching up with old friends. It is full of the wisdom of Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutski as they investigate, inspire and resolve the issues at hand. These books explore not only the mysteries investigated by Mma Ramotswe, but the mysteries of life. The morality of this book is for more than just Beautiful Girls. The author has skillfully woven a tale that shows how expecting the best from someone can inspire them, how acknowledging and aiding a person dealing with depression can help them through the dark times, and what happens when someone is thwarted in their attempts to do the work they love. The morality for beautiful girls is that the most beautiful girls in the world have beauty that shines from the inside. As always, I felt that I was transported to the beauty of Botswana. I may never go there, but these books make me feel as if I have. I love this series!

I enjoyed being back with these lovely characters and seeing their lives and careers progress. Mma Ramotswe continues with her work although she is more of a life coach and counsellor with philosophical advice to her clients than a detective. The mysteries are easily wrapped up but the stories we hear on the way are interesting snapshots of people's life.

I never tire of hearing about the traditional Botswanan way and loved the expression 'stand on your toe' as an equivalent to fingers crossed! The beauty contest is an interesting addition to the story, you can tell this comes at a time when judging women in this way has started to become unacceptable and out dated but in an attempt to smooth over these problems the judges are trying to bring personality and worthiness into the judging. I think this storyline will be continued in the next book.

Mma Makutsi comes into her own in this story as she is made temporary manager of Twokleng Road Speedy motors and rises to the occasion by taking charge of the young, lazy, womanizing apprentice mechanics and securing a sizeable fee for the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency whilst Mma Ramotswe takes a high up government official down a peg or two - go girls !