Sexto volume da série Agência Número 1 de Mulheres Detetives, continua deliciosa! Como sempre, nada de acontecimentos grandiosos, tudo é muito simples e corriqueiro aqui.
Mma Ramotswe se depara com o misterioso aparecimento de uma abóbora além de um par de calças masculinas em sua casa, Mr J.L.B. Matekoni tem um problema com Charlie, o aprendiz mais velho por conta de uma rica mulher numa Mercedez-Benz, ganha um novo ajudante, Mma Makutsi resolve aprender a dançar e Note reaparece.
De ler com um eterno sorriso nos lábios... Quero mais.



Histórico de leitura

26/04/2016

66% (168 de 256)

"Os médicos sempre nos dizem coisas que devemos fazer que eles mesmos não conseguem. Isso não significa que seus conselhos sejam maus."

11% (29 de 256)

"Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni gostava de chá, é claro, mas ele raramente faria chá para ele mesmo. Ela não tinha pensado nisso antes, mas agora parecia muito interessante que alguém acreditasse que o chá simplesmente aparecia pronto. Ele não era um homem preguiçoso mas era comum perceber que a maior parte dos homens imaginava que coisas como chá e comida simplesmente apareciam se eles esperassem tempo suficiente."

4% (11 de 256)

"Mma Ramotswe estava sentada sozinha em seu café favorito, no shopping central de Gaborone no final da estrada Tlokweng."

Even as I was reading this Alexander McCall Smith No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency book, I wondered why I like reading these books so much. Nothing much every happens in them and often mysteries get left unsolved. But what I do find myself caught up in the slow pace and mannered relationships of the characters. Also, Smith conveys the landscape of Botswana so well that it's easy to imagine oneself in the middle of the scene.

In this book, Precious has to come face to face with her troublesome past in the form of her ex-husband, maybe not so ex, Note Mokoti. In the meantime, Mma Makutsi finds a great reward when she takes dancing lessons. Since I've read the book that follows this one, I already know the outcome of these encounters, but that doesn't make them any less poignant.

Reading the books in this series is an exercise in peace. No one gets shot, conflicts are resolved without rancor, and most people treat each other with consideration most of the time. Those who fail to do so are bound to get their comeuppance.

All in all, a satisfying read.

Just a good read. All the people are dear.

For some reason this book took me forever to read. Maybe because I have enjoyed earlier books more with better story lines. Not sure.

Bello, bello bello! (Ri)Leggere un libro di McCall Smith è tornare in Botswana, tornare in un paese gentile, ad assistere alla vita dei protagonisti dei romanzi che sono ormai "di famiglia"... e succede sempre qualcosa di intrigante :)

Once again, as soon as I started the first chapter I settled into the comfort and ease of old friends--revisiting Mma. Ramotswe, Mma. Makutsi, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni et al. This is another delightful book about the relationships and philosophies of Botswana. I love how they debate good vs. bad, right vs. wrong, traditional vs. modern. They often feel strongly about something and will defend their position based on tradition and the strong history of Africa. In this book we find out more about Note Mokoti, Precious's first husband, and meet Mr. Polopetsi and Phuti Radiphuti, both of whom I suspect will be found in future books in this series.

As far as "different," this book fits the category well, not only in the setting, but also in the meandering philosophical writing style. It wasn't bad, by any means, but it resulted in a less-than clear plot with a direct conclusion.

Setting: Gaborone, Botswana, presumably set contemporaneous to the publication date, which was 2004. Despite the 21st century date, it had a significantly more historical feel, likely because of the lack of technology of the country (an aspect I very much enjoyed). There is also a small-town feel to the book, although I looked up Gaborone and discovered it was Botswana's capital (and largest) city. I was surprised. Still, the setting was written well (of course I have to take the author's word for the African perspective portrayed, because I am woefully uneducated on that), and although Mma Ramotswe certainly had friends, she didn't seem to "know everybody." The non-American setting was clearly portrayed in a variety of aspects, including the names of the characters. Every character was referred to one way--Mma Ramostwe always called her husband "Mr J.L.B. Matekoni." I found it quite curious, but this oddity, along with all the other distinctive aspects, added a level of charm to the setting.

Characters: There was a modest number of characters, keeping the unfamiliar names separate and distinct. Each character had his/her individual and unique quirks, making them all generally likable, if not perfect. There was Mma Ramotswe with her "traditional build," Mma Makutsi with her "ninety-seven percent," Mr J.LB. Matekoni with his mechanic's shop (not to mention his name), Mr Polopetsi with his eagerness to work, and Phuti Radiphuti with his cringingly awful stutter (I related to Mma Makutsi in her attempts to converse with him--I know how it is to speak to someone who has such a hard time talking). There was also that awful man, but I thought he and his family were appropriately portrayed, not excusing him but neither demonizing everyone relating to him. As far as the characters went, this was a very good book.

Plot: The low-key, meandering plot points and action matched the general tone of the book, which was fine, and everything was more or less resolved, but the resolutions to each plot point were separate and didn't tie the book together well. The inciting incidents were not immediately resolved in any way, and weren't even really forgotten, but they didn't lead to any other major action, and the resolutions were likewise a bit disappointing, though I suppose they reflected the general modus operandi of Botswana. But lest you think this book was all simple lighthearted stories with amusing twists, I shall address that: there were a couple pretty difficult troubles the characters dealt with. There were three major issues that dealt with the law, and one of those was seriously troublesome to the main character. But yay of Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, who came to the rescue.

Faith Content: Culturally, the characters are Christian; they go to church and follow the Christian tenets of kindness and thoughtfulness. The book is clean and contains no foul language or sexual innuendo. The characters' philosophical musings did not contain any obvious heresies that I remember. However, faith in God and obeying His commands, is not part of the plot, and Mma Ramotswe's legal (and moral) problem was not resolved with scriptural answers. I did not fully analyze the worldview of the author, but I suspect it's not a strictly biblical one.

Well, my nit-picking is what comes of reading mainly explicit Christian fiction with clear biblical morals. Still, this was a generally good book.

I’ve really enjoyed this series. Some are better than others and I really enjoyed this one.

This book was unputdownable. Lots of different storylines going on and still the slow pace of Botswana life that's so relaxing to read. Loved it, the best so far in this series.

Upset by all of the chaos in the world, I was looking for something lighter to read when I selected this book. I remembered how my mother, now deceased, had loved the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. It's approaching her birthday and I'm thinking of her strongly.

I'm at the halfway mark in the book, but am putting it aside. It's like reading about Andy Griffith's Mayberry, but it's set in Botswana with African characters. For a detective with a detective agency to run, there is not much mystery or suspense here. The characters are gentle and likeable. I can see why Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi, and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni attract so many fans.

As of today, the corona virus has killed over 100,000 people in my country, the U.S. Also, we had violent protests this weekend throughout the nation, protesting the brutal murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by police in Minneapolis. There have been too many unconscionable murders like this. In my city, Tamir Rice (a 12 year old) was killed by a police officer five years ago.

The book, for all its charms, can not hold my attention. It seems too out of touch for today. This would be an interesting conversation to have with my dear mother, who was so intelligent and aware.

Book 6 is much more a character driven plot than a mystery driven story. We are invited inside the lives of the characters and take a journey that is both fun and scary. Alexander McCall Smith even push one of his character into a corner, digged a hole and found a way for the character to bring himself or herself out of the trouble. I was a bit worried I admit when the got to that part but I shouldn't have. This is Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makusti, which I just love, especially in this, M. J.L.B Matekoni, this is Botswana, not New-York City, everything gets resolved in a slow but interesting manner. A new character is introduced and I'm looking forward to his story developing. This is very much comfort reading for me. Much love for the red shoes too.

4.5 stars

I love the story telling. The descriptions are beautiful and remind me so much of Botswana and is true to what I remember from my trip there over 20 years ago. I’ve read the previous volumes and loved them. The mysteries/problems were good, especially one that I had no idea how she would solve. It was also very funny and I laughed out loud several times.

There’s an old-fashioned rather formal vibe which works well for the omniscient narration, but I never realized how stiff the dialogue can be, past the formality of oral storytelling which I think is what he’s going for. For example:

“Well, I shall put that pumpkin away in the cupboard,” he said, “then we shall be able to take it out later today and cook it. Do you not think that is a good idea?”

And

“There,” he said. “That is fifty pula, is it not? And that is what I owe you. I am giving it back right now.”

Those are extreme examples because the person isn’t acting completely normal but it’s still awkward elsewhere too.

But I loved the book. It’s funny in an easy way and upbeat when appropriate but not making light of bad things. The women are strong and capable and do not put up with ill-treatment. (At one point someone makes it clear that a woman should not be a detective, that there are roles for women and then said, “How many women trumpeters do you see?” Well hah! I used to play the trumpet!)

The only thing that makes me deduct half a star is that there’s one problem that they never took care of, at least that was mentioned, and I’m not sure how easy it would be to do. I also think that there needed to be some way they knew the children needed reassurance and then they talked to them.

BTW, kids these days are definitely less respectful of and sexual around teachers but that doesn’t make them even slightly of fault if the teacher takes advantage of that. They are children with brains that are still developing (even if they’re 18-year-olds) and the balance of power is extremely off.