It is very rare to find a book which is so fun to read even though there is nothing much happening in the story.

Like the other stories in this series, this book has a lot of wisdom tucked between its covers. The characters are well developed and the plot weaves through many complexities.

Another well intended unique tale of the series started by the author. The story can be read as an individual plot as each plot have the same set of characters and always gives a idea about each characters as they appear in the plot.
Though not a great literary work, the series keeps the reader involved in the characters, the city of Botswana and the various people who keep reminding us how simple things makes our life complete. How to greet or treat people around you irrespective of their or your status.
The writing is simple and has a lot of positivity in it. The book may not be an easy reading for all but it slowly and surely gets into your head.... waiting for the next in the series.

Loved It. Great adventures

As simple and affective as the ones before. In this novel, I loved the descriptions of Mma Makutsi's move from her dingy little room to a better house. The pride and joy that comes from an upgrade of a house and lifestyle was very beautifully described.

I'm just loving this series. In this one, the matron of the orphan farm convinces JLB Mataconi (I have no idea how to spell the names because I listen to the audio version, which is awesome) that he needs to jump out of an airplane to raise money for the orphan farm. People are beginning to talk about why he and Mma Romatswe seem to be eternally engaged and not married, and other fun adventures in the lives of the main characters. I just love the relaxed, thoughful manner in which the characters live their lives. I love that there are traditional and acceptable ways of behavior and anything else is rude. Seems like we could use a bit more of that.

I didn't think I'd be saying this, BUT . . . this book was 198 pages of repetition and nothing much of interest that seemed to take forever to finish! How many times can we hear about the wonder of traditional Botswana morals, how feckless the two mechanic apprentices are, how no one seems to be able to say no to orphan farm matron Mma Potokwane and whether the engagement of Mma Romotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni will ever turn into a marriage? Oh, and there is a case or two for the detective agency, but they are singularly uninteresting. Wondering if McCall Smith was under a deadline and out of ideas. We'll see if he is back in form in book six.

Why I'm reading this: The continuation of rolling from rereading one book to another in this series, given my current short attention span and distraction.

It is time to lighten up and visit Bostwana and Precious Ramotswe again. Ahhhhh, always delightful! These books are such gentle reads and make me calm.

Another engaging and insightful entry in the No. 1 Ladies' series. In this one, the moral lesson of the story deals with looking beneath the surface because things – and people – are not always as they appear to be at first glance. As usual, there are three cases for the No. 1 Ladies to resolve with the last one ending in an especially delightful way.

I’ve got a really unique story behind this book.

I was sitting in the airport in Singapore at the end of February 2019 waiting for my 1AM flight and super tired from adventuring the city all day. It was my first time in Asia and I was heading to Sydney to which all I had with me was a backpack for my year of travels that happened.

Anyways, I was sitting in a chair across from an elderly couple and the male was reading this book. After a couple hours he finished the book, got up, and offered me the book to read if I wanted to. He said it was one out of a series but it would be fine to catch up. I ended up reading the book over the next week or so of travels and when I was done I left it in a little library at this share house I was living in at the time in Cobar NSW.

As for my review on the book I really liked it. The man at the airport was right to say that I didn’t need to read the others to know what was going on it seemed like every book was a new adventure ? I have yet to read the others but they are on my list. I loved how the author made everything seem so realistic and brought life in Botswana for the world to read. It had a bit of everything I love: drama, adventure, romance.

I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend passing unneeded books to strangers on your travels. It makes for fun stores.

This series generally serves me well as brain candy interspersed among my more serious reads. Though they are generally rather similar, they are always entertaining.

However, for some reason the author has decided in this book he needs to summarize all the preceeding storyline in greater detail. I found I had to skim many pages to get past it, and get on with THIS book. I found this summary rather odd and out of place, given that the other books seem to provide the "catch up" in only a few sentences.

******

Having read about halfway through, my opinion of this book has not changed. This book does not focus on the adventures of Mma Ramotswe et al. It is more about the inner thoughts of all our main characters. Ok, I guess, but I find it rather boring. I'll finish it out, but I hope the next book returns to the format McCall Smith started with!

*******
Having finished, my opinion remains the same. I could've skipped it and just moved on to the next in the series.

Is it possible to write a satisfying mystery without a dead body? Mma Ramotswe of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency would say, 'Of course it is possible.' There are plenty of important questions in Gabarone, Botswana. Which of her suitors should the rich Mma Holonga marry? Will Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni ever learn to stand up to forceful women? Otherwise, he might be pressured into jumping out of an airplane... or something even more life changing.
Step out of your world for a bit into a simpler, kinder place. It will do you good.