Another quick entertainer from McCall Smith . This series has become my go- to series whenever I need something fresh and quick. I love sneaking into the lives of Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi, Mr. JLB Matekoni and their gang.

Харесвам чувството за хумор на автора, ботсуанската действителност, както и позитивизма на героите, водещи един определвно не лек по нашите стандарти скромен, но пълнокръвен живот.

Such an entertaining read...as always. I am never disappointed when I delve into the life of Mma Romatswa with her friends and life in Botswana. In this particular tale Mma Romatswa is asked to check a number of men in order to help a client decide which one to marry. Along the way, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, her fiancee, is tricked into jumping out of an airplane, and Silvia Potokwani, the head of the orphanage, really turns their world upside down!! The reader, Lisette Lecat, is fantastic. I have no idea if the rhythms and cadences are correct for Botswana, but I'll bet they are right on the money. I love all the names, the various inflections and the way of speaking. There is just a gentle way to these stories and a wonderfully understated humor. If you haven't tried these books on audio, do yourself a favor and pick one up. I don't think you'll be sorry.

McCall Smith's books are such a blessing. The characters spring to life upon the page and we feel we would know them if we bumped into them on the street. They are so wise. Mma Rotswane is so wise and yet we see her struggle between what she thinks is right, proper, and polite and what she wants. Mr. JLB Matekoni is such a fine man, so gentle and caring but so dominated by strong women such as Mma Potokwane the matron of the orphan farm. But even she is a godsend finally pulling him out of his inertia into marriage with Mma Rotaswane. The descriptions of Africa are simple but so evocative. The perfectly chosen words make you feel you are there under the wide sky, the brown earth with the exotic trees and animals. Reading one of these books is a refreshing trip into a world where people are so real including those who cheat and lie and worry about being hip, and sophisticated contrasted with those who have the "traditional" values of politeness, caring, and kindness.

With each book that goes by, the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series seems to feel more confident, more assured and somehow more relaxed. By this stage, the author has an almost perfect grasp of his background and characters, and there is so little to add about the situation that he has plenty of time for ruminations on various aspects of modern life. It's a story full of digression, but the digression is what makes this book so endearing.

Once again this is an ode to the beauty of Botswana, perhaps more lyrical than we've ever seen before. The descriptions of the country and its people are full of affection and make for fine reading matter. I noticed plenty of humour in this one, especially from the characters of the two apprentices, who are the most entertaining in the entire book. Mma Makutsi is almost an afterthought here and left on the sidelines.

The detective stuff barely registers, although there's some insight into male/female relationships and some interesting developments involving Mma Ramotswe's husband to be, Mr J. L. B. Matekuni. This is a feel good book that should have a place on every literature fan's shelf.

Wow! This book is well-written. I love the p characters and dialogue. It also q family-friendly. I cannot wait to listen to the next one.

Mma Ramotswe is wise, Mr. JLB Matekoni is steady and Grace Makutsi is puckish (my favorite character). The descriptions of Botswana make me want to visit, and maybe sit at a cafe for a cup of Bush tea.

What a lovely time I had during this visit with my friends in Botswana this week. This audio is just one of the best, with the best narrator in Lisette Lecat. This is no big, dark, mystery like some detective books. It is a gentle, human interest story filled with wonderful characters. I'm totally hooked on this but spread the stories out so I won't finish them too quickly, I want to savor them.

As I saw that the book was coming to a close, I wondered how there was enough time to finish the story. It seemed there was still too much left on unsaid but Smith managed it perfectly. What a perfect finish! This series kind of makes me want to go to Botswana.

I am only half-way through this book now, but I am really enjoying it. I think Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni are the sweetest couple. I'd say it's more a literary fiction novel than a mystery, but I don't mind. I love the voices of all the characters, but especially the one belonging to Mma Ramotswe. One of my favorite quotes from her is:

"Traditional Botswana men like ladies who are more traditionally shaped. You and I, Mma. We remind men of how things used to be in Botswana before these modern-shaped ladies started to get men all confused." The word "traditional" is used throughout the book to refer to large women. I wouldn't mind if that caught on in the U.S. :)

It was frustrating to me that I had no idea how to pronounce Mma or Rra, so I finally looked it up online. This is a great site where you can actually hear these words spoken aloud: www.gov.bw/tourism/culture_and_his/la...

This is the first book I've read in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, but I am looking forward to reading the others. I'm not really interested in the case Mma Ramotswe is working on, but I do enjoy reading about life in Africa and the little pearls of wisdom all the characters share with one another.

Non è il primo dei libri dedicati alla signora Ramotswe che leggo, e lo faccio sempre con estremo piacere.Si legge fra le righe un grande amore,una sottile nostalgia per le tradizioni e le consuetudini di quel grande continente che è l'Africa.La sensazione che rimane dopo la lettura è quella di volersi trovare a Gaborone, a prendere il tè rosso con la signora Ramotswe, col sole sul viso e i rumori che provengono dall'officina del signor JLB Matekoni di sottofondo.

Totally hooked on this series, which I’m mostly reading in order. So relaxing and somehow comforting to kick back with one of them.

There is no peace quite like sitting with Mma Ramotswe.

“We find what we are looking for in life, her father had once said to her; which was true—if you look for happiness, you will see it; if you look for distrust and envy and hatred—all those things—you will find those too.”