Settimo libro della serie dedicata alla No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Signora Precious Ramotswe.
Libro più lento del solito.

Vicenda gialla molto soft, le indagini trattano di casi di vita quotidiana e danno spazio all'autore per elogiare le virtù della vita in pace con sè stessi, del Botswana e, ultimo ma non meno importante, del primo presidente del Botswana dopo l'indipendenza, Seretse Khama (nota di cronaca: a causa del suo matrimonio misto fu costretto l'esilio, in Sud Africa, la potenza di quella parte dell'Africa si era in pieno apartheid).

It was ok.

After reading the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency a couple of years ago, I accumulated a few of these, and went through 6 in less than a month. They're very quick reads - I read 2 and part-of-a-third in one day.

They're very entertaining, charming, and compulsively readable. Although marketed as mysteries; they're not, really. Rather they follow Mma Ramotswe and those around her through their daily lives - it's almost besides-the-point that the business she runs is a detective agency. The stories are suffused with McCall-Smith's obvious sincere love of Africa (where he grew up), and the reader feels that a genuine window has opened up into the lives and mindsets of ordinary Africans. I don't agree with many aspects of Precious Ramotswe's view on the world, and I probably wouldn't get along with her in real life - but these books made me feel like I might understand people like her more than before.

However... there's also a weird aspect to the books. They're so relentlessly cozy. It's not that McCall-Smith ignores the poverty, the devastation of AIDS, the lack of education, etc... these things are acknowledged, but then almost swept to the side. On the one hand, it's a celebration of the spirit of the people of Botswana and their love of their homeland... but on the other hand, it sometimes feels like a minimization of these things. It's not just larger social issues: there's domestic abuse, adultery, etc... all the normal foibles of humanity (although all reference to sex of any kind are totally non-existent)- but all the unpleasant things somehow get almost drowned out in the cozy, feel-good atmosphere of the books. Maybe it's just that I usually read darker, grittier material [especially in mysteries {McCall-Smith is no Stieg Larsson!}] but it felt a bit strange to me. I can't decide if it's a detriment or a positive asset to the books.

In 'Blue Shoes and Happiness' Mma Ramotswe's beloved van is stolen. Luckily, her new (as of last book) employee, Mr. Polopetsi, comes to the (ingenious) rescue. However, his attempts to solve and remedy the mystery of why a whole village seems frightened and worried do not go so well. Mma Makutsi has a bit of a misunderstanding with her fiance, and the detective agency handles a case of blackmail, and helps a nurse who is concerned about a doctor's possible wrongdoing, gratis. Mma Makutsi also insists on buying a pair of fancy blue shoes, even though they clearly do not fit.

In the middle of this story a paragraph stood out for me:
Mma Ramotswe looked up at the ceiling. She had recently read an article about this sort of problem [...] The article had described how difficult it was for whistle-blowers when they saw something illegal being done at work. In some countries, it had said, there were laws to protect the whistle-blower - in some countries, but she was not sure whether this was true of Botswana.

The poor author seems to be proudly comparing his own modern country to the backward Botswana and pointing out 'laws to protect whistle blowers'. I wonder what he must have felt after Julian Assange and Edward Snowden came along and showed the emptiness of these modern democratic laws...

Falling in love with these characters, Botswana, and the idea of bush tea in the middle of the day.

I was really disappointed by this book. I've read this entire series so far and loved every book until now. It was a bit boring and the almost every character kept having flashbacks that the author kept pointing out. I'm fine with the flashbacks, it just seemed like every character would get lost in their thoughts about the past and someone would have to say, "Um hello earth to Mma Ramotswe" and the character would then jump back into the converstaion. I don't think I'm expaining it well, but it was weird and annoying.
I did give it one star for the subject matter -Africa (I love books about Africa) The other star is for the series, which is really excellent

This is definitely comfort reading for me. Nothing much happens but everything does happen. It's the little things that make me smile while I read the daily adventures of Mma Ramotswe and her assistant Mma Matkusi.

This one is a slow reflexion on happiness and what isn't good for you might ultimately make you happy anyway. Happiness is an elusive thing. It might be a beautiful pairs of blue shoes a size to small that you wear anyway just because. The important thing is to feel happiness and to remember it. Summs up pretty much how I feel about happiness.

Ahh, feel the calmness radiate as Mma Ramotswe delves once again into the modest problems of her community. She is a wise woman and her solutions are delivered with kindness. Really, I'm here for a trip to Botswana which makes me happy every time.

My go-to series when I am falling short of Goodreads Reading Challenge.
Not only because it is an easy read, but also it has that soothing, calming and peaceful effect on mind where Zen like philosophy is dispensed with ease using everyday instances and little bit of mystery thrown into it.
I wear a constant smile while I read this.

Is this book in the series better than others? Does it deserve a better star rating than the rest?
The answer is similar to that of - Is 'The Revenant' the best performance of Di Caprio and did he not deserve the Oscar for his earlier movies? Is 'Jai Ho' the best A R Rahman composition compared to his rest? 'I don't know. May be. May not be. It doesn't matter. Important thing is - I love Di Caprio. I love Rahman. I love Mma Ramotswe. I love Botswana and Botswanans, even if I have never been there.'

So pleased I picked up this series again. It's been a few years since I read #6, and I'd forgotten how happy these stories make me. They are a soothing tonic, much like the Great British Baking Show. There is simply no way I can feel stressed out after reading the words of Mma Ramotswe.

And it isn't just fluff. In under 260 pages, this book covers feminism, body positivity, blackmail, superstition, fraud, work-life balance, self-esteem & integrity, and shopping addiction!

Like Mma Ramotswe’s bush tea, these books always soothe the soul.

A very enjoyable listen. I thought I had read this book some years ago but remembered nothing of it; perhaps I didn't, or perhaps it didn't make much of an impression if I did.

The battle of the sexes is very much to the fore as Mma Makutsi and her fiancé come to terms with the true meaning of "feminism." At the same time Mma Ramotswe is traditional in more than build; though she considers herself a modern woman, she is annoyed when her husband goes shopping "without consulting me."

Precious is less friendly and understanding in this installment, but the fact that she has put herself on a diet may have something to do with that.
My only real quibble is that the reader insists on mispronouncing her ex-husband's name as "No-tay" when it is well known that he is called "Note" because he's a musician!