LOVE

Misunderstanding, Dissatisfaction, and Jealousy

Not everything is running smoothly in Precious Ramotswe's world. Everyone from her faithful assistant Grace Makutsi to Charlie the hapless apprentice, even her kind husband, is looking for a change and believes they are underappreciated. With grace and mercy, working on the problems dropped at the door of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Precious is able to help each discover their own value under the wide African skies of that most merciful land of Botswana.

I listened to the audio version narrated by Lisette Lecat. Very well done. I really liked her African accent, and her voices had just enough variation to be able to easily tell the characters apart. As always, Mma. Ramotswe is a very calm, very happy woman, with a lot of common sense. In this book they deal with mysterious deaths in a hospital. Plus Mma Makutsi becomes associate detective after her resignation, but she comes back to handle a stealing case at a printer. And Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni tries his hand at detection. Charlie the apprentice leaves to start his own company. Pleasant series, never exciting, not a lot of action, but always satisfying and warm. I love Mma's outlook on life and enjoy hearing her bits of wisdom throughout. I was also interested to hear the street name pronounced Zebra (rhyming with Debra) rather than the animal name.

4.5

I love this series. I did not love this book, which makes me kind of sad. I had two major problems with this particular volume. First, the overarching theme appeared to be "people are who they are, and there's no point trying to change who you are," which I find defeatist and unappealing. Second, nearly all of the intertwining subplots made me uncomfortable. Part of the reason is that Mma Makutsi and Mr. JLB Matekoni were acting in ways that seemed out of character to me (which of course was to illuminate the theme). But also, Mr. JLB Matekoni's and Charlie's subplots were obvious and predictable disasters in the making, and that hit my embarrassment squick.

One final thing I didn't like, which hardly counts, is that ordinarily the repetitive quirks of McCall's Smith storytelling - the tiny white van, the 97 percent - act as soothing, familiar balm. But when I was annoyed with the story, they annoyed me as well. I counted the phrase "beamed with pleasure" four times. Argh. But on the other hand, Mma Ramotswe's observations of Botswana and her people were always thoughtful and interesting, and the final chapters were quite satisfying.

After quite a few years of living it, I've come to the conclusion that life is made of two things: time and attention. What I love about the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series is the way the author, Alexander McCall Smith, handles both.

In The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, as in all the books in the series, the pace is lazy and relaxed. If I ever visit that part of Africa, I expect that I'll recognize the way the sun feels there, the way the dust settles on the roads after a car goes by. The umbrella-like trees and the dignified, enduring cattle will seem familiar. Mma Ramotswe, the central character, notices these things, and I've spent many happy hours gazing at Africa through her eyes.

In this book, Mma ponders the mysteries of life and concludes that it is made of big things and small things. The big things, good and bad, are writ large, impossible to ignore. So it's essential to notice and find joy in the small things: "small acts of helping others, if one could; small ways of making one's own life better: acts of love, acts of tea, acts of laughter."

I recommend this book as a small vacation from life's big concerns. It goes well with an evening of leisure and a nice, hot cup of red bush tea.

It's been over a year since I've visited Botswana via the characters of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I've missed the nourishing goodness of this series and these characters. So much goodness... and a wee bit of humor too. I'm going to start the next book in the series right away!

I really enjoy these series of books for many reasons: they are short, easy to read yet well written, good characters that continue to develop, mysteries awaiting, vivid descriptions of a culture that I am unfamiliar with, and most of all no crude language or situations.
I skipped one book so far, but each one seems to refer back a little to the prior situations.

I am such a fan of this series. McCall Smith created such interesting characters. The hospital mystery was well done.

Lovely beyond dreams.

There's something comforting about about the books in this series. they aren't really mysteries, although there are puzzles to solve, in one way or another, and human relationships to explore. Besides the people, the country of Botswana is also a character in the series -- and a place I would like to retreat to sometimes -- at least the way that McCall Smith portrays it.

On the cover, below the zebras was a review by The Oregonian:
"McCall Smith's fans seem to hunger for the kindness, dignity, and humor he celebrates in Mma Ramotswe, and this book will not disappoint them."
A prescient review.