Member Reviews

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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 0 stars

  “Precious Ramotswe (the proud owner of the Agency, 'traditionally built' in the Botswana style) has become one of my great literary friends. This is only the first in Smith's series of books, a man who writes brilliantly about men and women in small town life, with great pride and humor. Go out and buy every one of these, then enjoy them consecutively as they tell you the story of people to whom you'll become addicted.”

  Diana L wrote this review Friday, January 4 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 4 stars

  “The first book in the series was a surprisingly good read and I'm all the more glad for deciding to risk it. Sure, I knew it was already popular since the author had already written a number of books in the series hence it must have been making money but that was no guarantee that I'd like it.
  
  The books are typically tagged as mystery novels since the principal character Mma Precious Ramotswe is a detective after all and she has started the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," but the book is a lot more than just Sherlock Holmes repackaged as an African woman in Botswana.
  
  The book feels like a collection of short stories since the author chooses to tell the tales of several cases alongside little flashbacks and back stories for the major characters, given them greater depth and making the whole thing feel like a collection of African fairy tales. He does hit in a deceptively simplistic manner which belies the true complexity of the story as a whole. It all seems to fit the notion of how classical Africa has always been a land of known for its stories and rich cultural history.
  
  The books are rather short and seem to be easy reads but personally I felt they seemed much longer - and not in a negative sense. You get the urge to attempt to peer around the corner as it were to see if you can figure out anything deeper beyond the end of certain chapters but there's really not much else at least from an explicitly stated perspective.”

  rOckY wrote this review Sunday, September 2 2007. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 4 stars

  “This is the first book in the series and it got me hooked, so that I have now read them all! I enjoy the simplicity of the plot and language and turn to these books when I want to relax and escape from my dreary routine to the decidedly more exotic life of Ms.Precious Ramotswe - the No.1 Lady detective in Botswana! Her belief in the basic goodness of people and the system is a refreshing change from my own cynical attitude toward life, men and country. I love her wit, her faith, her courage and her love for her country - Botswana.”

  bookaddict wrote this review Sunday, September 2 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 0 stars

  “This is one of my favorite tales, I re-read it for my book group. It is sweet, charming and deeper that it seems at first glance.”

  Mary N wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 0 stars

  “Although people have been recommending this book for years, I was reluctant to read it as I do not really like world lit. I was very pleasantly surprised. Not only did I love the main character, I enjoyed her spunk and thought the book thoroughly entertaining. I would recommend it and will try to read more in the series also.”

  Linda B wrote this review 11 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 4 stars

  “I thought this story was so cute. I fell in love with Mma Ramotswe and I love the way she thinks and makes you fall in love with Botswana in the process.
  
  Very cute and well-written story with memorable characters. ”

  Astoryfan wrote this review 12 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 3 stars

  “A clever book with fun stories. Not mysterious like Agatha Christie, but fun anyway. I loved learning about Africa through the eyes of Mma. Nice read.”

  Chanin M wrote this review 13 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 4 stars

  “I highly recommend this series. They are light reads. The "twists" in the plot are quite predictable. The main character is so endearing that whatever suspense that is lacking is made up by her insights. Reading these books have made me grateful for what I have as well as realizing I could be happy with a lot less.”

  Brooke J wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 3 stars

  “The characters and the sense of community are wonderful. ”

  Elizabeth F wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 3 stars

  “Entertaining but not deeply engaging. Highly recommended to me by several friends, and according to the jacket, considered for a Booker and recognized by TLS. Yet again I ask myself, what am I missing? What didn't I get? I'm hoping my husband will read this and tell me his impressions...”

  Rosy wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )