Alexander McCall Smith was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Although he moved to Scotland to study law, he clearly never forgot his African roots, returning for a short spell in the 1980s to co-found and teach at the University of Botswana. A prolific writer, he is most famous for The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, which he first published in 1999 and continues to add to on an annual basis.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is set in Botswana and tells the tale of Precious Ramotswe. A "traditionally built" woman with plenty of wisdom and good cheer despite some terrible past sorrows, she decides to open a detective agency in Botswana and become the country's first female private investigator. With no formal training and relying on whatever advice she can gather from the book, The Principles of Private Detection by Clovis Anderson, she is nonetheless remarkably confident in her ability to ferret out the truth and solve the problems of the myriad people who arrive at her doorstep seeking her counsel. She hires Grace Makutsi, a smart but downtrodden young woman from the Botswana Secretarial College as her secretary, and together they set out to find wrongdoers of every description.
The first few books are more heavy on the mysteries, but as the series progresses, it is evident that the books are more concerned with the main characters who just incidentally solve some mysteries along the way. Both Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi develop a strong bond of friendship, believing in each other when the people around them are prone to laugh at the idea of a female-run detective agency. Over several cups of bush tea, they support each other through the good times and bad and develop a strong sense of their own self-worth and ability. These are not radical women; Mma Ramotswe is an ardent supporter of the old Botswana morality and values that so few young people around her seem to uphold but she endeavors to lead by example rather than preaching to deaf ears. Yet in her own way, she is a little subversive, demanding to be given her full and equal due as a woman, and fervently believing that she can do her job just as well (if not better) than any man. From the tentative beginnings of the agency to its current incarnation as a full-fledged and successful business, Mma Ramotswe never loses faith and it is easy to see why so many people seek out her kind and expert guidance.
The truly important character in this series, however, is Africa itself. McCall Smith may not live in Africa anymore, but his deep and abiding love for the country imbues every page, from the lush descriptions of Botswana in the rainy season, to the portrayals of its hardworking and admirable people. The books are written in a simple and direct language, so characteristic of the very people they are about, and every chapter contains a mix of gentle humor, deeply African insights, and a passion for life that never ceases despite the occasional tragedy. The BBC and HBO teamed up a few years ago to make a seven-episode TV series starring Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose, and I heartily recommend it as a wonderful accompaniment to the books or stand-alone entertainment.
I've read seven books in the series so far and each book is a small marvel. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but they offer a collection of simple and heartfelt musings on life, replete with joys and sorrows that can always be contemplated over a cup of freshly-brewed bush tea.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is set in Botswana and tells the tale of Precious Ramotswe. A "traditionally built" woman with plenty of wisdom and good cheer despite some terrible past sorrows, she decides to open a detective agency in Botswana and become the country's first female private investigator. With no formal training and relying on whatever advice she can gather from the book, The Principles of Private Detection by Clovis Anderson, she is nonetheless remarkably confident in her ability to ferret out the truth and solve the problems of the myriad people who arrive at her doorstep seeking her counsel. She hires Grace Makutsi, a smart but downtrodden young woman from the Botswana Secretarial College as her secretary, and together they set out to find wrongdoers of every description.
The first few books are more heavy on the mysteries, but as the series progresses, it is evident that the books are more concerned with the main characters who just incidentally solve some mysteries along the way. Both Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi develop a strong bond of friendship, believing in each other when the people around them are prone to laugh at the idea of a female-run detective agency. Over several cups of bush tea, they support each other through the good times and bad and develop a strong sense of their own self-worth and ability. These are not radical women; Mma Ramotswe is an ardent supporter of the old Botswana morality and values that so few young people around her seem to uphold but she endeavors to lead by example rather than preaching to deaf ears. Yet in her own way, she is a little subversive, demanding to be given her full and equal due as a woman, and fervently believing that she can do her job just as well (if not better) than any man. From the tentative beginnings of the agency to its current incarnation as a full-fledged and successful business, Mma Ramotswe never loses faith and it is easy to see why so many people seek out her kind and expert guidance.
The truly important character in this series, however, is Africa itself. McCall Smith may not live in Africa anymore, but his deep and abiding love for the country imbues every page, from the lush descriptions of Botswana in the rainy season, to the portrayals of its hardworking and admirable people. The books are written in a simple and direct language, so characteristic of the very people they are about, and every chapter contains a mix of gentle humor, deeply African insights, and a passion for life that never ceases despite the occasional tragedy. The BBC and HBO teamed up a few years ago to make a seven-episode TV series starring Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose, and I heartily recommend it as a wonderful accompaniment to the books or stand-alone entertainment.
I've read seven books in the series so far and each book is a small marvel. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but they offer a collection of simple and heartfelt musings on life, replete with joys and sorrows that can always be contemplated over a cup of freshly-brewed bush tea.
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