The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Genre: mystery
Number of pages: 235
First published: 1998
Setting: Botswana
Rating: 4 stars
First sentence: Mma Ramotswe had a
detective agency in Africa, at the foot of Kgale Hill.
One sentence comment: It’s a heart-warming
and intriguing series.
This delightful book offers a glimpse into
the simple, peaceful lives of the people of Botswana. While the author uses a
detective story as a clever framework, the true purpose is to show us how these
people live and what their daily worries are. Through the book, we get a taste
of the difference between their aboriginal life and our complicated urban
environment. It sometimes made me laugh and sometimes made me envious, because
their lives and task are simple.
My rearched found that the author had
worked at the University of Botswana in the 1980s, and he got the inspiration
from a woman in a red dress chasing a chicken in her yard, preparing it for a
meal. She became the genesis for the character of Mma Precious Ramotswe. Mma
Ramotswe's cases were often more about helping people with the "problems
in their lives"—such as a missing husband, a cheating partner, or a
fraudulent business—than about catching murderers. The series seemed to explore
themes of kindness, compassion, and common sense.
The protagonist, having been abused in her
first marriage, was initially adamant about never marrying again. Her past with
her first love was a painful reminder of her ordeal. However, a series of
events eventually changed her perspective, allowing her to move past the
bitterness and find a new outlook on life.
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