Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Precious Reads
In Precious Ramotswe, Alexander McCall Smith creates a beguiling character. Precious is a detective, the first female detective in Botswana and owner of the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Precious is a middle aged woman with a prominent posterior, whose self image and poetic praise of the simple things in life - like a dish of cooked pumpkin - are arresting to a reader surrounded by urban materialism and Western notions of attractiveness. Through Precious, the reader is willingly enticed into a love affair with the landscape and values and people of Botswana. But Precious is far from a simple woman. The stories about the tragic life of her beloved father, her own disastrous marriage and move into the detective business are all enlivened by her capacity to find lessons from each painful experience. It therefore comes as no surprise that she is a very successful detective. Helped along by her handy and hilarious "how to" text, her undeniable intellect and talent for nosiness, she is soon finding answers where others have not. There are three books in this series and they are all wonderful. Each left me with a smile on my face and a desire to reread some of Precious' wry observations (favourites include those about the sad weaknesses of men and a number about the inferiority of neighbouring African countries) or her poetic descriptions of the world around her. The mysteries - plus their solutions - are also satisfying.
Rating:  - A warming, wonderful read
The mysteries aren't all that mysterious--but within a few pages, you realize how unimportant that is. This book is really about its characters, particularly the sensible, moral, and very likeable Precious Ramotswe, founder of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. It's also very much about Botswana--"a place of peace"--with its kind and caring people, acacia trees, deadly snakes, and limitless blue skies. Smith tells the varied stories contained in this book in a simple, almost folk-talish fashion, with flashes of humor, cultural insight, and political observations. I'm hooked, and I can't wait to read the sequels.
Rating: - 5 Stars is not enough!
I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book. It's technically classified as a mystery because the heroine, 30ish Precious Ramotswe, operates Botswana's first female-owned detective agency, The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency.But to pigeonhole this sublime,wonderful book as just a mystery is to unjustly limit its appeal. Mma Ramotswe does solve a few cases, a lot of them involving matters of the heart, during the course of the book. She does so with integrity, a gentle sense of humor , compassionand just plain common sense. The mysteries are fun but what makes this book so special is the author's ability to weave together the themes of African tradition, nationhood, pride, simplicity and independence without being the least bit preachy . The writing is just so simple and beautiful and I found myself thinking about this book long after I finished it. It just stays with you. I've already read the second installment in this series, Tears of the Giraffe, and there is no doubt in my mind now that these books are destined to become classics. Anyone who likes mysteries, or anyone who enjoys just plain good writing will fall in love with Mma. Ramotswe. A superb book.
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