The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

[meganbmoore]

This is billed as a mystery, but is really a book about Botswana that features a lead who happens to run a detective agency. Precious Ramotswe is a Botswanan woman who uses her inheritance from her father’s death to buy a house and open a detective agency. She does not, for the most part, handle dangerous cases, but rather cases such as missing husbands and impostors and secret boyfriends.

The cases are, for the most part, excuses for Smith to write about the Botswanan people and culture, with several of Mma. Ramotswe’s cases almost playing out like folk tales. The book is non-linear in its narration, covering both Mma. Ramotswe’s entire life (or at least large chunks of it), and her father’s background, as well as several cases early in her career. Thankfully, the non-linear-ness (if that isn’t a word, keep it to yourself) isn’t jarring, but works well to create a cohesive whole that has a lot of charm.

The book and characters are clearly written with a lot of love, and the prose is reminiscent of oral traditions. It’s a slim little thing, but carries a lot of punch. Smith grew up in Botswana, and I think it shows, as many events and characters seemed to be pulled straight from memory. That said, I’d be curious to see what some native Botswanans have to say about it, good or bad.

Comments

[shartyrant.livejournal.com]

I bought the first book for a dollar and remember thinking the same thing. It is more about Botswanan people and culture and not really mystery at all. Not that it is a bad thing as it is enjoyable for itself I guess, but if you are primed for a mystery, it is a bit disappointing. I do plan on reading more in the series from the library as the mood strikes. How about you?

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I have the second one waiting, and am watching for more. I first heard about them (and remembered them) thinking they were mysteries, but the recs that got me to check them out didn't really put them forward as mysteries.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

I think these definitely would have to fall more on the "cozy" side of mystery subgenres, with more appeal to folks who read for character and setting rather than the puzzle-box or gory true-crime sort of books.

Poking around a bit, I have found a few interesting articles that passingly mention local Botswanan reactions to a recent film adaptation -- here (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3541831.ece) and here (http://www.dibsblog.com/?p=220=1). The biggest criticisms seem not to be so much about the content as that an American woman was hired to play the lead rather than an African actress, and that it was inappropriate that the Botswanan tourist board invested several million dollars in the production when so many people live in poverty...which is perhaps a slightly encouraging sign, since if folks were widely objecting to the content as offensive it would seem likely to have come up in such gripes.

(I have to say, I am at least pleased to see that the gal cast to play Mma Ramotswe, singer Jill Scott, is at least dark-skinned and full-figured enough to resemble the Precious in my head -- call me cynical, but having seen enough movie-casting shenanigans over the years I would have been totally unsurprised by a production transforming her into a skinny, light-skinned model type like Beyonce instead...)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

She doesn't quite look a "full bodied" as I pictured Precious in that one pic, but that's much better than I would have expected Hollywood to come up with. That it might get a full season sounds promising.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

*nods* I was also picturing Precious a bit heavier than that, but at least Jill is actually zaftig, instead of the usual "Hollywood-actress fat" where they cast a girl who's maybe, horrors!, an enooooooormous size 10 instead of a 2. *eyerolls*

[shewhohashope.livejournal.com]

I think they made Jill gain weight for the role? She fits my mental image of Precious. She's a youngish woman (I pictured Precious as being middle-aged for some reason, but she's in her thirties in the books), and a whole lot bigger than any other leading lady in Hollywood ever, so that's good enough for me. Now, Mma Makutsi? Was far too pretty for the role.

I'm looking forward to the series, although the pilot(?) was slightly disappointing in some aspects.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, the Times article mentioned something about a little padding under her clothes, but it's really hard to say from just looking at stills -- she didn't look particularly heavier-than-usual in the face to me, but I haven't seen the pilot yet; how'd she look to you there?

[shewhohashope.livejournal.com]

In the pilot she looks a bit bigger? I'm not sure how Jill Scott usually looks.

There are some pictures here (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-476218/The-day-No1-Ladies-Detective-Agency-came-life.html)

[shewhohashope.livejournal.com]

The plot mostly followed the first book, but there was one storyline that was unnecessarily sexed up. It just doesn't seem like Precious Ramotswe to find out whether a husband is cheating by inviting him into her house. And then we had the wife calling her a slut, which I didn't appreciate at all.

If they wanted to sex it up, they could have just shown flashbacks to the sexy (and, um... eventually abusive) history of Precious and her ex-husband Colin Salmon.

Moar Colin Salmon, says I!

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

*nods* Makes sense...it's been a few years since I last read those so memory may be fuzzy, but "blatantly sexed-up storylines" is pretty much the last thing I would associate with those memories.

(And ooooh, Colin Salmon's playing the nasty ex Makoti? Hubba hubba!)

[rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the book and read several of the sequels but I've also often wondered what native Botswanans think of it.

[calixa.livejournal.com]

I've always wanted to read these, I don't know, they just come up a lot for me. People reccing them, etc. I'll have to find them sometime.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Do!

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

My mom's been pushing me to watch the tv adaptation Minghella made before he died. Like, she constantly tells me to watch it.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

This one was one of my favorites last year. There's so much heart to it that it's hard to put down.