Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Originally published : 1998 (Polygon)
Length: 256 pages
Personal Enjoyment Rating: 4.5/5
Amazon Rating: 4/5 (419 Customer Reviews)
Goodreads: 14,927 ratings, 3.67 average rating
Length: 256 pages
Personal Enjoyment Rating: 4.5/5
Amazon Rating: 4/5 (419 Customer Reviews)
Goodreads: 14,927 ratings, 3.67 average rating
I'll admit up front that my memory of this book is a bit of a blur because I read it during the 24-hour Readathon. I was excessively tired from the get-go that day, but I know that I LOVED this book. I have had it on my shelf for several years now and just ignored it. Little did I know I was missing out.
Precious Romatswe--an intelligent, intuitive and determined woman, decides to open her own detective agency in her beloved country, Botswana. Things start out a bit slow for the agency, but eventually she receives some cases where she proves her ability to unravel a few mysteries. As she goes about cleverly solving cases, we learn about her life that has not always been easy, and the values she embraces.
What made this book move beyond good to great for me was how inspirational of a character Precious is. She is independent and determined, and even though she experiences things that could jade her a bit, she maintains a love for life and people and it infuses her with energy and purpose. I also loved the descriptions of the land. I have always been in love with Africa (from afar unfortunately), and enjoyed this brief (and somewhat hazy)visit.
No notes for this one, which I regret because it is part of a series.
Prude-ometer (subjective content assessment): A brief date rape scene. I don't remember if there was bad language or not.
Precious Romatswe--an intelligent, intuitive and determined woman, decides to open her own detective agency in her beloved country, Botswana. Things start out a bit slow for the agency, but eventually she receives some cases where she proves her ability to unravel a few mysteries. As she goes about cleverly solving cases, we learn about her life that has not always been easy, and the values she embraces.
What made this book move beyond good to great for me was how inspirational of a character Precious is. She is independent and determined, and even though she experiences things that could jade her a bit, she maintains a love for life and people and it infuses her with energy and purpose. I also loved the descriptions of the land. I have always been in love with Africa (from afar unfortunately), and enjoyed this brief (and somewhat hazy)visit.
No notes for this one, which I regret because it is part of a series.
Prude-ometer (subjective content assessment): A brief date rape scene. I don't remember if there was bad language or not.
I've heard of this one a lot, but until recently didn't realize it was set in Africa. I won it during the read-a-thon and hopefully will receive it in the mail soon. I'm looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteI love this series. The mysteries aren't super mind boggling, but I think Precious and her views of the world are fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the first audiobooks I ever listened to - and I LOVED it! The reader was fabulous. I went on to listen to the next few in the series, too.
ReplyDeleteGood choice for the read-a thon!
Thanks for using this as a selection for the 9 for '09 challenge.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you finished it!
I am glad you enjoyed the first book in the series. I'm a big fan of Mma Romatswe and especially her assistant.
ReplyDeleteI've been watching the television mini series on HBO--it's wonderful too. I can't get enough of Mma Romatswe!
I enjoy this series very much. It's kind of my reading candy because it's just plain fun.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the newest one. Must figure out which one it is.
I loved this series. It made me want to move to Botswana.
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely something wrong with me. I tried listening to and then I tried reading this book. I even tried the HBO show. It's just not for me. I love an African setting and I love mysteries, so I don't know why it won't click for me.
ReplyDeleteHey --How come you never read it when Brenda did it for bookclub? Maybe cuz we never had and official meet. It was fun though. Are you going to read more in the series? I have not decided whether to or not.
ReplyDeleteSounds good and to all who wanted to move to Botswana,I am from South Africa and there are so many South Africans moving to Botswana because of the low crime rate and the governement's zero tolerance for crime.
ReplyDeleteI have this one on shelves patiently waiting for me to get to it. Sounds like I really should go grab it :)
ReplyDeleteI'm up to 4 or 5 in the series on audio, and they're all great! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI tried listening to the audio version several years ago on this 1st in a series, and I thought the dialect was tough to follow, so I gave up and sadly never returned to this author.
ReplyDeleteI love this series; you have quite a few ahead of you to enjoy! I like all of McCall Smith's books -- have you read any of his other series?
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ReplyDeleteI'm not really in love with this series like a lot of people are but I do find them enjoyable. I've only listened to them though and I wonder if reading them would be a different experience. I like the Isabel Dalhousie series set in Scotland. She's not quite as admirable a character as Precious is but I really like her.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book too, but did get tired of the series after a while.
ReplyDeleteI have this one on shelves patiently waiting for me to get to it. Sounds like I really should go grab it :)
ReplyDelete