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Amalyusuf

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The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #1)

by Alexander McCall Smith (Goodreads Author)

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Reading for the 2nd time

read in December 2014

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Amalyusuf said: "
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith is a short mystery novel set in the African country of Botswana. The main character in this story is a crafty and captivating female private investigator named Precious Ramotswe. The reader
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith is a short mystery novel set in the African country of Botswana. The main character in this story is a crafty and captivating female private investigator named Precious Ramotswe. The reader is introduced to the main character Precious as a woman that wants help people with their problems by using her newly acquired detective skills; and at the same time advance her detective agency’s profile in a male dominated society. Likewise, Precious is portrayed as an ambitious woman that was raised in good home with her mother and a father that she adored immensely. Sadly, Precious’ father died from a long, painful illness before her dream of becoming the first female private detective in Botswana became reality. In some ways, by becoming a female private investigator, Precious is convinced that her career path will make her father proud. And as suggested by the novel’s title, the primary discussion for the author was the cases that Precious took on as a detective; but the book also provides the reader with a glimpse into Precious’ past struggles and life experiences. In essence, Precious had a past before pursuing her desire to open the detective agency. She was in an abusive marriage and had a miscarriage and both of these events shaped her thinking, determination and her unwavering desire to succeed as a private detective. Here, the No. 1 ladies detective agency picked cases that appealed to Precious. For example, many of the cases focused on finding missing husbands, exposing conmen, and the most impactful case for Precious was that of a missing seven year old boy.
Overall, McCall Smith effectively utilises the backstory of the primary character Precious and her unwavering commitment to help people to keep readers’ interests and attention. As a female reader, I found it captivating that the main female character Precious sought to succeeds in her chosen business despite her personal loses, encounters of spousal abuse and in spite of living in a male dominated society. Specifically, I found that McCall Smith’s writing style to be informal, accessible to young readers and it captures the reader with most of the stories being told from Precious’ perspective. Thematically, the story is full of suspense as it is focused on investigative work by the female detectives in Batswana. Due to it is fast paced suspense, I found myself reading this book until the late hours of the night as each case story was fascinating and full of twists and turns. I craved to know how each case was solved. And , although the book is about ordinary crimes, the reader is left mesmerized by Precious’ life, her sense of humour, her intuition and her ability to overcome barriers and establish the first all-female private detective agency in a society that primarily relegates women to the roles of wifehood and motherhood.
In general, I enjoyed reading this book with great interest and intensity. I found the main character’s persona to be charismatic, authentic, believable, well-rounded and sympathetic. However, I was disappointed that the book focused on Precious’ eagerness to resolve what I viewed to be minor individual cases rather than center around one major investigative case. Although, the reader is seduced to learn more about Precious’s life story, her preferences and how she selects her cases, in some ways, the reader is left wanting more complex story lines with major thematic impacts. At times, I found myself disinterested in Precious’ choice to spy on misbehaving husbands and delinquent daughters; instead, I was drawn into the protagonist interactions with other characters as well as the challenges that Precious overcame to pursue her detective career. In this respect, as a reader, I was left wanting more intriguing cases and therefore my expectation of reading about a female investigator solving complex cases was unmet.
While this is a novel that tells the story of a small town female private investigator in Botswana, the themes in the book are at times confusing. Although, Precious is sympathetic character, she is presented as less concerned with the law and rarely involves the police in her fact findings. Precious’ reluctance to enlist police support may have more to do with her gender than anything also. Here, the reader is left well versed in the life of a rogue private investigator that relies more on instincts and less on facts.
In terms of shortcomings, I found that this book lacks sense of resolution for the reader. For example, the author focused more on the personality of the main character and her attitudes and the simplicity by which she solves individual cases. In this respect, the book is devoid of depth and details. As a reader, I was looking for a good detective story with a resolution that is logical, yet unexpected with some details left for the imaginative mind. In this aspects, the author may risk alienating some readers as he presents Precious as a stubborn and self-sufficient woman that in a contradictory manner “does not want Africa to change…she did not want her people to become like everybody else, soulless, selfish, forgetful of what it means to be an African, or, ashamed of Africa” (Page, 215). The notion of the shrewd Precious raising issues with some aspect African attitudes towards women, gender roles, marriage and witchcraft while also longing for cultural stability leaves the reader at best confused and at worst disillusioned by the premise of the book.
On a positive note, The No. Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith is overall a well written book and the author has tremendous understanding of the people and territory of Botswana. This is a story for the casual reader who craves to experience other cultures and life styles through literature. The language is easy to understand and this increases the reader’s enjoyment of the story. Throughout this book, the reader gets to know its main character Precious, a tenacious woman who in her own way struggles for gender equality, while voicing her keen love for her country and its people. In some ways, the book introduces the reader to a woman that wants changes in her society, but who is also fearful of being shunned for her nonconformist gender values. Overall, I would recommend reading of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. ...more "

Jan 20, 2015 01:37PM · see review