Tears of the Giraffe

Second in the "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series and definitely not as good as the first book, "Tears of the Giraffe", by Alexander McSmith, is still a very enjoyable read. I did not appreciate some of the patronizing morality discourses and I thought the plot could do with a bit more rythm and structure. But plot is just a minor element in a good book.

There is one sublime moment in the story, the development of an exquisite consideration in Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni's mind about the fate of two orphans that makes up for the lack of an overall je ne sais quoi that would have made this novel as thrilling and charming as the first one.

Synopsis

THE NO.1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY introduced the world to the one and only Precious Ramotswe - the engaging and sassy owner of Botswana's only detective agency. TEARS OF THE GIRAFFE, McCall Smith's second book, takes us further into this world as we follow Mama Ramotswe into more daring situations ...Among her cases this time are wayward wives, unscrupulous maids, and the challenge to resolve a mother's pain for her son who is long lost on the African plains. Indeed, Mma Ramotswe's own impending marriage to the most gentlemanly of men, Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, the promotion of Mma's secretary to the dizzy heights of Assistant Detective, and the arrival of new members to the Matekoni family, all brew up the most humorous and charmingly entertaining of tales.

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency

Wow ! What a great and refreshingly different book! "The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency", by Alexander McCall Smith, is set in Botswana (which in itself always makes me recall some of the nostalgic stories a great-uncle of mine, who used to live in Mozambique and then South Africa, told us about that part of Africa). In Botswana lives Precious Ramotswe, the adored and only daughter of Obed Ramotswe, the unfortunate, abused and abandoned wife of Note Mokoti, and, briefly, the mother of a premature angel that did not make it in this world. After the death of her Daddy, Precious decides to open a Detective Agency with the money she inherited: the first such agency in Botswana that is owned and run by a woman. Women, as everyone knows, have much better eye for detail and are much more inquisitive than men, so Precious has little trouble solving some of the most insolit mysteries that are presented to her.
Lovely, intelligent and rather fat (size 22) Precious has a couple of marriage pretenders but she's done with marriage and all that jazz (although she does enjoy her male friends's company).
Incredibly heart warming and funny novel, written in a very simple an appealing style. Truly recommended reading for anyone !

Synopsis

Wayward daughters. Missing Husbands. Philandering partners. Curious conmen. If you've got a problem, and no one else can help you, then pay a visit to Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's only - and finest - female private detective. Her methods may not be conventional, and her manner not exactly Miss Marple, but she's got warmth, wit and canny intuition on her side, not to mention Mr J.L.B. Maketoni, the charming proprietor of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors. And Precious is going to need them all as she sets out on the trail of a missing child, a case that tumbles our heroine into a hotbed of strange situations and more than a little danger ...Delightfully different, THE NO.1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY offers a captivating glimpse of an unusual world.

About a Boy

"About a Boy" is a nice book with Nick Hornby's unmistakable hallmark. As usual, Hornby's characters are remarkably human and credible; their thoughts and actions unveil the author's deep understanding of human nature and the comic tragedy which is Life.

Just a couple of days ago I saw the movie based on this novel, with Hugh Grant as Will (perfect casting!), and I thought it was pretty good. It isn't half as good as the book, though, and the whole school concert thing in the end was pretty lame and no proper substitute for Marcus and Ellie's trip to Cambridge. I won't even go into what I thought when I found out that Kurt Cobain's role in the book had been snatched by rap music in the movie ... as if !

Synopsis

Will is 36 and doesn't really want children. but then he comes across 12-year-old Marcus. Marcus is weird - under the influence of his mother, he prefers Joni Mitchell to Nirvana. But Marcus is also sharp for his age and knows something about Will that he can definitely use.