the no. 1 ladies' detective agency :: alexander mccall smith

Title: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Publisher: Anchor

Read: June 2009; Madrid, MAD>JFK

Format: Kindle

In sum: The Botswana backdrop and its lively inhabitants are given their first chance to charm you in the pilot of McCall-Smith’s popular mystery series.

I understand why people have latched onto this series. Sort of. The #1 Lady herself, Precious Ramotswe, is a wonderful character, full of sensitivity, warmth and courage. She's experienced loss, heartbreak and abuse. But she not only makes the best of her situation, but is even brave enough to take the risk of opening a Ladies' Detective Agency, her longtime dream.

While business is slow at first, her first cases do allow McCall-Smith to set the geographic and cultural landscape of Mma Ramotswe's Botswana. The mysteries center around adultery, religious zeal, Southern African life, fraud and child abuse. But, the heaviness of these topics is far from dwelled upon. Instead, more time and pages are devoted to painting the scene of Gaborone, telling Prcious' history and developing her lovely and memorable companions. Specifically, her skillful. rigid and hilarious secretary Mma Makutsi breathes incredible life to every scene she is in. Also, the adorable, doting Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni warms the page, even when he doesn't bring excitement.

Great characters and setting aside, I felt the pace of this first installment to be a little too slow for my tastes. What I remember most of the novel is wanting more to happen or, rather, for it to move more quickly. I know it's a little unfair to enjoy the effect of the author's descriptive writing but find its telling tedious, but that's just how it is.

Also unfair: For me, it was hard to observe the Death of This Author and, frankly, I felt funny about this older white man writing in with sing-songy, cartoonish cadence for this Botswanan woman. The whole thing left a vaguely colonialist taste in my mouth, which I recognize to be wholly undeserved, untrue and unfair. Yes, I know he is African. It still felt funny, though.

Sweet. But slow:
2.5 out of 5 stars*


*I keep going back and forth between 2.5 and 3 for this one. The deciding factor? I've had the second book loaded up on my Kindle for months and have not at all been tempted to read it.