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Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Humor (Fiction.) HTML: Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies�?? Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana�??s premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma Ramotswe�??with help from her loyal associate, Grace Makutsi�??navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, good humor, and the occasional cup of tea. Under the endless skies of Botswana, there is always something Mma Ramotswe can do to help someone and here she finds herself assisting a woman looking for her family. The problem is the woman doesn't know her real name or whether any of her family members are still alive. Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi is the recipient of a beautiful new bed that causes more than a few sleepless nights. And, at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has come under the influence of a doctor promising a miracle cure for his daughter's medical condition, which Mma Ramotswe finds hard to accept. Nonetheless, Precious Ramotswe handles these things in her usual compassionate and good-natured way, while always finding time for a cup of red bush tea.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member sarah-e
This is one of the best books of the series. It is interesting enough for someone who has not read other Ladies Detective Agency books to enjoy it. If you have read the series, you will enjoy seeing some maturity and growth from the main characters. This book is good for Mma Ramotswe's character -
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she reflects on her life, her friends, and the nature of truth. I always enjoy Mma Makutsi, and this book shows her as more than a caricature. I found it to be an all around great (and fast!) read that was thought-provoking afterward. Show Less
LibraryThing member GMac
I love Precious Ramotswe's outlook on life - helping people with their problems and enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
Mma Ramotswe is busy investigating her latest case: a woman who is looking for her family. The problem is, the woman doesn't know her real name of whether any members of her
Mma Ramotswe is busy investigating her latest case: a woman who is looking for her family. The problem is, the woman doesn't know her real name of whether any members of her
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family are now living. Meanwhile, Phuti Radiphuti has bought Mma Makutsi a glorious new bed. Unfortunately, it will inadvertently cause her several sleepless nights. And life is no less complicated at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, where Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni - Mma Ramotswe's estimable husband--has fallen under the sway of a doctor who has promised a miracle cure for his daughter's medical condition, which Mma Ramotswe finds hard to believe. But Precious Ramotswe deals with these difficulties with her usual grace and good humor, and in the end discovers that the biggest miracles in life are often the small ones. Show Less
LibraryThing member debnance
The ninth book in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. The characters are just as lovely as ever. Precious Ramotswe has reached an age where she is a person of great wisdom. She takes action only after careful reflection, and her actions are taken out of love for her people and her country.
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She is a person I am happy to know, even if it has to all take place within the pages of a book. Show Less
LibraryThing member drsyko
This is another winner in the Ladies Detective series. Just as with most of these books, not that much really happens. It's more how things happen and to whom they happen that is important. Mms Ramotswe shows her considerable compassion to someone who is writing her insulting and threatening
This is another great story in a long series of lovely reads. If you have enjoyed the previous books, you'll enjoy this one as well. It has such a aura of tenderness and quiet understanding of human nature and its foibles that I felt inspired to try to be a nicer person to those who are not always nice to me. I'm not sure what higher recommendation I could give.
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letters because she understands why the person is doing this. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni is given hope that perhaps his daughter's illness can be healed, and even though Mms Ramotswe, and the reader, can see that it is much more likely that the doctor who is making him promises really only wants his money, she lets him try, and even comes up with the money herself. During this process of him pursuing the alleged cure, there is such tenderness and love that Mr. J.L.B. has for his daughter that it almost brought tears to my eyes. We see a side of him in this installment that we have not seen before. And of course there is Mma Makutsi and her normal neuroses to contend with in that quiet and gentle way that Smith has. This is another great story in a long series of lovely reads. If you have enjoyed the previous books, you'll enjoy this one as well. It has such a aura of tenderness and quiet understanding of human nature and its foibles that I felt inspired to try to be a nicer person to those who are not always nice to me. I'm not sure what higher recommendation I could give.
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LibraryThing member Prop2gether
Smith McCall is back to form in this installment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective series. Very entertaining.
LibraryThing member Bitter_Grace
I just adore Alexander McCall Smith. I read all of his books that I can get my hands on. I refuse to read these in print, because I started this series listening to it on audio book and Lisette Lecat is so talented and so good at the different voices that I know that reading the books just wouldn't
This installment has even less of a plot than usual, but that has never been the draw in this series. The important bits are those about the characters and their relationships, and this one had the poignant story of Mr. JLB Matekoni mortaging his repair shop to give Motholeli the slim chance of walking again. This was contrasted with the absolutely hilarious piece about Mma Potokwani (sp?) and her ill-fated new bed. Great stuff!
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be the same. I usually wait for these to become available at the library, but they take SO LONG to come in I caved in and bought it. And I enjoyed it immensely! This installment has even less of a plot than usual, but that has never been the draw in this series. The important bits are those about the characters and their relationships, and this one had the poignant story of Mr. JLB Matekoni mortaging his repair shop to give Motholeli the slim chance of walking again. This was contrasted with the absolutely hilarious piece about Mma Potokwani (sp?) and her ill-fated new bed. Great stuff!
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LibraryThing member riverwillow
An enjoyable read. Precious Ramotswe is an endearing character whose wise optimism is a philsophy more of us should follow. I know these books come in for heavy criticism from some, but they have a subtle depth which grows as we slowly get to know each character.
LibraryThing member julyso
I always enjoy reading the next book in Alexander McCall Smith's #1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. The Miracle at Speedy Motors is another enjoyable story of Precious Ramotswe and her assistant, Grace Makutsi. At the agency, the ladies have a mysterious letter writer and a lady looking for
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relatives. At home, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni meets a doctor who claims he might be able to heal their adompted daughter and Mma Makutsi has a little incident with a new bed. This series is always charming, warm, and feels like an old friend. Show Less
LibraryThing member TadAD
I don't have much to say about this. It's a perfectly serviceable addition to the Precious Ramotswe stories. However, they are starting to blur together for me in their sameness. I think any future volumes will have to wait for me to find them in a second hand store.
LibraryThing member AnneliM
Another in the popular series set in Botswana
LibraryThing member Niecierpek
Charming. Love it read by Lisette Lecate.
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Same chram as the others really. A number of cross grained cases almost overwhelm Mma Ramotswe's ability to cope, but a trip out to her roots enables her to decide on various courses of action. Even if following through on them isn't quit so easy.
Annoyingly rather than in previous cases where Mma
Overall though it's still the same gentle engaging enjoyable writing about people who love their country and are only human. If you've liked the others you'll like this too.
Annoyingly rather than in previous cases where Mma
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Ramotswe has taken some pains to be at least slightly deductive here she suddenly starts being all intuative - often wrongly. And while it's important to remember that everyone deos make mistakes, the theme is harped on a bit.Overall though it's still the same gentle engaging enjoyable writing about people who love their country and are only human. If you've liked the others you'll like this too.
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LibraryThing member hannah.aviva
As usual, the latest installment in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series is an easy and enjoyable read. A nice diversion from heavier books, my only complaint is that it was too short.I'm always impressed by the richness of the descriptions of life in Botswana. The beauty of the land shines
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off of the pages like a national geographic photograph. Show Less
LibraryThing member AuthorMarion
This installment in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series brings us back together with the unforgettable characters of Precious Ramotswe (owner of said detective agency), her capable assistant Mma Makutsi, her calm and understated husband Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, and of course those irrepressible
Most everyone tends to think of a miracle as something grand and extraordinary. The people who work at or near Speedy Motors are surely due for something grand to happen in their lives and we are not disappointed.
The first miracle we encounter is the start of the rainy season bringing with it a downpour of biblical proportions. Within a day the parched and thirsty countryside is turned from brown to a lush green and gives the promise that the crops will produce abundantly.
Mma Makutsi and her fiance find a wonderful piece of furniture in their newly bought marriage bed which becomes destroyed when Mma Makutsi has the deliverymen leave it outside her home because it won't fit through her doors. Of course it was the life-giving rain that destroyed the beautiful red brocade heart-shaped headboard. How will she ever tell her fiance what she has done?
Mma Ramotswe has undertaken to find the family of a woman who became orphaned while trying to ascertain the author or nasty letters that arrive at the agency. Could it be that Precious Ramotswe has somehow offended a former client and how can she make things right? This situation is resolved by Charlie the garage apprentice who spots the culprit and a chaplinesque chase through the grocery store ensues.
Thanks to the rain, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has been summoned to help start the car of a doctor who believes that there is hope for the wheelchair-bound adopted daughter of the garage owner. Mr. Matekoni finds himself applying for a mortgage on the garage to take the child to Johannesburg and to a clinic there where it is hoped they can help her walk again. Indeed, I found myself hoping wholeheartedly that this would be the miracle promised by the title.Alas, Mr. Matekoni and his daughter return home with her still bound to her wheelchair.
Mma Makutsi learns that her fiance is a forgiving man when she tells him of the destroyed bed. And Mma Ramotswe's client, who at first learns that she has a brother, is quite happy with the turn of events at learning that our intrepid lady detective was the recipient of incorrect information.
It seems that along with everyone in Gaborone, and especially at Speedy Motors, we are reminded to look for the miracles in our everyday lives: seeing the sun upon awakening, hearing the call of a bird in the tree, having a roof over our heads and someone with which to share a cup of bush tea.
I highly recommend all of the books in this series and look forward to the next one.
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garage apprentices. Most everyone tends to think of a miracle as something grand and extraordinary. The people who work at or near Speedy Motors are surely due for something grand to happen in their lives and we are not disappointed.
The first miracle we encounter is the start of the rainy season bringing with it a downpour of biblical proportions. Within a day the parched and thirsty countryside is turned from brown to a lush green and gives the promise that the crops will produce abundantly.
Mma Makutsi and her fiance find a wonderful piece of furniture in their newly bought marriage bed which becomes destroyed when Mma Makutsi has the deliverymen leave it outside her home because it won't fit through her doors. Of course it was the life-giving rain that destroyed the beautiful red brocade heart-shaped headboard. How will she ever tell her fiance what she has done?
Mma Ramotswe has undertaken to find the family of a woman who became orphaned while trying to ascertain the author or nasty letters that arrive at the agency. Could it be that Precious Ramotswe has somehow offended a former client and how can she make things right? This situation is resolved by Charlie the garage apprentice who spots the culprit and a chaplinesque chase through the grocery store ensues.
Thanks to the rain, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has been summoned to help start the car of a doctor who believes that there is hope for the wheelchair-bound adopted daughter of the garage owner. Mr. Matekoni finds himself applying for a mortgage on the garage to take the child to Johannesburg and to a clinic there where it is hoped they can help her walk again. Indeed, I found myself hoping wholeheartedly that this would be the miracle promised by the title.Alas, Mr. Matekoni and his daughter return home with her still bound to her wheelchair.
Mma Makutsi learns that her fiance is a forgiving man when she tells him of the destroyed bed. And Mma Ramotswe's client, who at first learns that she has a brother, is quite happy with the turn of events at learning that our intrepid lady detective was the recipient of incorrect information.
It seems that along with everyone in Gaborone, and especially at Speedy Motors, we are reminded to look for the miracles in our everyday lives: seeing the sun upon awakening, hearing the call of a bird in the tree, having a roof over our heads and someone with which to share a cup of bush tea.
I highly recommend all of the books in this series and look forward to the next one.
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LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
The ninth installment of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency presents the reader with a number of new mysteries, not the least of which is that Mma Ramotswe is receiving threatening letters from an anonymous person. On the personal side, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni thinks he has found a doctor who will
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cure Motholeli’s paralysis and Mma Makutsi doesn’t known how to tell her fiancé that his new gift to her has been ruined. The characters are as entertaining as ever, and I felt there was a little more emphasis in this book on the mysteries themselves. Show Less
LibraryThing member lecia1167
This series is one of my favorites. It never disappoints! The now-familiar characters in this edition all seem to grow even more and become more understanding of each other.
There are things that will make you laugh out loud and others that will make you want to cry. But in the end, Botswana and
There are things that will make you laugh out loud and others that will make you want to cry. But in the end, Botswana and
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its residents are truly colorful, funny and compassionate people who know how important it is to be kind to others and use good common sense. Show Less
LibraryThing member seoulful
More adventures in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series that continue the longstanding themes of the passing of the old ways in the society of Botswana, of the handling of life's problems with kindness rather thatn vindictiveness and of looking upon life with gratitude rather than bitterness.
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All of these subjects are ruminated upon in the minds of the individuals as well as discussed openly as the cars in Mr. J T. L. Matekoni's shop are repaired and as the cases in Mma Romotswe's agency are solved. The lady detective, Mma Romotswe and her husband, Mr. J.T.L. Matekoni are the leading examples of kindness as they seek a miracle for their crippled adopted daughter, as they try to find a gentler way to break bad news so as not to unduly distress people and as they struggle to maintain the traditions, values and manners of the old Botswana. This latest from Alexander McCall Smith is written with the same insight into character and humor that his fans have come to expect. Show Less
LibraryThing member Alirob
Up to his usual standard; a real feel-good read.
LibraryThing member ChocolateMilkMaid
A.M. Smith's whimsical looniness is evident here in his latest Precious Ramotswe installation. The mystery involves a misplaced name and family, miracle cures and an uncomfortable bed situation, but all ends quite nicely. If you love The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, try another of Smith's
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creations, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series. Show Less
LibraryThing member nyiper
Once you know the characters, you love them and there can never be enough---I'm always ready for another one of these novels! The audio tapes are very special with Lisette Lecat as the continuing narrator through all of these works of art about Prescious Ramotswe. I feel as though I know the tiny
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part of Africa that A. McCall Smith describes---the smells, the sounds, the pace of life, the atmosphere. This is another one of the gems of his books---thoroughly rewarding listening. Show Less
LibraryThing member juliebean
This was my first foray into Smith's well-regarded novels. I had been warned that they moved slowly, but that is not necessarily a criticism. Many brilliant works move slowly, not only because of the rhythm of the prose, but also because the reader lingers over passages.
This text, on the other
Maybe people are attracted to these novels because they're the sort of stories that you can read while half asleep or otherwise distracted, and not miss a thing. Or because you could lose your place in the text and start reading many pages later, and still not have missed anything. In that case, however, I do not see the point of reading anything. I've read nutrition labels with more interest.
One other problem is that I'm sure that many people who have never been to Africa are interested in these novels because they take place in Botswana, and it is fun to read about locales we have never visited. However, there seemed to be very little in this novel that gave the reader any insight into Botswanan culture. If you changed the characters' names to more common Anglicized ones, and dropped the practice of referring to dead people as "late", and dropped the minor side story about trading cattle for a bride, you'd have a story that is so generic that it could take place anywhere.
So, the novel is slow, dull, and tells us little about the culture where it takes place. Sorry, Smith, but that's not my idea of a good read.
This text, on the other
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hand, is just downright dull. The entire story could be distilled onto one piece of paper, and it's hardly an interesting story at that. The writing is so simple that I began to suspect that Smith thinks his primary audience of readers is either barely literate or brain-damaged.Maybe people are attracted to these novels because they're the sort of stories that you can read while half asleep or otherwise distracted, and not miss a thing. Or because you could lose your place in the text and start reading many pages later, and still not have missed anything. In that case, however, I do not see the point of reading anything. I've read nutrition labels with more interest.
One other problem is that I'm sure that many people who have never been to Africa are interested in these novels because they take place in Botswana, and it is fun to read about locales we have never visited. However, there seemed to be very little in this novel that gave the reader any insight into Botswanan culture. If you changed the characters' names to more common Anglicized ones, and dropped the practice of referring to dead people as "late", and dropped the minor side story about trading cattle for a bride, you'd have a story that is so generic that it could take place anywhere.
So, the novel is slow, dull, and tells us little about the culture where it takes place. Sorry, Smith, but that's not my idea of a good read.
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LibraryThing member Yukikon
I started to think about what it is like to be a parent after I read this book. I exactly do not know how parents feel about kids, because I am not one. I always think my mom to be a "mom". I have never imagined the life of my mom as a woman. She is always mom to me, it is weird but it is good to
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know that she should have her own life as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member Liciasings
Just ok. Pretty feel-good, but very redundant and slow and repetative. I'm not really sure why I keep reading these. I love the pictures and the feeling of being in Africa with these characters and their worldviews. That is nice... I always can trust these books to make me feel a certain way. It
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will be a long time before I pick one up again, but I know that when I do, it will be peaceful, happy world to escape to. Show Less
LibraryThing member MrsLee
Not much new or exciting in this story, yet it feels like a visit to old friends. I walk alongside them as they grow in understanding of each other and try to make the best of their lives. As I read these things, it causes me to stop and ponder people I know and their motivations, or simply to
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chuckle at their human foibles. A gift from the author of quietness and peace. Show Less
LibraryThing member addunn3
Latest edition - daughter to SA for test, bad letters to Mma, daughter looking for relatives and rain comes to Botswana.