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Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Humor (Fiction.) Life is good for Mma Ramotswe as she sets out with her usual resolve to solve people's problems, heal their misfortunes, and untangle the mysteries that make life interesting. And life is never dull on Tlokweng Road. A new and rather too brusque advice columnist is appearing in the local paper. Then, a cobra is found in the offices of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Recently, the Mokolodi Game Preserve manager feels an infectious fear spreading among his workers, and a local doctor may be falsifying blood pressure readings. To further complicate matters, Grace Makutsi may have scared off her own fiance. Mma Ramotswe, however, is always up to the challenge. And Blue Shoes and Happiness will not fail to entertain Alexander McCall Smith's oldest fans and newest converts with its great wit, charm, and great good will.… (more)
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There is some great commentary on diets and troubles of 'traditionally built' ladies.
After re-read: not much elseto say, as always the actual problems are just a side show for the interaction of these wonderfully polite civilised characters. Sketched in a light flowing style easily readable, enjoyably concerned with each others lives. As always the moralising of Mma Ramotswe is the highlight, what shoudl friends say to each other regarding personality quirks?
I'm not 100% of my feelings regarding this book. I don't want to feel that I'm looking at these characters' lives as 'simpler' than my life, and therefore 'moving' or 'charming'
A very small part, in which I felt I 'read' the author's voice in a very honest way, made me let out a little breath of emotion, though: the nine repetitions of the word 'africa' in a diamond shape on the last page of the book. I let go of some of my worries with that breath.
It's easy to enjoy these characters and their worries, compassion for one another, and the beautiful cadences of their speech.
All the characters that we have come to know and love through the series are here and well represented. The stories are gentle and would be much better described as character studies than mysteries.
All in all - another successful installment in a series that has consistently delivered warm stories about characters who are easy to like and care about.
Since Mma Makutsi is now engaged to be married it is sure fun to watch the dynamics from her relationship as it evolves. She has always been such a strong woman, working hard to take care of herself, that I really don't see that aspect of her life changing in the future. Throughout this book it was brought to her attention several times that because she is preparing to marry a successful furniture store owner, that she probably will not need to work any longer. Don't count on her giving up her rank of Assistant Detective any time soon. The relationship does experience a bit of turmoil so you find yourself wondering if Grace Makutsi will be getting married after all.
Several times throughout this book the subject of Mma Ramotswe's unhealthy body weight is brought to her attention. Although she is still referred to as a traditionally built woman, there are more negative undertones in these comments than there have been in the past.
After reading these books it was so fun to watch this series when it aired on HBO. They did such a great job of casting characters that fit the descriptions so well. And now I have a good picture of them as I read more of these novels. Mr. Polopetsi has returned in this novel and it will be interesting to see how is character develops in future installments. Several questions about his past have been left unanswered in this book to give him a colorful future in this series.
My book club discussed this one last night and although it was enjoyable, most of the group didn't enjoy this one as much as previous installments. We always look forward to discussing books from this series together and I am sure we will be reading the next one. These books are always such a fun and delightful reading experience, so if you are looking for something quick and light, you might want to look into reading this series.
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Once again Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsa are on the trails of several mysteries. When Grace’s fiancé doesn’t show up for dinner, she gets nervous that their engagement if off, and while waiting for an answer, she purchases a pair of lovely
This was a reread for me for a reading challenge, and I had forgotten just enough to make it enjoyable once again.