Words leave imprints in your mind like footprints in the sand...
2000s: If you have ever wanted to read about or learn about Southern Africa then reading this and the series of novels it produced will be a good way of doing it. Alexander McCall Smith holds the country close to his heart – he has spent time in both Botswana and lived for a time in Swaziland too.
Precious Ramotswe is one of the most delightful main characters in a novel that we have ever read! She heads up a crime solving agency to help the people of Botswana and goes about her work with such care and attention for the villagers. Woven amongst the cases she solves are beautiful descriptions of the land and insights into African culture. It turns out that Precious also has some secrets of her own.
The agency is located in Gaborone- capital of Botswana. Its founder is a Botswana woman, Mma Precious Ramotswe, who features as the stories’ protagonist and main detective.
Mma Ramotswe had a detective agency in Africa, at the foot of Kgales hill. These were its assets: a tiny white van, two desks, two chairs, a telephone and and old type-writer.
A quaint and gentle place at first sight but this is a lady not to be trifled with. Detective agencies need relatively little apart from these things and a few mugs of course for the brewing of her infamous redbush tea.
Detective agencies rely on human intuition and intelligence both of which Mma Ramotswe had in abundance.
Gabarone and the landscape beautifully evoked on its many colourful covers brings the sights, sounds and vibrancy of this part of Africa. The colourful characters, language, human characters and the animals.
Oh it’s just a delight from start to finish and you will never forget your first visit to the Detective Agency!
To visit the main locations of the novels the company here is signaled by the author on his website as being one of the few literary tours in Africa!
Twitter: @McCallSmith
Web:alexandermccallsmith.co.uk
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