Customer Reviews

The Full Cupboard Of Life - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 5

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For those who know of and like this little series of books, this latest addition will provide much laughter and many poignant moments to reflect on life in Botswana. So, five stars for us!

But readers new to Mma Ramotswe and her compatriots should probably start at an earlier point in the series: preferably at the beginning. The satisfying climax Smith provides, complete with bits of text from hymns, would probably have novices wondering about the fuss over these books. The fuss is about characters who develop depth in throughout low-key, but engrossingly real, plots and about narrative that evokes an interest about Africa that transcends mere curiousity.

From the way that main characters are finally situated in their stories it seems that this was probably intended to be the final book in the series. For that reason, alone, I urge readers not to begin here. You'll pick up all the details you need, but you will not enjoy the texture of stories woven together, the colors of what I think was meant to be a sunset for these stories. Begin elsewhere.

The rest of us can take heart that the author has at least implied that these characters may have more stories to tell, after all. And as long as he loves this village of personalities, their stories will provoke thought and maintain interest.

In his fifth novel about the #1 Ladies Detective Agency, run by Mma Precious Ramotswe, author Alexander McCall Smith presents the full cupboard of Botswana life in all its richness. For Mma Ramotswe, people and their relationships are paramount, and she believes that these relationships are facilitated by Botswana's traditional code of behavior, with its customs of greetings, sitting down together, drinking bush tea, and casually talking around a subject, rather than addressing it aggressively.

Life is a rich, full, and happy experience for Mma Ramotswe, who can find out everything she wants to know from her broad network of family and friends. Engaged to the good-hearted Mr. J.L.B. Matakone, who has not yet set a date for a wedding, she helps him surreptitiously with his problems and cooks and cares for the two orphans he has taken into his home.

In this novel, full of gentle humor and wisdom, Mma Ramotswe and her friends face several "difficult" problems: A woman who has made a fortune establishing hair-braiding salons hires Mma Ramotswe to find out whether her suitors want to marry her for her money. Mr. J.L.B. Matakone finds himself tricked into "volunteering" to do a parachute jump. He is also disturbed to discover that First Class Motors, a rival garage, has sold improper parts and failed to service a classic old Range Rover correctly, and he has been procrastinating about reporting him to authorities.

With an obvious lack of exciting plot lines, the reader focuses completely on the characters-- beautifully drawn, sometimes flawed, and always forgiven their faults. In a pace as leisurely as life in Botswana, McCall Smith recreates the colorful everyday lives of these ordinary people, who treasure friendships, treat each other with respect, and possess inherent good sense. Honoring the values that contemporary readers sometimes do not take the time to preserve, McCall Smith portrays complex social relationships in very simple and direct prose. Warm, gently humorous, and loving, McCall Smith creates a vicarious nostalgia for this way of life. Mary Whipple

The Full Cupboard of Life is the fifth book in the series that features Mma Precious Ramotswe as the owner of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Botswana. The story features Precious, Mr J.L.B. Maketoni (her fiancé), Mma Makutsi (her assistant and the assistant manager of Mr Maketoni's garage), and Mma Potokwame (the matron of the orphan farm where Mr Maketoni helps out).

If you have not read any books in the series, I suggest that you look instead to begin with the first one (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency) and work your way through them in the order of their publication (Tears of the Giraffe, Morality for Beautiful Girls, and The Kalahari Typing School for Men). All of those books are better than this one, and provide helpful context for The Full Cupboard of Life.

The Full Cupboard for Life has one detective case in it. Mma Holonga is a successful entrepreneur who has developed a number of beauty parlors for braiding hair in interesting ways and also has created a special formula for treating the hair for braiding. At 40, she realizes that she lacks a husband and child . . . and decides to at least find a husband. But she doesn't want one who is after her money! So she hires Precious to check out her four suitors, beginning with the one she likes best. The case is delicate because Precious is well known in Botswana as a detective, and must avoid having the suitors realize that she is checking them out for Mma Holonga.

Most of the book, however, focuses on the personal lives of the others. Precious finally asks her fiancé when they will marry, and he answers that it will be a year or two before he can save the money for a large wedding. When she offers to sell some cattle to hasten the happy day, he declines her offer. When will they ever marry?

As usual, Mma Potokwame has plans for Mr J.L.B. Maketoni that will help the orphans. Precious is kept busy helping Mr J.L.B. Maketoni deflect and deal with those plans. In the process, Precious employs some of the classic methods of psychology to influence men to do what she wants them to do.

This book moves further away from the roots of the series. Except for one brief encounter with a snake, wild Africa plays no role in the story. The detective agency is almost an after-thought in the story's development. The one assignment is given as limited a space as is possible.

But Mr. Smith has created some delightful characters, and those who care about the characters will enjoy seeing them move on with their lives.

I hope that in future books Mr. Smith will once again put several detective cases in the story . . . and let wild Africa appear again as a character.

In his fifth novel about the #1 Ladies Detective Agency, run by Mma Precious Ramotswe, author Alexander McCall Smith presents the full cupboard of Botswana life in all its richness. For Mma Ramotswe, people and their relationships are paramount, and she believes that these relationships are facilitated by Botswana's traditional code of behavior, with its customs of greetings, sitting down together, drinking bush tea, and casually talking around a subject, rather than addressing it aggressively.

Life is a rich, full, and happy experience for Mma Ramotswe, who can find out everything she wants to know from her broad network of family and friends. Engaged to the good-hearted Mr. J.L.B. Matakone, who has not yet set a date for a wedding, she helps him surreptitiously with his problems and cooks and cares for the two orphans he has taken into his home.

In this novel, full of gentle humor and wisdom, Mma Ramotswe and her friends face several "difficult" problems: A woman who has made a fortune establishing hair-braiding salons hires Mma Ramotswe to find out whether her suitors want to marry her for her money. Mr. J.L.B. Matakone finds himself tricked into "volunteering" to do a parachute jump. He is also disturbed to discover that First Class Motors, a rival garage, has sold improper parts and failed to service a classic old Range Rover correctly, and he has been procrastinating about reporting him to authorities.

With an obvious lack of exciting plot lines, the reader focuses completely on the characters-- beautifully drawn, sometimes flawed, and always forgiven their faults. In a pace as leisurely as life in Botswana, McCall Smith recreates the colorful everyday lives of these ordinary people, who treasure friendships, treat each other with respect, and possess inherent good sense. Honoring the values that contemporary readers sometimes do not take the time to preserve, McCall Smith portrays complex social relationships in very simple and direct prose. Warm, gently humorous, and loving, McCall Smith creates a vicarious nostalgia for this way of life. Mary Whipple

In his fifth novel about the #1 Ladies Detective Agency, run by Mma Precious Ramotswe, author Alexander McCall Smith presents the full cupboard of Botswana life in all its richness. For Mma Ramotswe, people and their relationships are paramount, and she believes that these relationships are facilitated by Botswana's traditional code of behavior, with its customs of greetings, sitting down together, drinking bush tea, and casually talking around a subject, rather than addressing it aggressively. Life is a rich, full, and happy experience for Mma Ramotswe, who can find out everything she wants to know from her broad network of family and friends. Engaged to the good-hearted Mr. J.L.B. Matakone, who has not yet set a date for a wedding, she helps him surreptitiously with his problems and cooks and cares for the two orphans he has taken into his home.

In this novel, full of gentle humor and wisdom, Mma Ramotswe and her friends face several "difficult" problems: A woman who has made a fortune establishing hair-braiding salons hires Mma Ramotswe to find out whether her suitors want to marry her for her money. Mr. J.L.B. Matakone finds himself tricked into "volunteering" to do a parachute jump, in order to raise money for the Orphan Farm run by the intrepid Mma Potokwane, who refuses to take no for an answer. He is also disturbed to discover that First Class Motors, a rival garage, has sold improper parts and failed to service a classic old Range Rover correctly, and he has been procrastinating about confronting the garage owner or reporting him to authorities. Mma Makutsi, the assistant at the detective agency, has been so successful running the Kalahari Typing School for Men at night, that her dream of renting her own house has now come true, and Mma Ramotswe is helping her to furnish all two rooms.

With an obvious lack of exciting plot lines, the reader focuses completely on the characters-- beautifully drawn, sometimes flawed, and always forgiven their faults. In a pace as leisurely as life in Botswana, McCall Smith recreates the colorful everyday lives of these ordinary people, who treasure friendships, treat each other with respect, and possess inherent good sense. Honoring the values that contemporary readers sometimes do not take the time to preserve, McCall Smith portrays complex social relationships in very simple and direct prose. Warm, gently humorous, and loving, McCall Smith creates a kind of vicarious nostalgia for this way of life, a nostalgia which readers will continue to indulge and treasure as the series continues. Mary Whipple

It's the fifth book in the series; why are you even reading reviews? :)

[. . . ok, ok, if on the off chance this is the first of the series you've considered, go back to The #1 Ladies Detective Agency, buy 'em all!]

Once again, Alexander McCall Smith does not disappoint. Mma Ramotswe is the traditional Botswana lady, full of simple (though never simplistic) insights. I liked #1, fell in love with Tears of the Giraffe, and have not looked back since.

Here's the thing about this series: It's engaging, it's interesting, it evokes Africa so that you feel the hot dust in your throat and the sun on your shoulders and the cool of the shade. It shames most Americans because of our excess and lack of appreciation for something like running water. It reminds us that courtesy and kindness are international and timeless. And always, always, Mma Ramotswe makes an observation that, even though seemingly simple and obvious, makes you say "of course!" and often makes you smile and appreciate things you might otherwise overlook.

I have had the pleasure of reading all five installments of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency successively over the past couple of weeks. It was a great way to compare the books to each other while the prior one is still fresh in the memory. I enjoyed this one the least of the five book series. It is still an enjoyable read with all the characters that we have come to know and love in Precious Ramotswe's world but this book seemed to have less focus and was less compelling. The writing remains superb, as McCall Smith elegantly describes the African landscape and the unique "old Botswana" way of looking at life. He continues making commentaries on life and society, especially the interactions between women and men through the musings of the central characters. In this story, mystery and the solving of the mysteries seems to take a backseat to the personal lives of the characters and we are focused on Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni and his reluctance to get married as well as other problems that arise. The main mystery involves Mma Holonga a rich salon chain owner who is looking for a husband who is not only interested in her money. As usual the character of Mma Makutsi, adds a humorous as well as insightful touch to the plot. I would not recommend that this be the first book you read in the series as the characters are well established by now and the reader would miss the nuances portrayed in the story. In all, an enjoyable book but not my favorite in the series.

A relaxing book, filled with sly chuckles, and jardl;y any sustained detection, rather a polite and persistent inquiry like the later novels of Agatha Christie--BY THE PRICKING OF MY THUMBS for example, or POSTERN OF FATE. However, it is not senility that deters A. McC. Smith from supplying the thrills and clues, but his constantly attentive gaze on the characterization of his heroine, and his by no means hypercritical look at contemporary Botswana. We who have never seen the place, and probably bever will, have been given a tremendous gift by this fine author. He has taken us on invisible wings inside a society and culture so different than our own as to be truly 'foreign,' and yet he has shown us that life mirrors life, even if you've never taxied to a landing in a little place supplied by the Kalahari Flying Club.

By the way, as a sidelight, a Chicagoland friend told me that McCall Smith based the relationship of Precious Ramotswe and J L B Matekoni on that of our own Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham! The same dynamic seems to be in play, Precious' nervous impatience, mixed with her steely fortitude, in contrast to her fiancee's seemingly laissez-faire philosophy toward taking the next step--in both cases, setting an actual wedding date. It's not so farfetched because apparently McCall Smith was introduced to Oprah through the offices of Joanne (HARRY POTTER) Rowling, who lives in Edinburgh nearby the author of the LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY series.

This is the fifth of a contracted 8 books in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. The first book in the series broke out of genre limitations and was as much an astute and charming literary experience as it was a detective's story. The next three books offered more time with the enjoyable protagonist and regular characters in the surprising world of contemporary Botswanna, but they no longer held the surprise of the first book, and the mysteries devolved into simpler puzzle that were more comments on the human condition than challenging plots.

THE FULL CUPBOARD OF LIFE springs back with a lot of the energy of the first book. True, there is only one detective case that gets attention in the plot, plus the mystery of Mr. JLB Matekoni's intentions as Mma Ramotswe's fiancée-will he ever name the wedding date-but this volume buzzes with the character development, gentle humor, cultural backdrop and insight into human ironies that blasted the first book to international attention. There are twist endings to both questions posed to Mma Ramotswe. In the meantime, things are looking up for her associate, Mma Makutsi, whose entrepreneurship has brought her comfort in life though as yet has yielded a love interest, and there is much to be learned about the wiles of Mma Potokwani, the orphanage manager who knows how to get what she needs for her just causes. The author is true to his characters and their world, and works a spell with his graceful prose. The country he describes is astounding.

Like many others, I'm a big fan of the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series, but this is a really poor entry that barely even bothers to go through the motions. First of all, Mma Ramotswe has only one case to deal with, a wealthy woman who wants her four suitors checked out to eliminate any golddiggers. The first two she checks out are interesting enough, a bible-thumper seeking to reform bar girls, and a slick radio DJ. But Smith doesn't even get around to the other two, and wraps up that storyline in a very abrupt way. Another plotline revolves around Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni and a dishonest competitor garage, but this is small potatoes that doesn't really amount to much. A third plotline involves Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni's getting dragooned into a parachute jump to raise money for the orphanage, again, doesn't amount to much. The last major plotline concerns the marriage between Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni -- or rather, the lack thereof. The resolution to this is completely anti-climatic and doesn't do justice to the event. One might forgive the weak plotting if there was some really juicy character development, but there isn't. Even worse, some major characters almost totally disappear: Mma Makutsi has very little role, and the two orphan children adopted by Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni appear only once or twice. The book's got the same warmth and humor as the rest of the series, but it's all sort of perfunctory. One doesn't get nearly the same feel for the country and people. The overall is like looking forward to a weekend visit with old friends, only to find them totally distracted and distant. Big bummer of a book.