The first three books in Alexander MCCall Smith's beloved bestselling series, featuring Mma Precious Ramotswe, the traditionally built, eminently sensible, cunning proprietor of the only ladies' detective agency in Botswana, are now available in a beautifully designed boxed set.
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"Smart and sassy. . . . Precious's progress is charted in passages that have the power to amuse or shock or touch the heart, sometimes all at once." —Los Angeles Times
"One of the most entrancing literary treats of many a year. . . . A tapestry of extraordinary nuance and richness." —The Wall Street Journal
"One of the most entrancing literary treats of many a year. . . . A tapestry of extraordinary nuance and richness." —The Wall Street Journal
From the Inside Flap
The first three books in Alexander MCCall Smith's beloved bestselling series, featuring Mma Precious Ramotswe, the traditionally built, eminently sensible, cunning proprietor of the only ladies' detective agency in Botswana, are now available in a beautifully designed boxed set.
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More About the Author
Alexander McCall Smith was born in what is now Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana. He is now Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He has written more than fifty books, including a number of specialist titles, but is best known for The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, which has achieved bestseller status on four continents. In 2004 he was awarded British Book Awards Author of the Year and Booksellers Association Author of the Year. He lives in Scotland, where in his spare time he is a bassoonist in the RTO (Really Terrible Orchestra).
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
53 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The first book of the series started slowly because I expected a conventional mystery (Mma Ramotswe is a detective, after all). Instead, these are gentle plots that reveal characters and the modern story of Africa. The writing and, for me, unfamiliar rubrics of daily conversation in Botswana soon completely captivated me. These three novels hang together nicely and they do not seem in any sense repetitive. Characters develop and change as the series moves along. The only thing many readers say as they close the cover of the last of the three books (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Tears of the Giraffe, and Morality for Beautiful Girls) in this set is, "More! More!" The set will be a great Christmas present for a number of the readers on my list.
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By ArtCalls2Me
Format:Paperback
I loved these books! Simple and well written, I hope the series goes on and on.
I looked up the definition of Mma and Rra. If you go to http://www.gov.bw/tourism/culture_and_his/language.html
you can hear the correct pronunciation by clicking the little sound symbol to the right of the words.
Basically, Mma means "Madame" and Rra means "Sir". They are pronounced exactly as they appear. The Rra has more of a rolled "r" sound, though. Mma is pronounced "Maah" and Rra is pronounced "Rrraah", both with a sharp "ah" sound at the end. I was not able to find out where these words came from originally, or if they are a shorter version of more formal words.
Happy Reading! Z
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By L. Ramkey
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having visited Botswana a few years ago and having been a female private investigator in a past life, a friend couldn't help but introduce me to 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'. How could I resist this one? It was a literary blessing and near spiritual experience to once again cross the Atlantic to escape the complications and experience the purity, the simplicity and the primitive beauty of Botswana. This a land where, when trees fall across the dusty, sandy roads, the tree is not removed. It's just time for the road to change its course, leaving the tree to continue its cycle through the ecosystem. Mma Precious Ramotswe and her circle of family and friends easily mimic the respectful and infectious spirit of this land. I could easily identify with her love of her homeland and her desire to preserve the freedom and justice Botswana brings to its people. Her common sense and logic, cunning ability to outfox the fox, combined with her strength of character, confidence and dogged courage make her a new literary heroine for me. Alexander McCall Smith has captured the essense of Botswana and its people perfectly through his endearing characters. I can't wait to be infused with more of Precious' wisdom and hilarious antics.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
adventures and foibles
author
ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH-born -24 aug 1948-Rhodesian born-
Scottish writer-Professor of Medical Law.
main characters-MMA PRECIOUS RAMOTSWE. Read more
ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH-born -24 aug 1948-Rhodesian born-
Scottish writer-Professor of Medical Law.
main characters-MMA PRECIOUS RAMOTSWE. Read more
Published 16 days ago by BbP
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stories with good family values
Set in Botswana, these are wonderful stories for the whole family, stories that teach about forgiveness, reconciliation, and justice as Mma Ramotswe goes about her job as the first... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Carol J. Wu
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read
Alexander McCall Smith uses dry humor and simple folks to expose great insight into human nature. I love the whole series. These are just the first three.
Published 3 months ago by Wanda Valor
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy Read
If you can't get to Africa this is another way to get to know some of their people and the land. The books are an easy read and very enjoyable.
Published 8 months ago by Hot Mamma Donna
2.0 out of 5 stars
Books
I have not received the books yet. I'm going to order again. It was the gift for my mom. It is sad that it didn't arrive before Christmas.
Published 17 months ago by BD
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exactly What I Ordered!
I ordered this as a gift for my mom. This product came in a timely manner and was packaged to perfection! Thanks again Amazon.com!!
Published 17 months ago by mdavis2010
1.0 out of 5 stars
Slow as molasses..........
Let's just say that I placed two orders: one for the books from "Oddly Antiques" and one for a gift fir my sister in hawaii. Read more
Published 19 months ago by mainrehmat
5.0 out of 5 stars
A New Found Friend
This is the first book I have read by Alexander McCall Smith. I read the condensed version of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency in a Reader's Digest. Read more
Published on November 27, 2010 by oracleseeker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great!
This is a great little boxed set of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I love the books and they arrived in perfect shape and in a very short time. No complaints here!
Published on August 14, 2010 by Prudence W. Kent
1.0 out of 5 stars
for African buffs..would be good
Poorly written, in my opinion..too muchon Africa and not enough on story.Too much time spent on descriptive narrative ...couldn't read it...bored right off the bat... Read more
Published on March 14, 2010 by B. Rivera
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