The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency, written by Alexander McCall Smith in 1998, features Precious Ramotswe, a traditionally built detective in Botswana. The series addresses serious issues while developing characters and their interactions. Ramotswe’s philosophy focuses on everyday life and gratitude, and the books have been well received despite some criticism.
The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency is a book written by Alexander McCall Smith, published in 1998. The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency is owned by the traditionally constructed, in other words, plus sized character, Precious Ramotswe, who lives in Botswana. Her popularity as a character led to five sequels to the fascinating first book, and Smith was commissioned to write two more.
McCall Smith, who has spent a lot of time in Botswana, originally conceived the beloved character of Mma Ramotswe, for a short story. He says he was inspired to create Precious as he watched a woman vigorously chase a chicken in a backyard in Botswana. The short story quickly developed into a longer treatment and soon the character of Mma Ramotswe formed the basis for The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency.
The fictitious agency deals with small matters such as suspicious indiscretions of wives or husbands. Although the books are slightly mysterious, the real interest for most readers is the continued development of the story of Mma Ramotswe and those other characters that many readers have become attached to.
In The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency, the reader is quickly introduced to JLB Maketoni, a well-principled garage mechanic who fixes the tiny white van Mma Ramotswe drives on her quest to solve petty mysteries. In addition, the character of Mma Makutsi, the secretary of the agency, is also greatly developed.
Through the eyes of Mma Ramotswe serious issues are addressed, such as the presence of AIDS in Africa, poverty, the occasional cruelty of husbands to their wives, severe depression and the subject of modern governance in Botswana. What readers often find intriguing is how the characters interact with each other, which differs markedly from interactions in the Western world. Inherent in Ramotswe’s philosophy is a feeling of responsibility to all who live in her country. There is a shared sense of caring about her people and observing high moral standards. Many of Botswana’s problems are related to the abandonment of traditional Botswana ideology.
In The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency and subsequent novels, Mma Ramotswe has what many Westerners would consider an Eastern philosophy about the way of life. Precious changes what she can, but she acknowledges that some things, like AIDS, are out of her control. Her focus is on the mysteries and complexities of everyday life, rather than on big issues, which though sad, are uncontrollable.
Precious changes what she can and sighs about the things she can’t change, but not for long. Overall, she is happy and grateful to be living in her country. Her attitude towards life is one of gratitude, even though her tragic backstory has detailed the loss of a son and an evil first husband. Her detective agency is a small way to help her world improve.
On a lighter note, Ramotswe deplores the tendency for women to want to be so thin. Readers may enjoy her satisfaction at finding a rack of size 22 dresses for sale. Instead of complaining about her figure, Ramotswe is, in fact, quite proud of her traditional build.
The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency is interesting in voice. Certain words such as “traditionally built”, “small white van” and “bush tea”, are often repeated evoking an oral rather than a written tradition. Some readers appreciate the repetitions, but others feel that the novel and its sequels lack the qualities characteristic of good works of literature. Despite the critics, the six books published so far have been well received and have created an interest in Smith’s other novels, as well as an interest in learning more about the Botswanan way of life.
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