![]() And again, that’s a weird complaint to make about The No. It’s not a stage Mma Ramotswe is made for, which she tries to argue to no avail, and it’s not like she ever makes any strides towards changing the nature of politics. It’s hard to be gently, generically decent in politics. She’s decent and kind in a gentle, slightly generic way. It’s a somewhat awkward plotline because of that dance. “He’s not very forthcoming on any particular stances/Ask him a question: it glances off, he obfuscates, he dances”Īdmittedly, it does not take much to get me singing musicals. She doesn’t have any particular policy beliefs, except that she wants to stop the construction of a gaudy hotel next to a cemetery (this emphasis on tasteless hotels is possibly a dig on Trump, but that may just be my inclinations reflected back at me), which of course got Hamilton stuck in my head: Mma Ramotswe runs her campaign with the promise, essentially, of being a good person who will tell the truth. Surely it wouldn’t be possible for Mma Ramotswe to run for government without McCall Smith being forced to tip the hat one way or another. So when Mma Potokwane convinces her to run for political office, I was skeptical. However, she is kind and accepting in a way that’s not typical of capital T, capital C Traditional Conservatism, and she ends up sitting in a pleasant, neutral zone. Traditional values are emphasized, and Mma Ramotswe often thinks nostalgically of the olden days, so at first glance she and the novels seem pretty conservative. Mma Ramotswe and her characters have always pretty apolitical. THE LADIES NO 1 DETECTIVE AGENCY SERIESI don’t want to get into real-world politics (although if you look at the kinds of books I read, it’s not exactly a secret where I land), so I’ll leave that slight intro there and say that if there’s one series I never expected to wade into the political world, despite its relevancy, it’s this one. It’s impossible not to have political opinions now, because it has become very obvious how terrifying and messed up things get when good people don’t do anything. It’s no secret that the world is pretty political these days. I just had the sense that something about it was the slightest bit… off. That said, it’s still quite a lot of fun, and I very much enjoyed reading it. The Colors of All the Cattle is not my favorite individual novel because it has a very different feel… and not one that, in my opinion, fits the Ladies’ Detective Agency especially comfortably. ![]() I will always love this series, and I will always read it. Over the years, Mma Ramotswe has recruited some assistant detectives, and in this novel it is Charlie (formerly known as “the older apprentice”) who takes the lead on the main investigation while Mma Ramotswe is occupied elsewhere, specifically with a local election. The Colors of All the Cattle breaks from the format more than usual. ![]() The characters are incredibly charming, and the fact that they’re very set in their ways is part of that charm. Somehow the fact that all the books are basically the same is what makes me love them so much. Matekoni fixes cars and tries to manage his useless apprentices, and Mma Potowkane finagles people into donating generously to the orphan farm. I could describe most of them the same way: Mma Ramotswe drinks red bush tea, drives her white van, and solves domestic mysteries while Mma Makutsi reflects her past successes at the Botswana Secretarial College and moves up in life, Mr. They’re the sort of novels that are gentle and repetitive. I’ve been reading it for years (mostly before starting this blog unbelievably, I’ve only reviewed one other book in the series). ![]() 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is absolutely delightful. But onto the actual review.Īlexander McCall Smith’s series The No. If you’ve ever thought about writing fiction, you should give it a go because it is a great push to actually write instead of idly thinking about writing. For the next few weeks or so I’m probably going to have to do mini reviews instead of my usual long ones in an attempt catch up. November is NaNoWriMo, and so I prioritized fiction writing above writing my usual book reviews, which means I have a lot that I should’ve posted last month but am only getting to now. I have gotten very, very behind on reviews. ![]()
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