C. (Comment, never msg).'s Reviews > Tears of the Giraffe
Tears of the Giraffe (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #2)
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I have a lot to say about Alexander McCall Smith’s series. It is for readers who don’t mind jumping outside a structure and especially; for appreciators of the rich, intricate privilege of immersion in someone else’s culture. Acquaintance with Botswana, Africa is the point. Mysteries are on the side but this series certainly belongs to the genre, in the Botswana way. An incongruous person and place make Precious Ramotswe’s career whimsical; except that it works! Her ‘No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency’ receives ample clients. Rather than one mystery driving the novels; she solves two or three per story, while we observe life in her customs and climate.
Do not minimize these by mistaking the underlying whimsy for “cozy mysteries”. The cultural portrayals are profound and the topics are very serious and sobering. These are “standard adult mysteries”, with a perceptive heroine who surprises us at every turn and makes them spectacular. This is a novel to envision, when we say some of them feel like a journey. Uncannily, this Scottish author has no accent and writes halting, plain dialogue; just the way educated people whose second language is English would speak. We learn how to address men and women, how to respectfully shake hands, and to upturn both of them to receive a gift. Not hiring domestic help if you can afford it at all is considered unkind, for it employs the would-be poor. I feel well-versed in interacting appropriately, if I could visit.
An astonishing survival tactic of a nomadic race, is burying nursing infants if their Mothers die, because taking care of them would weigh on their resources! Siblings come into the lives of Precious and her fiancé, because a Sister saved her Brother and they eventually joined an orphanage. “Tears Of The Giraffe”, 200o, is poignantly memorable.
Do not minimize these by mistaking the underlying whimsy for “cozy mysteries”. The cultural portrayals are profound and the topics are very serious and sobering. These are “standard adult mysteries”, with a perceptive heroine who surprises us at every turn and makes them spectacular. This is a novel to envision, when we say some of them feel like a journey. Uncannily, this Scottish author has no accent and writes halting, plain dialogue; just the way educated people whose second language is English would speak. We learn how to address men and women, how to respectfully shake hands, and to upturn both of them to receive a gift. Not hiring domestic help if you can afford it at all is considered unkind, for it employs the would-be poor. I feel well-versed in interacting appropriately, if I could visit.
An astonishing survival tactic of a nomadic race, is burying nursing infants if their Mothers die, because taking care of them would weigh on their resources! Siblings come into the lives of Precious and her fiancé, because a Sister saved her Brother and they eventually joined an orphanage. “Tears Of The Giraffe”, 200o, is poignantly memorable.
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Reading Progress
January 18, 2019
–
Started Reading
January 18, 2019
– Shelved
January 18, 2019
– Shelved as:
riedel-titles-2019
January 19, 2019
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14.98%
"I am happy to return to Botswana with Mma Ramotswe, picking up after her engagement to the mechanic shop owner. I for one, don't care when the mini mysteries of her detective agency begin; a brief, unique style I enjoy. I run four easy reading challenges: do pay me a visit. I see mystery and fantasy galore from peers. This one book works for both "Celtic Coasts" and "My Kind Of Mystery". The author is Scottish."
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34
January 22, 2019
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Finished Reading
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Meredith (Trying to catch up!)
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Jan 28, 2019 05:34PM
Glad you enjoyed, Carolyn!
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It is always nice when you visit, Meredith! Yes, what a lovely feeling when we like a book better than the last time, or it is better than we expect!