The Full Cupboard of Life (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 5)
by Alexander Mccall Smith
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Book Summary Information
Author: Alexander Mccall SmithEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-01-25
ISBN: 1400031818
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Anchor
Book Reviews of The Full Cupboard of Life (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 5)
Book Review: Another gentle winner in this amazing little series!
Summary: 5 Stars
Precious Ramotswe and the persons close to her have more important but low key "adventures" in store for them in THE FULL CUPBOARD OF LIFE, the 5th book in the NUMBER 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY SERIES.
Mma. Ramotswe is becoming slightly despairing of ever getting a firm wedding date from the gentlemanly but passive J.L.B. Matekoni. And poor Mr. Matekoni grapples with double-trouble...on one hand, Mma. Potokwani is pressuring him to help with a fundraiser for the orphanage...BY JUMPING FROM AN AIRPLANE. On the other hand, he's outraged over the shoddy work down by a fellow car repair shop, and feels it is his duty to confront the ethically challenged owner. Mma. Ramotswe also has an interesting case of her own, investigating the would-be husbands to a rich business woman.
If you've never read the series, then the paragraph above should be pretty incomprehensible to you. And that is as it should be. This series rewards careful devotion and it must be read from the start! While the plots are not as complex and fraught with action as say THE LORD OF THE RINGS or even a multi-generational epic from someone like John Jakes...they DO take you through the seemingly mundane but nonetheless very rewarding lives of some folks in Botswana who are very, very interesting to learn about.
This book has all the by now familiar patterns and tone of all of Alexander McCall Smith's works in the series. A crisp, clean evocation of the land. An appreciation of the fact that not all modern thoughts and ideas are superior to the "old ways." An affection for all his characters that readily carries to the reader. A meandering style that seems to be leading virtually nowhere, but is capable of landing with an emotional impact. Gentle mysteries. And the ability to make us root for these ordinary folk as they grapple with such ordinary yet immediately identifiable problems and quandaries. I feel the characters in these books are really like old friends, and each time I visit with them, it's a treat.
So, if you're a fan, the 2nd paragraph of this book ought to be enough to make you want to dive in to the series again. You know what I mean when I describe the tone of the books...and you know you want to see what our old friends are up to!
If you've not read the series, I hope you'll take all the subsequent paragraphs as my little plea to give it a try. They are delicate little books...easily devoured and enjoyed, but they linger just a little bit for a long time.
I don't know how McCall Smith does it...but this elderly Scotsman depicts these African men and particularly women with such care, his style never ceases to amaze me, and always leaves me wanting more.
All the books in the series are HIGHLY recommended (at least through Part 5...that's as far as I've gotten.)
Summary of The Full Cupboard of Life (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 5)
In the fifth book in the prodigiously successful series, traditionally built, eminently sensible Mma Precious Ramotswe continues her enterprise at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Gaborone, Botswana, a country that is indeed fortunate.Still engaged to the estimable Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, Mma Ramotswe understands that she should not put too much pressure on him, as he has other concerns, especially a hair-raising request from the ever persuasive Mma Potokwane, matron of the orphan farm. Besides Mma Ramotswe herself has weighty matters on her mind. She has been approached by a wealthy lady to check up on several suitors. Are these men interested in the lady or just her money? This may be a difficult case, but it's just the kind of problem Mma Ramotswe likes and she is, as we know, a very intuitive lady.
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