At once gentle and affectionate while also beautifully witty and thought-provoking, I can highly recommend From a Far and Lovely Country. Here we are at book 24 in the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, and this novel is as wonderfully readable as the previous titles. Author Alexander McCall Smith is so eloquent, he brings Mma Ramotswe and Makutsi to vividly vibrant life. He shines a light on the small things that actually really matter and his sense of humour is kind yet capable of being pointed. In his latest novel the detective agency is tasked with finding long-lost relatives, and discovering who is behind a new club taking advantage of single women. As usual there are several strands to the plot which wends its way through the pages. The sense of place allowed me to feel a part of Botswana and I loved spending time there. Astute observations, even if whispered, sing with intensity. The characters shine brightly, and the relationship between the two leads is as enjoyable as ever. From a Far and Lovely Country is the most gorgeous addition to a series where differences are celebrated and kindness championed.
The twenty-fourth book in the multi-million copy bestselling and perennially adored No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.
If you are the founder and Managing Director of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency you may expect complete strangers to approach you with their problems when they see you having dinner with your husband in a peri-peri restaurant. And if you are Precious Ramotswe, you are a kind and helpful person who will be willing to take on a quest to find the relatives of a man who, many years ago, left the country for the uncertainties and dangers of a distant conflict.
While that is going on, though, there may be other things that claim your attention - such as the shocking news that a club that calls itself the Cool Singles Evening Club is encouraging married men to pretend to be single and meet women under false pretences. Who can be behind such a distasteful venture? Mma Ramotswe shows great tact in dealing with this situation, and avoids harm to the innocent.
And all the time, she and her assistant, Grace Makutsi, are getting on with their normal lives - which, of course, include birthdays and the buying of birthday presents. A new dress makes a fine present, but not if, when being tried on, it splits in a way that is thought to be irreparable. Mma Potokwani has dealt with situations far worse that, and in dealing with this local emergency she shows her characteristic wisdom. At the end of the day, disaster is averted. Life in Botswana, that far and lovely country of the title, continues smoothly, which is what Mma Ramotswe and her friends want - and most certainly deserve.