The No.

1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

1. Unlike in most other mysteries, in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Mma Ramotswe solves a number of small crimes, rather than a single major one. How does this affect the narrative pacing of the novel? What other unique features distinguish The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency from the conventional mystery novel?
I liked the slow easy pace of this novel. It wasn't like others that keep you tense and on the edge of your seat. I like the fact that the agency handles a series of small cases, since this is a bit different (most are working on one big case, or a couple of related/unrelated ones) since it's more of a real-life situation. In other books, "Murder She Wrote," for example, there's a murder every time so you'd think Cabot Cove is "murder capitol" of the world. 2. What makes Precious Ramotswe such a charming protagonist? What kind of woman is she? How is she different from the usual detective? Why does she feel "called" to help her fellow Africans "solve the mysteries of their lives" [p. 4]? - She is fiercely independent and practical. At the same time she is very creative in her approach to solving cases. She is also very honest but believes lies are sometimes justified. She doesn't like people who are bullies or otherwise abuse their positions and/or power. She is also quite fearless except for when it comes to snakes. - I liked her independence, and her values. She has a unique voice which carried the novel well. Like a lot of detectives, she was a bit unchanging, but that would be the nature of the mystery novel. - Precious is precious. She is traditionally built and likes herself. Obviously the men like her too. - I can relate to Precious Ramotswe in so many ways--she's "traditionally built"; she suffered from an awful first husband and was reluctant to try again; she's resourceful both in her private life and in her business; she tries to help others but stands up for herself; she looks back to her father and the old times w/ fondness. 3. What is surprising about the nature of the cases Mma Ramotswe is hired to solve? By what means does Alexander McCall Smith sustain the reader's interest, in the absence of the kind of tension, violence, and suspense that drive most mysteries? The cases are realistic and could be boring, but the author combines wit/humor to carry the plot along. And, the books aren't overly long. The quirkiness of the method of storytelling, the unusual cases, and the unique setting keep the reader curious. 4. Mma Ramotswe's first client, Happy Bapetsi, is worried that the man who claims to be her father is a fraud taking advantage of her generosity. "All he does," she says, "is sit in his chair outside the front door and tell me what to do for him next." To which Mma Ramotswe replies, "Many men are like that" [p. 10]. What is Mma Ramotswe's view of men generally? How do men behave in the novel?

Mma Ramotswe thinks most men are lazy, dishonest, and just want a wife to take care of them. It is ironic that despite her outlook and independence when a snake enters her car and she is fearful of removing it, she says "this is what husbands are for." Most of the men aren't all that great--the silly apprentices, the cheating husbands, etc. It's totaly a "woman's book." But, the mechanic and her deceased father are good men, so it's not total male bashing.

5. Why does Mma Ramotswe feel it is so important to include her father's life story in the novel? What does Obed Ramotswe's life reveal about the history of Africa and of South Africa? What does it reveal about the nature and cost of working in the mines in South Africa? The background of Mm R.s fathers life gives us a strong feeling for the solid work ethic of the people in SA. And the reason that she only respects hard working men. . She includes her father's story because he was such an influence on her--and embodies the "old ways" she finds so comforting. 6. Mma Ramotswe purchases a manual on how to be a detective. It advises one to pay attention to hunches. "Hunches are another form of knowledge" [p. 79]. How does intuition help Mma Ramotswe solve her cases?

Hunches are part of the color and charm of any detective novel. By quoting her manuals and other detectives Mm R. is able to validate things she does and confuse her adversaries to gain time and information. I liked the bit about hunches. However, her hunches weren't always right-- like the boyfriend Jack who shows up later

7. When Mma Ramotswe decides to start a detective agency, a lawyer tells her "It's easy to lose money in business, especially when you don't know anything about what you're doing. . . . And anyway, can women be detectives?" To which Mma Ramotswe answers, "Women are the ones who know what's going on. They are the ones with eyes. Have you not read Agatha Christie?" [p. 61]. Is she right in suggesting women are more perceptive than men? Where in the novel do we see Mma Ramotswe's own extraordinary powers of observation? How does she comically undercut the lawyer's arrogance in this scene? - I think women are more intuitive about people, and men are more intuitive about process in general. Mm. R. always uses humor and a subtle touch to get her way. -In many cases women are more perceptive then men. But also in a society where women aren't detectives, people would be letting down their guard when she was around not really realizing that she was picking up on information. That is how she was able to figure out the doctors. They weren't expecting a detective, so they bought her story about why she was in their backyard and invited her in where she was able to get more information on them. Funny she mentioned Agatha Christie since she's similar to Miss Marple in some ways. 8-)

8. As Mma Ramotswe wonders if Mma Malatsi was somehow involved in her husband's death and whether wanting someone dead made one a murderer in God's eyes, she thinks to herself: "It was time to take the pumpkin out of the pot and eat it. In the final analysis, that was what solved these big problems of life. You could think and think and get nowhere, but you still had to eat your pumpkin. That brought you down to earth. That gave you a reason for going on. Pumpkin" [p. 85]. What philosophy of life is Mma Ramotswe articulating here? Why do the ongoing daily events of life give her this sense of peace and stability? These references to daily chores grounding us amidst chaos makes me think of the TV show, Medium. That character is always struggling with little children, meals, husband, etc. as she figures out a mystery. But, the pumpkin or grounding is really fun when the author ties it to the answer of the mystery - as in the shows House and Munk. I dont remember if the pumpkin was tied to these mysteries in this book . Candide ends with a quote that we must all work in our own gardens. It is an interesting critique on western society, and probably true. I teach literature, and I don't think many people even touch Voltaire. Not sIt's about being content w/ the life we've made for ourselves--accepting past mistakes, etc., and moving on as best we can.ure why it is here, as I don't remember any white characters.

It's about being content w/ the life we've made for ourselves--accepting past mistakes, etc., and moving on as best we can.

9. Why does Mma Ramotswe marry Note? Why does this act seem so out of character for her? In what ways does her love for an attractive and physically abusive man make her a deeper and more complicated character? How does her marriage to Note change her? I am so glad she decided to marry Note. It was perfect that she just up and said yes. That really was her character. Her success as a detective gave her confidence to try to live again. Note appears to be Mma Ramotswe's first "love". her mother died when she was very young and she did not have a reference to what a good marriage looked like. I think she learned to be very cautious and perhaps distrusting of all men after this experience, hence, her reluctance to marry even someone she knows to be a good man . Marrying Note was out of character, as you say, but we all make mistakes--and some of them are massive, w/ far-reaching consequences. Without the marriage and the lost baby, she would probably have been a more one-dimensional character and not as interesting.

10. Mma Ramotswe imagines retiring back in Mochudi, buying some land with her cousins, growing melons, and living life in such a way that "every morning she could sit in front of her house and sniff at the wood-smoke and look forward to spending the day talking with her friends. How sorry she felt for white people, who couldn't do any of this, and who were always dashing around and worrying themselves over things that were going to happen anyway. What use was it having all that money if you could never sit still or just watch your cattle eating grass? None, in her view; none at all" [p. 162]. Is Mma Ramotswe's critique of white people on the mark or is she stereotyping? What makes her sense of what is important, and what brings happiness, so refreshing? What other differences between black and white cultures does the novel make apparent?

. Her idea of a happy life is pretty much what everyone in the south wants to do.

10. Of course, it's stereotyping, but it gives you an insight into her character as well--and isn't a bad representation of the white people who went to Africa, as far as i understand the history.

11. Mma Ramotswe does not want Africa to change, to become thoroughly modern: "She did not want her people to become like everybody else, soulless, selfish, forgetful of what it means to be an African, or, worse still, ashamed of Africa" [p. 215]. But what aspects of traditional African culture trouble her? How does she regard the traditional African attitude toward women, marriage, family duty, and witchcraft? Is there a contradiction in her relationship to "old" Africa? 11. She thinks about the changing world as we all do. I think that the tension she has with her society is very believable, maybe one of the most believable elements of the book. You don't have to love, or even approve of, everything in your society in order to love it. (A lesson in taking criticism that I think we would do well to listen to.) I do wonder at the decision to resolve the conflict by having her meet the witchdoctor's wife, not the witchdoctor (the only man who seems to do anything). It could be because of the ambiguous nature of her feelings toward traditional Africa, but a pointer from the author would have been useful here.

12. How surprising is Mme Ramotswe's response to Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni's marriage proposal? How appropriate is the ending of the novel? I would have expected a bigger change in the character for her to accept the marriage proposal. Other than the snake issue, which she proudly declared to have finally solved (with help)

13. Alexander McCall Smith has both taught and written about criminal law. In what ways does in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency draw upon this knowledge? How are lawyers and the police characterized in the novel?

Both lawyers and police are dishonest, easily influenced by money, easily bribed. Police will not investigate crimes if they involve powerful people. think that Smith does have an ability to describe the world from different viewpoints (he is a white Scotsman, after all). It is probably one of his strengths. I just wished he'd filled in the sketches a bit more. I don't think he ever had it wrong, he just left a lot of work for the reader. I thought it was interesting that his website compared him to P.G. Wodehouse. What was idfferent was I was always certain about the motivation of Wodehouse;s characters, and he seemed to want them to be two dimensional. However, the fact that Precious would sometimes worry that she was wrong, but didn't seem to be affected by it, still bugged me. . I don't recall a lot of specifics, but she doesn't have a great opinion, as I recall, of either.

14. Is in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency a feminist novel? Does the fact that its author is a man complicate such a reading? How well does Alexander McCall Smith represent a woman's character and consciousness in Mma Ramotswe?

I have always wondered how novelists change their point of view. It is an amazing talent. As for feministthat definition is so changing right now, that I am not sure.

It can be seen as a beginning of a feminist movement. She is refusing to do what the men tell her to do, she is doing what she wants and what she feels is right for her. But by doing this and having others realize that women are capable of other things, she is encouraging change in Africa towards a busier life. Exactly the part that she doesn't want to change. I believe it's feminist in a positive way, and I believe the author did an excellent job of representing a woman. I was surprised to find it was written by a man, but back to Agatha Christie, we know it can be done.

15. Alexander McCall Smith's Precious Ramotswe books have been praised for their combination of apparent simplicity with a high degree of sophistication. In what ways does in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency have the appeal of simple storytelling? In what ways is it sophisticated? What does it suggest about the larger issues of how to live one's life, how to behave in society, how to be happy?

. It is simply told as Mm. R. might have written it- straight forward and without explanations. It is sophisticated in the way that the reader may infer how she thinks and is motivated by her innermost heart.