Monday 31 March 2008

Book Review: Alexander McCall - The Good Husband of Zebra Drive .

I reviewed the No1 Ladies Detective Agency series not too long ago and was delighted when I got my hands on the latest instalment.

It didn’t disappoint, despite being the sixth in the series they show no sign of running out of steam. As before the book centres around a number of cases for detection running parallel with each other and with events in the characters lives

Although a fairly big book, the prose is clear and deceptively simple and so didn’t take long to read at all. The main characters: Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi and Mr J L B Matekoni are brought to life with gentle humour and a wonderful sense of humility. On putting this book down, I found it hard to believe that these characters were not real people, so well drawn and three-dimensional are they.

The characters move through the book dealing with the everyday issues of life – marriage, friendship, families, tradition and it often seems as if the cases are solved almost as a hindsight, resolved almost by themselves.

This is very much a feel-good book although tainted with sadness and containing wisdom. Parts of it made me laugh out loud (Charlie and his No.1 Ladies Taxi) and other parts sigh. As with the previous instalments, Botswana is brought to life and you find yourself feeling deep affection for Africa, for Botswana , the Kalahari and the Motswana’s love of tradition values and pride in their country.

I would recommend this book to anyone, it is very hard not to adore.

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous19 June, 2008

    these books are wicked! :O) i always seem to find myself reading this book in an african accent at some points, mma Ramotswe is too cool ;o)

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