Lead Review (In The Company of Cheerful Ladies)
- Book: In the Company of Cheerful Ladies #6
- Location: Botswana
- Author: Alexander McCall Smith
#fromourbookshelves
Not everyone will know about the Mma Ramotswe series (The no.1 Ladies’ Detective Series) written by Alexander McCall Smith and set in Botswana, so we thought we would pluck a random copy from our bookshelves and offer a short overview of the novel and the kind of content to expect from the series.
There are currently 25 in the series and In The company of Cheerful Ladies is no. 6. The author is a tremendous storyteller, he patiently unfurls the plot, building the characters through simple but colourful descriptions, turning them into flesh and blood people. There is simple charm and wry humour aplenty.
Mma Ramotswe is now married to Mr J L B Maketoni and the novel opens as she has a very weird confrontation with a burglar in her home. In his haste to leave he snags his trousers and has to leave them behind. She leaves them on the veranda whereupon next morning she finds them gone, but in their place a ripe pumpkin. What is she (are we?) to make of this? The story moves on by building the character of Mma Ramotswe’s capable assistant (who has an issue with a tea-pot), there is drama surrounding Mma Ramotswe’s van and a blast from the past gets his comeuppance.
These novels are heart-warming and comforting. It is worth reading them in order.
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