Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 10)
by Alexander Mccall Smith
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Book Summary Information
Author: Alexander Mccall SmithEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2009-04-21
ISBN: 0375424490
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Pantheon
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780375424496
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Book Reviews of Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 10)
Book Review: "There is plenty of work for love to do"
Summary: 5 Stars
So says Bishop Trevor Mwamba, while drinking tea and discussing the end of the world with lady detective Precious Ramotswe. These thoughts about the transience of all things are triggered by Mma Ramotswe's much loved but ailing "little white van", which reaches the end of the road, or more literally, the scrap yard, to be replaced by a larger, more comfortable but less lovable, blue one. In this, the tenth instalment of Alexander McCall Smith's excellent series, The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Mma Ramotswe continues to drink much redbush tea, which probably doesn't accentuate her traditional build, but she doubles her weekly consumption of doughnuts, which probably does. Her new resolution to walk to work lasts for only a short time - and a couple of blisters - as all such resolutions are wont to do.
We meet all the old characters - Mma Ramotse's strident assistant, Mma Makutsi, her mechanic husband Mr J. L. B. Matekoni, and his apprentice lazy Charlie. We are properly introduced to Fanwell, hitherto known only as "the younger apprentice", and through him McCall Smith reminds us of the ravages that AIDS has inflicted on Botswana, the one melancholy theme of the series.
The agency's major case involves an investigation into the underperformance of the football team, the Kalahari Swoopers, which give the detectives many opportunities to contemplate the differences between the sexes. As usual, Mma Ramotswe arrives at a solution that should improve the world a little. The same cannot be said of the lady detectives' encounter with Mma Makutsi's old enemy, Violet Sephotho, but with the assistance of Charlie and his lady-killing skills, she is at least seen off from her attempted seduction of the former's fiancé, Phuti Radiphuti.
This is a gentle, life-affirming commentary on the human condition, written in a light and entertaining way. It's not crime fiction, it's not a thriller, but this book, the others in the series and indeed those other of McCall Smith's books that I have read are a welcome break from faster paced, or more overtly serious, reading. If you haven't read any of them yet, give it a try. While I'd start with the first in the series, this book is, I think, quite capable of standing on its own. If you have been following the series, then rest assured that this one is up to McCall Smith's normal standard. I look forward to the next one, in which we can only hope that the little white van is recovered, repaired and restored to its loving former owner. Thoroughly recommended.
More Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 10) reviews:
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