Product Description

THE NO.1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY introduced the world to the one and only Precious Ramotswe - the engaging and sassy owner of Botswana's only detective agency. TEARS OF THE GIRAFFE, McCall Smith's second book, takes us further into this world as we follow Mama Ramotswe into more daring situations ...Among her cases this time are wayward wives, unscrupulous maids, and the challenge to resolve a mother's pain for her son who is long lost on the African plains. Indeed, Mma Ramotswe's own impending marriage to the most gentlemanly of men, Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, the promotion of Mma's secretary to the dizzy heights of Assistant Detective, and the arrival of new members to the Matekoni family, all brew up the most humorous and charmingly entertaining of tales. * TEARS OF THE GIRAFFE was selected as one of the GUARDIAN's top ten 'Fiction Paperbacks of the Year, 2000

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1723 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Review
** 'I was enchanted by the character of Precious Ramotswe and the sly humour of Alexander McCall Smith's writing, his deft evocation of a culture' - Anthony Minghella ** 'So elegant and understated is the author's style that the novel seems to transcend age' - Trevor Royle

John Leland, Femaledetective.com
Where 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' was brilliant, 'Tears of the Giraffe', the second in the series is sublime.

Sherlock Holmes: The Detective Magazine
The various cases are solved, in a highly individual way that would put Holmes himself to shame.

Customer Reviews

Take Me To Botswana!
This is a lovely book, set in Botswana. Following directly on from No1 Ladies Detective Agency, it is a simple story about the day to day life of a Batswana woman in her 30s who tries to help others by solving their problems. She is a good woman, wiser than her age would suggest, and with a masterful insight into human nature. You learn about her background, her home, and the people around her. It is all related in such an enticing way, full of african names, attitudes and the charming way they use english that left me with not only my own clear picture of her life, but a desire to see Botswana for myself.

Isn't it one of the most lovely feelings when you find a series of books that you love to read? You cant wait to get stuck into the next one, and even once you've devoured that, there are still more books to go? Well, after reading No1 Ladies Detective Agency I was like a glutton - straight into Tears of the Giraffe, this, the second book, eating it up as if I'd been starved of reading material for years, not minutes. I wasn't disappointed - if you liked the No1 Ladies Detective Agency you WILL like Tears of the Giraffe. Absolutely no question about it. And if you loved the No1 Ladies Detective Agency you WILL love Tears of the Giraffe. Its that simple.

If you happen upon this review and are interested in Tears of the Giraffe but havent read No1 Ladies Detective Agency, make sure you read that before this, because they do run chronologically.

Precious detects again!!
Mma.Ramotswe returns in "Tears of the Giraffe" the second novel about the exploits of "The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency". This is an heartwarming pleasurable read.Mma Ramotswe is the only female detective in Botswana, she solves her cases using common sense and a razor sharp intelligence.As Mma. Ramotswe states "Suspicious? Call the No.1 ladies Detective Agency.We find things out...." In this book Precious Ramotswe is engaged, has promoted her secretary to assistant detective (with sucessful results) and has accidentally acquired two children.Each chapter tells us a different tale from the agency and by the end all of the mysteries are solved. I enjoyed this book as much as the first and again it tells us a little more about life in Botswana, a country of tradition and warmth where you may call everyone "brother" or "sister". This is not just a detective story but it is also a voyage through Africa that is told with humour,warmth and great respect for its peoples.I would recommend this book wholeheartedly along with all the others in the series....

Lives Up to the First in the Series!
This second entry in Smith's Botswana-set series picks up right where the wonderful The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency left off. Indeed, the two books are utterly seamless, and it'd be a real shame to read this without reading its predecessor first. The book picks up with the engagement of "traditionally built" Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's sole woman detective, to local master mechanic Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. While the structure is the same as the first book—a missing son as the central running mystery, and some smaller cases interspersed—the new couple's relationship is the real focus.

So, while Precious is asked by an American woman to find out what happened to her son, who disappeared from a commune ten years previously, she must also negotiate the pitfalls of setting up house with Mr. Matekoni, the acquisition of an engagement ring, and the dastardly schemes of Mr. Matekoni's nasty housekeeper, and the unexpected addition of two foster children to her household. All of which she does with her keen sense of human nature and wisdom. Her secretary/typist is also given increased attention, allowed to take on the case of a cheating wife all by herself.

Built into the stories are ruminations of the tensions between modernity and traditional values. There are a number of passages that attempt to capture the essence of Africa, and how that noble vision is under constant assault by greed, corruption, and power. The adventures of Precious and her cohort are a warm antidote to the often depressing news that dominates coverage of Africa in the West. Smith writes in a delightfully fluid and simple prose with pacing that makes the book quite difficult to put down. The series thankfully continues with Morality for Beautiful Girls and The Kalahari Typing School For Men, with further volumes to follow, one hopes.