Product Description

THE NO.1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY published in 1998, 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 took us further into this world, and now, continuing the adventures of Mma Ramotswe, MORALITY FOR BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, finds her expanding her business to take in the world of car repair and a beauty pageant. Alexander McCall Smith's sense of humour and gentle charm have created a substantial cult following. MORALITY FOR BEAUTIFUL GIRLS will win him yet more fans.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4755 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
'Forget the library - the body is in the mud hut. An African Marple created by a Scottish law lecturer' Stephen McGinty, S. TIMES * 'This is art that conceals art. I haven't read anything with such unalloyed pleasure for a long time' Anthony Daniels, S. TEL. * 'Highly amusing, intelligent and heart-warming' SCOTLAND ON S. * 'McCall Smith is a natural born storyteller, filling his prose with rhythm and repetition...Charming, quirky and timeless' SCOT. ON S.

Anthony Daniels, The Sunday Telegraph
This is art that conceals art. I haven't read anything with such unalloyed pleasure for a long time.

Scotland on Sunday
Highly amusing, intelligent and heart-warming.

Customer Reviews

Dangerous Problems Beset Precious and Her Fiancé!
Morality for Beautiful Girls is the third novel in the series about Precious Ramotswe and her detective agency in Botswana, and covers the period of one month after the events in Tears of the Giraffe. Be sure to read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Tears of the Giraffe before this book, or you will probably think this story is a three star effort. Many reviews describe these books as mysteries . . . but they are really novels about a woman who sometimes solves problems for people. Since the first book, the "mysteries" have not been very mysterious, and the appeal of the books lies far apart from the mysteries.

In Morality for Beautiful Girls, Alexander McCall Smith takes a thorough look at the pros and cons of the old communal values found in Botswana's villages compared to the new morality of the urbanizing young in that country. In the process, Mr. Smith makes a powerful case for grafting onto the old values an appreciation for ingenuity, education, effort, organization and courage while dismissing most of the new morality as misinformed at best, and harmful at worst. In so doing, he eloquently describes the potential benefits of a matriarchic society led by determined, talented women who break down traditional boundaries that limit both men and women.

As the story opens, Precious realizes that her concept of helping all those who need her help, regardless of ability to pay, is going to leave the detective agency in perpetual financial trouble. Having agreed to marry Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, who runs a prosperous car repair business, Precious looks at ways to reduce her costs by sharing their resources. Her conclusion: She should move the detective agency to the garage, share Mma Makutsi's time and salary with the garage, and rent out the building she has been using for the agency. All seems to be off to a good start when Mr Matekoni begins acting strangely. With her burgeoning responsibilities and plans, Precious has just too much to do. So she delegates as many items on her "to do" list as possible to others, and gets going on what only she can do. It's like reading a lesson in time management.

During the course of the story, you will meet another unusual youngster who ends up at the orphanage. Precious is caught up in a case of potential poisoning at the behest of a powerful government official who is also a wealthy and well-connected tribal member. Although Precious doesn't want to take on the case, the official and Mma Makutsi bully her into it. While she's away on the case, Mma Makutsi proves to have even more talents than anyone could have expected from either her degree or her experience. In the process, she brings in a major case which she solves on her own involving four potential beauty contest winners.

In the first half of the book, the distress that Precious and Mr J.L.B. Matekoni are experiencing is so palpable that I found myself feeling more and more upset as I read the story. Seldom does "light" fiction affect me that way. I can only ascribe the intensity of my reactions to the quality of the writing and the exceptional care with which the characters have been developed into people for whom anyone would feel great sympathy and empathy. The book ends up leaving some mysteries unsolved, and I found myself wishing that I had a copy of the next book with me so that I could read what happened right away.

As I finished the story, I found myself wondering more about Botswana and why people love it there so much. I recently began working with a businessman in Botswana, and he has promised to help me understand more about that intriguing country. I look forward to being his student in this, as I have enjoyed being a reader of these fine novels.

Not as satisfying as its predecessors
"Morality for Beautiful Girls" is somewhat disappointing in comparison to the previous Mma Ramotswe novels. This has several reasons: The beginning of the novel drags on and on, and it takes almost half of the book until the plot picks up speed and tension. Several subplots are not totally convincing, especially Mr J.L.B. Matekoni's clinical depression which is so out of character and seems contrived - as if the author had intended to give the character more depth, but in my view he failed thus making a highly convincing character rather implausible. Mma Ramotswe seems to have changed character as well in the first half; she comes across as almost meek and resigned while Mma Makutsi becomes a risk-taking, self-confident jack-of-all-trades. Also, the foster children have sadly little airtime, and for many chapters in the book, they seem to be non-existent, and Mma Makutsi's brother is forgotten. Instead, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi go on and on about the good old Botswana morality and the bad girls that erode it - quite repetitive, schematic and boring after a while. Only the last third of the book is as delightful, captivating and convincing as the previous novels. Therefore "Morality for Beautiful Girls" merits no more than 3 stars.

Sometimes it is good to know when to stop!
“Morality for Beautiful Girls” is certainly not the strongest novel in the series and its lack of action would probably put off any newcomers. The story is concerned more with the interaction of the main characters – Precious Ramotswe, Mr J L B Maketoni and Mma Makutsi – and it seems that Speedy Motors has become the focus of the tale, rather than the infamous detective agency. Having said that, as with all the books, it is beautifully written and the characters are lifelike and engaging. Hopefully the author is saving some juicy cases for the next installment. It is not a bad book, but if you are considering buying this series of novels i'd say buy the other two i mentioned before this one. Like the earlier books, this one critiques forces of progress and modernization as well as patriarchalism (although in a lighter way than the other books did), and aims to portray a positive picture of modern Africa, one all too rarely seen in the West. As always, the story is delivered in a delightfully fluid and simple well-paced prose.