Number 4 in the Precious Ramotswe series, in which her assistant ventures into entrepreneurship and Precious gets some competition.

I always like Mma Makutsi. She never gives up, she always tries to make the best of her sort of poor situation. She has a lot of guts. ( )

Life is never dull at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Mma Ramotswe has successfully helped her fiancé, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, overcome his illness, but she has yet to persuade him to set a date for their wedding. Their adopted children are becoming a handful. Their employee, Mma Makutsi, has opened a typing school for men and fallen in like with one of her students. And a male detective agency has opened across town.

That probably makes this book sound tense and exciting, but the Botswanans are far too polite for anything of that sort. This book is charming, plain and simple. If you want traditional mystery antics, you'd best look elsewhere. No one ever shouts at anyone else, or insults them, or slaps them around. Instead, they approach even the most difficult of confrontations with friendly small talk and polite banter. They refer to certain people by their full names, (ie, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni), presumably as a mark of respect. They're genuinely nice to one another. It is not, perhaps, the most compelling thing out there, but it's still a pleasure to read.

This particular volume pushes the characters in a couple of new directions, too, and that's nice to see. My main beef with the last couple of books was the lack of forward movement. Things changed, sure, but there wasn't all that much to it. To be honest, there's still not a whole lot to it, but this book is definitely an improvement on the last couple. Mma Makutsi, in particular, comes into her own as she takes the initiative and discovers some new talents.

I'd certainly recommend this to anyone looking for a heartwarming read that celebrates Africa with every word. You can tell that Alexander McCall Smith loves Botswana and her people.

(This review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

In this fourth installment in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series is just as charming as ever. The agency finds it has a rival. Mma Ramotswe is asked to help a client who wants to make reparation for the misdeeds he committed 20 years ago. Mma Makutsi opens a business of her own and has a shortlived romance. Nothing very dramatic really, and yet they are important because they happen to characters we have come to care about. ( )

The fourth book of the Botswana series, and same style, same humour, same simple philosophy. If anything, the narrative style shows more assurance. Another good, restful read. Read February 2009 ( )

so many mccall books so little time

Another charming view of the better side of African life. This one, though, tangles seriously with adulterous husbands and saved Christians, and begins to address the changes that are taking place in society, including 'that disease which has run this way and that through the country'. ( )

Another treat from Alexander McCall Smith in his successful No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. We can once more enjoy the ruminations of the minds of his characters as they reflect on the passing scene and on the weaknesses and strengths of the people they encounter in their daily lives. Always in the case of Mma Ramotswe, we hear her deplore the passing of the old ways of Botswana particularly after some encounter with the new. Mma Makutsi has a larger role in this book as she opens her typing school for men. This new adventure puts into play her thoughtful consideration of the ways of men--their dislike in being outshone by women in a class, their embarassment in coming to such a class. It also leads her into the world of deceitful, lonely men with unfortunate results. The author is a keen observer of the human race and all its foibles and yet he shows us a gentle and humane way of treating people as they fall from grace and are caught in disgrace by the two indomitable lady detectives. ( )

Precious Ramotswe encounters competition in the private detective business when a man opens an office nearby, and she takes on a case that involves a man seeking to resolve himself of his conscience. In conjunction, she supports Mma Matekoni in seeking her own business venture by opening a typing school for men. This proves to encompass more than just business.

This fourth book in the series was very good. I enjoyed the variety of cases and how Mme Ramotswe solves them with dignity. I am, also, very pleased that the characters are growing and changing. The series has not become stagnate or old, which makes me eager to pick up the next book titled The Full Cupboard of Life. (4/5)

Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..." ( )

Another enjoyable book, easy to read and fairly predictable. ( )

This is one of my favorite stories in the series because Mma Makutsi stretches her wings and starts a typing school for men. Told with humor, compassion and care, these characters leap out of the pages into your heart. ( )

Another great Ladies' Detective Agency story. Thankfully Mma Makutsi's story was not as depressing as it might have been. And has anyone else ever wondered why the younger apprentice appears not to have a name? ( )

Another great book in the series. ( )

A nice read: The Kalahari Typing School for Men is an extremely interesting story. McCall made a combination of a great concept and an outstanding execution to come up with a story like this which deserves all the applause that it has been given. I greatly enjoyed the book and recommend it to readers interested in McCall's stories or interesting books about Africa.Recommended along with: The Usurper and other Stories, Graceland, Disciples of Fortune

The fourth book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. If you have read other stories in the series, you know generally what to expect; awkward dialogue, mysteries without any real mystery and a very slow story line. This book had less interest in me because the descriptions of a different place were not any different than what we have seen before in the books.

This book did feature a different character, Mma. Makutsi, the assistant of Mma Ramotswe, so we got to see a little different perspective through her eyes. ( )

At first seemed slow paced, but oddly fascinating as audio cd progressed. Accents of readers extremely pleasant to listen to and so far the audio cd's are better for me with this series than reading the text versions. ( )

Another wonderfully enjoyable installment in the saga of the #1 Ladies Detective Agency. ( )

A fast easy read--the 4th book in a series of stories about life in Botswana. ( )

http://quettandil.blogspot.com/2008/0... ( )

interesting picture of life in botswana. everyone is very polite in a real way. i can't really explain the charm of these books. the reader lisette lecat is excellent. ( )

The continuing warm, witty tale of fallible well-meaning humanity in Botswana. This time the focus is on Mma Makutsi (Precious Ramotswe's assistant) although Mma Ramotswe remains the main protagaonist. ( )

http://hollybooknotes.blogspot.com/20... ( )

http://nhw.livejournal.com/948629.htm...

As usual, the homely wisdom of the old ways wins out, sins are expiated rather than necessarily exposed, and everyone is back in the right place at the end; but McCall Smith has brought some darker elements in here as well, including a child with AIDS. A decent quick read. ( )

The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith is the fourth book in the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency and its detectives with great intuitive insights, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi. In this book the unsettling news reach the detectives that a rival agency with great experience and much better looking office furniture opened its doors to business. Mma Makutsi is beginning the search for a husband and takes a business opportunity while Mma Ramotswe takes on the case of a successful and wealthy man who wants to make restitution for his past misdeeds.

I enjoy this series so very much. It is imbued with a basic decency and honesty and life's wisdom that is expressed through its main character, Precious Ramotswe (but also Mma Makutsi). She operates within the strict confines of her own code of morality and cultural traditions. But this doesn't mean that she is ignorant that traditions and manners are changing (even in Botswana) but she has little tolerance for them if this means that they make others lose respect. McCall Smith has created a wonderful and earthy heroine which show his great love for country and people. I highly recommend this series but recommend that be read in the publishing order. ( )

Wonderful, soothing - just as good as I had hoped it would be. The most consistently entertaining series I have read in a long time. ( )