A break from Ulysses

Recently, I won a coupon worth Rs.500 at “Landmark” for finishing third in a quiz. This sort of a thing happens to me only with the frequency of the appearance of the blue moon. So, I was delighted and spent it promptly and bought a couple of books. One of which was “The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” by “Alexander McCall Smith”.

I know that I will not abandon my attempts to read Ulysses. But, I did not see anything wrong in taking a break and reading something else.

As soon as I read the first few words of the book-“Mma. Ramotswe had a detective agency in Africa, at the foot of Kgale Hill.”- I knew that this is a writer who is direct and to the point. He does not beat around the bushes, even though there are many around which such activities can be conducted in Africa. I could have cried and embraced Mr.Smith for reminding me what the English language really looks like and what pleasures can be had from reading it. I feel like a born again reader.

It is a delightful little book about a female detective, the only lady private detective in the whole of Botswana and the first few cases that she is called upon to solve after she has set up the eponymous detective agency. Precious Ramotswe is plump, comfortable and uses home spun wisdom to solve her cases efficiently. She is staunchly African and proudly Botswanan as is the book.

I would have preferred a little bit more than errant schoolgirls and straying husbands in the intrigue and mysteries department. “The New York Times” called Precious the Miss. Marple of Botswana. But really, you cannot get the latter to go near cases involving straying husbands and errant schoolgirls unless they ended up being murdered.

Nevertheless, this is a good read and I am not surprised that the author has been churning out more in the series faster than one can say Alexander McCall Smith.