In this sixth installment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, Smith delivers another uplifting book. I may have enjoyed this one the best of the series so far. Things happen in this book, but for the most part, it was about character development. And learning more about these wonderful characters is a good thing.
Mma Romatswe finds herself in a pickle when her first husband (Note Mokoti) returns demanding money and inciting fear as he has always done; Mma Mokutsi takes dancing lessons and meets a man, who, though not perfect, is close enough; Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni finally finds his match in passion for machines in Mr. Polopetsi; Charlie the mechanic gets a dose in reality when he quits his apprenticeship to date an older, rich lady who drives a Mercedes Benz. While all of this is going on, Mma Romatswe and Mma Mokutsi are trying to find a Zambian man who ran away with lots of money, but that little mystery is really understated in this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Cheerful Ladies. To see Mma Romatswe fall and recover herself was a perfect move at this point in the series. She has seemed bigger than life throughout, and to see her humanity was, for me, very refreshing. I love watching Mma Makutsi grow into herself and be proud of who she is. She is simply delightful.
One thing that Smith does in all of his books that he continues to do well in this one is provide a life of integrity and morality for his characters without being preachy or nostalgic. While the characters yearn for a time past when everyone treated each other with respect and tradition, they do so in the expectation that people should still be acting that way, not in sadness that they no longer do. I love these books and am very much looking forward to #7.
Mma Romatswe finds herself in a pickle when her first husband (Note Mokoti) returns demanding money and inciting fear as he has always done; Mma Mokutsi takes dancing lessons and meets a man, who, though not perfect, is close enough; Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni finally finds his match in passion for machines in Mr. Polopetsi; Charlie the mechanic gets a dose in reality when he quits his apprenticeship to date an older, rich lady who drives a Mercedes Benz. While all of this is going on, Mma Romatswe and Mma Mokutsi are trying to find a Zambian man who ran away with lots of money, but that little mystery is really understated in this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Cheerful Ladies. To see Mma Romatswe fall and recover herself was a perfect move at this point in the series. She has seemed bigger than life throughout, and to see her humanity was, for me, very refreshing. I love watching Mma Makutsi grow into herself and be proud of who she is. She is simply delightful.
One thing that Smith does in all of his books that he continues to do well in this one is provide a life of integrity and morality for his characters without being preachy or nostalgic. While the characters yearn for a time past when everyone treated each other with respect and tradition, they do so in the expectation that people should still be acting that way, not in sadness that they no longer do. I love these books and am very much looking forward to #7.
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