Blue Shoes and Happiness (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

Alexander McCall Smith winds his philosophy of life through the words of his characters as he does in all of his works. Reading his books leaves one with a feeling of serenity, and makes the reader reflect on how to be a better person, leading to a better world for everyone.

I could definitely relate to this book! Mma Makutsi's retail therapy/shoe obsession is not unlike my own. Very entertaining and descriptive writing. A.M.S. makes you feel as if you're in the thick of it. Seller was easy to work with; would buy from them again.

I like Alexander Smith's writing style. What a relief to read something that is not filled with gore. I like the characters. They are genuine and comfortable. I think Mma. Ramotswe's love of her homeland is endearing.

McCall Smith has a gift in presenting the genuine culture and country of Botswana. His earthy stories and common sense values are truly delightful and make for a thought provoking and entertaining read. His work is masterful!!

This series of books are wonderful. Especially if you like mysteries. The African language is hard at first but you get used to it. There is a season of episodes from HBO that I watched and learned how to say the words.

It is a pleasure to read about the lady detective Precious Ramotswe with her love and joy of life, love of country, nature, all around her is viewed with so much happiness. The Ladies' Detective books are fun to read, happy books. There is her associate, Grace Makutsi, she with the big glasses who talks much about having the highest grade at the secretarial college. Rra J.L.Bl Matekoni, a mechanic extraordinaire, who loves cars, working on them and can't believe in his lazy apprentices. Grace Makutsi loves shoes, pretty shoes, uncomfortable, but not for walking.

Precious Ramotswe loves her job and does well. She has compassionate for those who need her help and works to help clients with problems. She is of a traditional build and likes to eat. No excuses. Food is fun.

Mma Ramotswe and husband Rra J.L.B. Matekoni are a couple with good sense, love of work, down to earth folks. Get in touch with Botswana. . and Mma Ramotswe her detective agency, clients, and quirky friends. These books are happy especially with all the dark literature around.

I picked up this book at a library sale. I haven't read a Ladies' Detective Agency Series in quite some time.

I love Alexander McCall Smith's books. And I love his very colorful characters - Mma Ramotswe, Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, and Grace Makutsi. When you've had a tough day or a tough week, there are few greater pleasures than curling up in bed early with hot tea and the next installment of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency."

Like getting together with -- or hearing about -- good friends.

Nothing very dramatic or too different from other books in the series -- the young mechanics goof off; Mma Makutsi is seduced by an attractive but poor-fitting pair of shoes; Mma Ramotswe solves some local mysteries with gentle wisdom.

The books do not have to be read in order. There is just enough exposition to allow you to start reading at any point.

Readers who have not yet discovered this distinguished series are kindly advised to begin with The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and work their way through the series in order of publication.

For those who have read the earlier books, Blue Shoes and Happiness will strike most as the best balanced and most rewarding book in this delightful series. The story has animal tales (one involving a cobra), several mysteries to resolve, challenges in Mma Makutsi's engagement, a detection training opportunity for Mr Polopetsi, more challenges with Mr J.L.B. Matekoni's apprentices, decisive purchases by Mr J.L.B. Matekoni and Mma Makutsi, and many reflections on the true nature of happiness by Precious Ramotswe. In particular, the story does a fine job of contrasting the older ways in Botswana with the newer, selfish ways.

I had the pleasure to hear Alexander McCall Smith speak during his recent book tour for the book, and I came away with the false impression that this story was mostly about Mma Makutsi and her new shoes. That episode is simply one of many that investigate the nature of a person's inability to resist certain temptations. Although this book comes close to being just a series of short stories, Alexander McCall Smith ties them together so masterfully that you rarely think of the book as anything other than a lovely flowing novel.

To me, the best part of this book was that it developed the characters more than most books in the series have done. Dr. Smith uses both dialogue and action well to help us appreciate who these characters are.

I thought that the mysteries were nicely rewarding. The solutions were not obvious (except in retrospect) and helped tie the overall themes of the book together. I have to believe that this book was influenced, in part, by readers' love of seeing Precious detect in the context of the truly unique setting of Botswana.

You have a great treat ahead of you. Order this book today!

All of Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books are a joy to read, and Blue Shoes and Happiness is no exception. Featuring owner and chief detective, Mma Precious Ramotswe and her able side-kick, Grace Makutsi, this is the seventh book in this series.

Mma Ramotswe has quite a bit on her plate in Blue Shoes and Happiness, and many of her "cases" are not even paid. The manager of the Mokolodi Game Reserve knows that something is scaring his workers. Could it be witchcraft? Mma Makutsi suspects that her engagement to Phuti Radiphuti might be off because she admitted to him that she was a feminist. A cook at a public college has been threatened with loss of her job because she has observed the head cook sneaking food to her husband. A nurse comes about her boss, a doctor who seems to be doing something fishy with blood pressure readings and blood pressure medications. In doing some investigating for a big company, Mma Ramotswe realizes that the client files of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency are not secured. And Mma Ramotswe, who has always prided herself on her "traditional" build, is being told by more than one person that she needs to lose weight. As usual, Mma Ramotswe deals with all these issues with grace, discretion and a very good nature.

Alexander McCall Smith writes about the natural beauty of Botswana and her traditional values. Mma Ramotswe observes "What a lovely smell that was, the smell of food. That was one of the great pleasures of life, in Mma Ramotswe's view--the smell of cooking drifting on the wind; the smell of maize cobs roasting on an open fire, of beef sizzling in its fat, of large chunks of pumpkin boiling in the pot. All these smells were good smells, part of the smells of Botswana, of home, that warmed the heart and made the mouth water in anticipation."

I never tire of this series and will continue to read them as long as McCall Smith continues writing.

Life in Botswana can become immensely complicated. The problem of finding parking space for a "tiny, white van" looms. A space that doesn't have aggressive posts nearby, for favourite. The reason the van sags on the driver's side is a different issue, however important. A fiance fearful of forceful feminism must be handled diplomatically. A "To-do" list includes shopping for shoes. A food thief must be dealt with because a job is at stake. Oh, yes, and there's a cobra slumbering away under one of the desks in the office of The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Precious Ramotswe's life addresses such complexities on a daily basis. Even at the worst of times, she must maintain her cool. That's not always easy during the dry season when even the sunrise, when she likes to walk in her garden, is already hot. Life can be further involved by heated exchanges. Mr J.L.B. Matekoni's apprentice, Charlie, provides one of these. Since the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency shares space with Mr J.L.B. Matekoni's vehicle repair garage, Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, the opportunities for such discussions are many. Especially as Charlie is young and inexperienced. And a man. Other complexities are more difficult to define, such as the pervasive feeling of discomfort among the staff of the Mokolodi Game Reserve. The Reserve is run by a good man, who is sensitive to his employees' feelings. But he's white and lacks the proper knowledge to deal with the issue. Mr Polopetsi, who orbits uncertainly between the garage and the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, has the knowledge and applies a solution. Is it the proper one?

Clearly, if you're looking for fast-paced action by he-man private investigators or cunning "wimmin" who outthink the most devious wrong-doer, this is not the book for you. However, if you'd like to follow a perceptive and perspecacious pair of personable people, Mma Ramotswe and her "assistant detective" Mma Grace Makutsi, you should give this book a serious look. Long-time fans will pick it up without a second thought. Why should the new reader be introduced to these two ladies and their seemingly mundane lives? Values, for one reason. Mma Ramotswe spends much time reflecting on her father, Obed, who is "late", and on Botswana's peaceful beauty. This has led some reviewers to mistakenly believe these books merely represent a form of upbeat rural life, eschewing the convolutions and skirmishing of city living. Nothing could be further from the truth. The pair are masters of strategy and tactics in ways any general or international corporation head would envy. And should. If nothing else, the Ladies of the Detective Agency must reconcile the contradictions in being feminists and of "traditional build". They will also warn you never to seek advice from your shoes. They have their own agenda and are unlikely to be helpful . . . [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Blue Shoes and Happiness" is yet another superb book from the much understated Alexander Mccall Smith who has given millions of readers a real taste of life in Botswana, a little African country with an amazing history.

In this new instalment Precious Ramotswe and her shrewd assistant Mma Makutsi, have a frightening encounter with a cobra in their office, an ill omen in the guise of a wounded bird, good intentions by one of Mma Ramotswe's employees, a new chair, and a diet that gets out hand, along with a nasty blackmail plot that involves Mma Ramotswe doing some delicate sleuthing in a private school's kitchen to find out who the culprit is and bring them to task.

Add to this a pair of tight fitting but gorgeous blue shoes that gently thread their way through the story line, lashings of bush tea and the wisdom of a Botswana lady detective who understands the frailties of human nature and what makes people tick, she is a kinder version of Agatha Christies's Jane Marple, and with Mma Ramotswe we don't get too many red herrings but we do get the odd twist in the tale in a comfortable read that is both intelligent and enjoyable.

I have to add to this review that I just love the titles of Mccall Smith's books in this particular series; they are so delicious you almost want to put them between two slices of bread and have them for supper with a cup of bush tea! Superlative is all I can say for both book and title!

Blue Shoes and Happiness is the seventh installment of Alexander McCall Smith's successful No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series. Not typical mysteries, the books meander gracefully to their conclusion rather than proceeding with page-turning thrills. As Assistant Detective Grace Makutsi says, "Mma Ramotswe [proprietor of the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency] does not solve crimes. She deals with very small things. [...] But [...] these small things are important for people" (53).

Set in Botswana, the books are full of full of wisdom and humanity as well as sympathetic and subtly drawn characters. Smith writes in such a way to emphasize the different pace of life in Botswana. Just reading one of the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency books forces the reader to slow done and relax, making them the perfect fare for a weekday evening.

In Blue Shoes and Happiness, Precious Ramotswe and her detective agency take on a number of new cases; her new assistant-assistant detective gets a chance to prove his detecting skills; and a new character appears in the form of Aunty Emang, the local newspaper's agony aunt. Additionally, Grace Makutsi's relationship with her new fiance is on rocky ground after she admits to being a feminist. The novel's most shocking thread, however, concerns Precious Ramotswe's decision to go on a diet. Yes, there's blackmail, and a home intruder, and a cobra in the office, but none of these things is nearly as significant as Ramotswe, a champion of the rights of the "traditionally-built," deciding that she needs to lose weight.

While the books do stand alone--each begins with a little summary of what has happened in the previous books--people new to the series should probably start with a different book. Blue Shoes and Happiness, while continuing in the same vein as the earlier books, may be slightly less accessible to neophytes. Readers familiar with Ramotswe and the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency novels will appreciate the mysterious pumpkin that threads its way through the book and Smith's exploration of gender issues. To others, these things may feel just a bit too foreign.

Armchair Interviews says: While Blue Shoes and Happiness may not be the best book way for new readers to be introduced to the series, however, fans of Precious Ramotswe and the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency will find it enchanting.

A reader, who is unfamiliar with the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, to his own detriment, may pick up one of these books and dismiss it based on its marketing or cover. After all, it is natural to judge books by their covers. It is sold as a mystery book but I am not sure if that is the best categorization for these delightful books. Blue Shoes and Happiness, like the rest of the books in the series, will not disappoint readers. It is simple, yet filled with wisdom and author's wit and humor.

Blue Shoes deals with many issues from black mail to dieting and shopping. I am amazed how much is packed in this fairly short book that can be read in one day. Blue Shoes, like the rest, is delightful. If you are new to this series, you could certainly start with any of these books since the author fills the readers with important events that happened to the main characters. However, I recommend starting in the beginning. What is amazing is that despite the setting of the book in Botswana, a country that few in the US are familiar with, the issues are incredibly familiar and are universal.

Whether you are interested in philosophy, psychology, traveling or are merely looking for an entertaining read, you will not be disappointed with Blue Shoes or any of the other books in this series (I have not read the "Husband" one yet). Having raved about this book, I must admit that the series is getting repetitive and perhaps it is time for Smith to move on. I understand he needs to refresh readers' memories by repeating what happened in the past but as the books keep getting added on (he has written 8 so far), this gets more and more tedious. Smith is such an outstanding author that he appears to do this effortlessly but still I wish he would get done with the series.

This is the seventh installment of the NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY series that feature the agency's 'traditionally built' founder and owner, Precious Ramotswe, her assistant Grace Makutsi and others in Precious' ever expanding circle of family and friends. Business at the agency was progressing at it's usual comfortable pace, at least until the appearance of a cobra livened things up a bit too much. Still Mma Ramotswe has plenty to keep her occupied professionally as she investigates a doctor's erratic blood pressure readings. Her assistant Grace Makutsi's attentions are more focused on her personal life, her engagement to Phuti Radiphuti and her latest shoe acquisitions, in particular.

These stories are very heavy on the 'cozy' and light on the 'mystery' aspects. The lovely and unusual Botswana setting and the gentle, everyday lives of Precious and her ever expanding circle of family and friends are the true attractions of this series. The backstories of these characters is spread out through the entire series so by all means begin at the beginning and proceed in order. Fans of the cozy genre will not want to miss a single volume of this delightful series.

For years I was mystified by the popularity of "Seinfeld," the comedy about nothing. Nothing of any substance ever happened, and the protagonists were a bunch of shallow jerks. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series adopts the "Seinfeld" motif, but here we have a "Seinfeld" of a superior sort. Nothing much happens in the stories, but the protagonists are a group of admirable characters. Seinfeld & Co. worked through mundane situations with the "hurrah for me, the heck with you" attitude that scars so much of postmodern secular society. In contrast Mma Ramotswe and her cadre of of friends confront the mundane with humble dignity and depth of character. If you, the reader, can come away from the stories without feeling a deep affection and respect for Mma Ramotswe's circle of friends, you are hard-hearted indeed. The success of the series can be attributed to the effectiveness with which Alexander McCall Smith mines the same comedic vein so well done in the Rumpole stories--large repertorie cast, engaging (but flawed) protagonists, dead-on observations of the human condition, and all leavened with good humor and good will.

In this latest installment, Mma Ramotswe again confronts situations which are at once slap-your-knee funny, scratch-your-head thought provoking, and dab-your-eye compelling, and she handles them with skill and savy. Smith even works in a send-up of Sherlock Holmes' deductive methods, as Mma Ramotswe attempts to apply them with mixed results.

Sometimes you just need to read something that makes you feel good. Intrigued by the title, I checked this book out of the local library and liked it just as much as Alexander McCall Smith's other books. There's something for everyone within its pages, including some splendid life lessons. For instance, sometimes the things you just know are going to make you happy don't, like a pair of beautiful blue shoes that you see in a store window. The pleasure of the purchase soon wears off when your feet are in excruciating pain. Also, sometimes you need to keep your mouth shut and not tell your fiancé that you're a feminist, especially when the two of you have wildly different views of what it means. Sometimes a little sweetness makes things more palatable, like offering cake to someone you want to influence. And lest I forget, like Precious, you need to accept and love yourself regardless of how "traditional" you are in beliefs and build. It's not shoes and possessions that make one happy but friends and love and beautiful African sunsets...and maybe a sip of bush tea.

After a long string of mediocre or uninspiring books, it was such a joy to read Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith. I save these books for when I'm in such a rut because I know that they will be wonderful and I'll be able to linger and enjoy them and feel good about reading again. I'll be motivated and excited about reading again. I knew I'd want to pick up my next book right away. Somehow these books reenergize me.

In this installment we have Mma Romatswe solving a blackmailing mystery, she tackles a physician who is committing fraud against his patients, she confronts voodoo, deals with the fact that her traditionally built figure is causing problems. All they while there is an underlying tension between her and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. Mma Makutsi deals with feminism and her new fiance and Mr. Polopetsi practices being an assistant to the assistant detective Makutsi...and somehow those apprentices seem to be growing up.

As in his other books, Smith addresses the issues of the traditional Botswana ways and how they are being taken over by newer more modern ways that are eating away at a civilized and logical way of addressing the world. Mma Romatswe as the central figure, always helps everyone see how they have been attracted to shiny inconsequential things and need to be more focused on what is important. I love the way she is able to feel anger or frustration and then think through whether it is worth the energy--and usually it isn't. However, when necessary she confronts people gone bad and manages to help them come around--sometimes. There are those that are "uncurable"--People who are evil--and those she realizes she has to stop.

Smith did a good job of setting up the next book. I'm looking forward to finding out what this tension is between Mma Romatswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. I can't wait to see how Mma Makutsi's love of pretty shoes develops and how her relationship with Mr. Phuti goes. I'm also looking forward to seeing more of the children as well as the apprenticeships. Was the outburst from Charlie really an expression of his burgeoning maturity. I'm so glad that book #8 is published and on my shelf so I can read it immediately when I'm next in a slump.

Alexander McCall Smith's "Blue Shoes and Happiness" is another engaging installment in his best-selling series about Precious Ramotswe, proprietor of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Botswana. Precious is happily married to Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, auto mechanic extraordinaire. Meanwhile, the super-competent, shoe-loving Mma Makutsi ably assists Precious in her detective duties. Mma Ramotswe leads a tranquil life, frequently taking the time to observe the color of the sky, drink a refreshing cup of bush tea, think lovingly about her late father, and express her gratitude for having the good luck to dwell in a beautiful, peaceful, and civilized country.

This book consists of many small events, both personal and professional, that occur in the lives of the characters. Mma Ramotswe has some new clients, including several women who want to blow the whistle on their dishonest employers. Mma Makutsi is engaged to Phuti Radiphuti, a timid but prosperous furniture salesman. Unfortunately, she makes a careless comment in passing that may put an end to their relationship. In addition, Mma Ramotswe promises to look into a mystery plaguing the town of Mokolodi, where the residents feel a strange sense of foreboding.

On a lighter note, some acquaintances have been commenting on Mma Ramotswe's considerable girth, and even though she has always been proud of her "traditional" build, Precious is thinking of going on a diet. As always, Mma Ramotswe handles any and all challenges that come her way with common sense, good humor, and hard-won wisdom. Although she believes that most individuals are basically good at heart, she is realistic enough to know that people can be weak, selfish, and even evil. When necessary, she is tough enough to courageously confront wrongdoers in the name of justice.

"Blue Shoes and Happiness" is a delightful breath of fresh air and an antidote to depressing and angst-ridden fiction. It is such a pleasure to spend time with people who have morals, treat one another with respect, and think before they speak. With his understated yet beautifully lyrical prose, warm and wonderful characters, dry wit, and atmospheric depiction of the beauty of Africa, Smith has insured that his Precious Ramtoswe novels will be around for a long time to come.

This review is for the Pantheon Books hardback edition, 2006, 227 pages. BLUE SHOES AND HAPPINESS, was on the USA Today top 150 best seller list for 6 weeks from April 27 to June 1 2006, reaching a peak position of thirteen. It is the seventh and latest in McCall's Precious Ramotswe, No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. All seven made the USA Today list.

In my favorable review of the first in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, I wrote that the author reveals Botswana for us without being pushy. In BLUE SHOES AND HAPPINESS, I felt lectured by his idyllic representation of the mores and morals in a country where nearly a quarter of the adult population is HIV positive.

The homey writing with concatenations of long sentences is slow-paced and sleepy. Precious does not get her first client until page 31, and thirty pages later she still hadn't gone to work on the case.

On page 53, Precious' assistant says: "Mma Ramotswe does not solve crimes. She deals in very small things. But these small things are important to people." That's true, but this time Mr. McCall failed me. I quit. Small things need lively prose.

I listened to this book on unabridged audio CD and found it every bit as charming, if not more so, than the last few. Lisette Lecat narrates this book, as she has all the others in this series, and I think she has a wonderful talent for narrating people's accents and getting to the soul of her characters. She even narrates the male characters to perfection.

There are a lot of small threads throughout the book that connect it to past books - teasing about Mma Makutsi's 97% score at the secretarial college is rampant (and hilarious), and Mma Ramotswe's misquoting of Sir Seretse Kama is gone over multiple times. While I enjoyed the connection to the past books, a few times in this book I wished that McCall Smith would pretend that we all remember every event from past books perfectly, so that he wouldn't waste time out of this wonderful new book reminding us of things gone past. While joking with us about Mma Ramotswe's habit of attributing quotations to Botswana's first president, he explains all over again that she does this, rather than taking it that we will recall that she has this habit and get the joke without his explaining it to us. That said, a few of the funniest moments in the book were all the richer because of the continuing threads, and this tiny quibble won't detract from your overall enjoyment of the book.

Of course, if you have read the other books in the series, then you don't need me to tell you how charming they all are. Read the books in order and if you enjoyed the ones leading up to this then you will enjoy this one greatly. McCall Smith is doing an amazing job of creating lovable and interesting characters. There are only a few authors that I buy the moment they come out; and this book was one I lined up outside of my local bookstore for at opening time, so I could take the audiobook to work and enjoy it all day. The narration is just exactly how I imagined the characters speaking, and so the audio experience is a real hit.