From a Far and Lovely Country
ISBN:
978-0349145938
Publisher:
Abacus
Publication Date:
7 September 2023
From a Far and Lovely Country is the latest instalment in Alexander McCall Smith’s delightfully diverting No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, in which all of Mma Ramotswe’s tact, affability, and good sense will be required to disentangle a delicate dispute.
‘An escape from life’s woes as well as a suggestion for how to make the whole deal more palatable–fragility, fruit cake, and all’ – The Boston Globe
If you are the founder and Managing Director of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency you may expect complete strangers to approach you with their problems when they see you having dinner with your husband in a peri-peri restaurant. And if you are Precious Ramotswe, you are a kind and helpful person who will be willing to take on a quest to find the relatives of a man who, many years ago, left the country for the uncertainties and dangers of a distant conflict.
While that is going on, though, there may be other things that claim your attention – such as the shocking news that a club that calls itself the Cool Singles Evening Club is encouraging married men to pretend to be single and meet women under false pretences. Who can be behind such a distasteful venture? Mma Ramotswe shows great tact in dealing with this situation, and avoids harm to the innocent.
And all the time, she and her assistant, Grace Makutsi, are getting on with their normal lives – which, of course, include birthdays and the buying of birthday presents. A new dress makes a fine present, but not if, when being tried on, it splits in a way that is thought to be irreparable. Mma Potokwani has dealt with situations far worse that, and in dealing with this local emergency she shows her characteristic wisdom. At the end of the day, disaster is averted. Life in Botswana, that far and lovely country of the title, continues smoothly, which is what Mma Ramotswe and her friends want – and most certainly deserve.
Reviews
‘The most fabulous celebration of kindness and wisdom awaits… At once gentle and affectionate while also beautifully witty and thought-provoking, I can highly recommend From a Far and Lovely Country’
LoveReading
‘One of the secrets of McCall Smith’s success with this series is the consistency with which he dispenses his quiet charm, and From a Far and Lovely Country is no exception… hilarious and heartwarming. Its another success story’
Scottish Field FIVE STAR review
‘Smith consistently finds ways to move the books forward and keep them fresh…. A reminder to appreciate the people and places we love’
Star Tribune
‘Well written, humane & gently humorous as ever – just what is needed as a respite from our troubled times’
Amazon Reader review - FIVE stars
‘Reading an Alexander McCall Smith book is very much like opening a special present, you know that it will bring you joy, and it has all the ingredients to make you feel warm, cosy and happy…. [This is] a charming read from start to finish. Alexander McCall Smith cleverly captures the beauty of Botswana and the wonderful people who live there. Marvellous!’
Sixty Plus Surfers
‘Mma Ramotswe is as clever, insightful, and wise as always, but in this episode she is at her best. As is Botswana, the people who live there, and their natural surroundings. I am so envious!’
Amazon Reader review - FIVE stars
‘McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is one of the most reliably entertaining cozy series running, soothingly returning readers to the tiny Botswana office of Mma Precious Ramotswe, the wise and resourceful founder of the agency that she operates with her comically snarky and over-reaching assistant, Mma Grace Makutsi, with whom she discusses detective strategy over mugs of South African red bush tea… This is largely a comic novel, enlivened by Precious’ reflections, Grace’s jockeying for status, and part-time mechanic and apprentice detective Charlie’s struggles to overcome his unreliability. A total delight’
Booklist [starred review]
‘Anything by this author is a guaranteed feel-good read’
Waterstones Reader – Five star review
Excerpt
'The world was an imperfect place, and there were always people who were prepared to exploit weakness. In an ideal world, they would be exposed and shamed, but in the world in which we lived they might get away with it. You could not make everyone good'
'The world was an imperfect place, and there were always people who were prepared to exploit weakness. In an ideal world, they would be exposed and shamed, but in the world in which we lived they might get away with it. You could not make everyone good'
