Customer Reviews

Tears of the Giraffe

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A fast flowing story set, Tears of the Giraffe is one of the best books I have read. With good values expressed through characters that are lively, this book showed a beautiful side of Africa, where commitment is held sacred, where love is deep and hospitality is the norm. Fast paced and hilarious, this book hooked me all the more to the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency.Also recommended: The Full Cupboard of Life, The Usurper and Others , Disgrace

I am so happy she finally decided to get married and chose a well known person for his integrity and kindness. She made it clear though that she accepted his proposal not because she is a woman who needs a man to protect her nor to be his servant NO she was satisfied with her life and her job and hurt from her experience with one failed marriage that was still so fresh in her memory..

I love the series because of Mma's character. She wants to change and wants to learn about the modern world and life in the new century but doesn't shun her past .. on the contrary she is proud of her heritage and of her country and what makes it special. Through her investigations, Smith tackles various issues, he states Mma's point of view as the opinion of the learned people and leaders of her country and shows how a foreigner would percieve it... true and simple. He uses simple language, affirms the traditions of the country, draws the difference in behavior between past and present... Africa and the west.

It's a funny sad book, clash of culture and modernization. Enjoy reading as Mma unfolds the mysteries of life!

After reading Alexander McCall Smith's first book in this series "The #1 Ladies Detective Agency" I felt I had to read the following books as well because they are so enjoyable.

"The Tears of the Giraffe" reads almost like a fable allowing us to determine whether or not lying for good or bad reasons can be wrong. It is an interesting delimma. I absolutely enjoy the way that Smith writes his characers. Precious Ramotswe, her secretary/assistant Mma Makutsi and her fiance Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni are immediately likable and often shyly funny in the way that they interact with one another. This book brings two orphan children into Mma Ramotswe's life and leaves a door open for the next installment.

The ending of the book is left with a wonderful fable-like suggestion about baskets being woven from the tears of a giraffe because that is all they have to give us. We can all give something no matter how small or insignificant it may seem and Alexander McCall Smith has given us a true treasure here.

Smith's first book in the series, _No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency_, was enjoyable and easy to read. I found the second installment in the series, _Tears of the Giraffe_ even more enjoyable than the first. The characters continue to develop nicely and the stories held my attention better than the initial book. I particularly liked the introduction of the children from the orphan farm, and look forward to the parts they will play in the following books.

The writing style and the stories are simple in nature, with morals that transcend the book. The books are in fact a wonderful advertisement for the country of Botswana, and Africa itself. Great emphasis is placed upon morality, respect and love.

I look forward to the other books about Mma Ramotswe and the rest of the ensemble.

The obvious success of this book is due to the #1 Ladies Detective Agency. And the desire to see what comes next is understandable. This is one great series of books and they deserve their place on the bestseller lists. The main character, Precious, solves the few actual mysteries in the sequels in creative ways that surprise the reader. These sequels, particularly "Giraffe," are a bit more about Precious' relationship with J.L.B. Matekoni, a bit less about the detective agency. But they follow smoothly from "#1 Ladies..." and are equally good. Set in Botswana, the books give such a clear and beautiful picture of that country today that now I would like to learn more about it. Would also recommend Life of Pi and The Bark of the Dogwood.

Mma Ramotswe is at it again! The No. 1 Ladies Dectective Agency has taken on some new and interesting cases. In this story things are not as clear cut as they seem and Precious Ramotswe ponders the morality of telling the truth, telling lies and in general the imperfection of the human condition. Her insights into the psyche of human nature are all to true. Alexander McCall Smith has again created a wonderful vignette of stories that delight the reader with their simple storyline, yet complex implications into the nature of women, men and children. In this series we get to know several characters more intimately including, Precious Ramotse's fiance Mr. J.L.B. Maketoni. He is a wonderfully rich character that adds much to the story and I am looking forward to reading future installments that include the evolvement of their relationship. I am constantly enthralled by McCall Smith's description of the African continent and it's people and find these descriptions both heart warming and heart breaking. It seems there are many changes ahead for Mma Ramotswe; a new family an assisant dectective and a new husband. I look forward to the continuation of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and the unique insights that Precious Ramotswe has for the readers.

It was a treat to discover The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I loved the first book in the series; Tears of the Giraffe is even better. This book gave me a very rare reading experience: Joy. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Popping one of these cassettes into my tape player is like an instant trip to a warm and wonderful land where I am reacquainted with all my old friends. Lecar's reading enhances the gentle rhythm of Smith's prose and helps bring to life these fascinating characters. I am addicted to these stories.

In this volume the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency tackles an old murder and a philandering spouse. While hardly unusual issues in the mystery genre. The setting and characters are the real story here. What fun it is to escape into this world if only for a little while. The series reminds me of Lillian Jackson Braun's Cat Who series but without the cats, the endless descriptions of twenty or so town resdents, and the unnecessarily detailed descriptions of the various gourmet foods eaten by the characters. Smith's characters eat stew and drink bush tea, and they will make your mouth water for this simpler way of life.

If you have not read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, I strongly urge you to do so before reading Tears of the Giraffe. Otherwise, this beautiful novel will seem like a four star effort as you fail to appreciate and integrate the background of Precious Ramotswe into your thinking as it was described in the earlier book.

Tears of the Giraffe isn't so much a sequel as a continuation of the events in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. As that book ended, Mma Ramatswe accepted the proposal of Mr J.L.B. Matekoni. In Tears of the Giraffe, the couple decides in which of their houses they will live, picks out a ring and decides about having children. Each event has its unexpected twists . . . including an attempt by Mr Matekoni's maid to derail the marriage.

There is less happening at the detective agency than in the prior story. This book involves solving only two mysteries, a wandering wife and a missing son. Mma Ramatswe learns that her able secretary wants to become a detective, and the savvy head of the agency tries out Mma Makutsi's talents with encouraging results.

Both story lines focus on questions of right and wrong. As a prospective spouse, what are the right reactions to one's fiancé or fiancée? As a detective, how much may one do wrong to avoid greater wrongs? To one's community, what is owed? To one's employees, what opportunities should be opened? In each case, the suggestion is that all responsibilities must be borne . . . and borne bravely . . . but in a way that is tempered with love for one's fellow people.

As with The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Africa itself plays a role stronger than any single character in defining what is thought and done. The strong and distinct atmosphere makes the book more enchanting to those who do not know Africa.

The story is strengthened by alternating narrators among many different characters and using lots of dialogue so that each part of the novel is vivid and varied. It's as though six or seven almost unconnected short stories were woven together into a seamless novel. It's an impressive accomplishment.

As I finished the book, I wondered how much better off we all would be if we each took a strong responsibility for all those we meet and touch.

This is a wonderful, gentle book with mysteries, but with wise words from a wise woman and kind words too, from her kind fiancee. All in all reading this series ( I have read 2) has been a distinct and very different pleasure. The descriptions of daily life in Botswana and of cultural habits, landscape, etc., add to the pleasure and are never tedious "filler" as they can sometimes be in authors with less talent. A definite "feel good" book.