“They’re going to kill me soon,” begins the note Amelia discovers in an antique hurdy-gurdy. even more beautiful is that the pieces are so often portraits of the heart of the author's intimately crafted characters. the book fits together like a difficult jigsaw puzzle: many pieces that somehow make a beautiful picture once that last piece is filled in. the author is very skilled at offering little details and background settings that intrigue the listener and cause one to want to push further and discover if these little details are going to be important later on. i was also surprised that, as character-driven as this book is, i held my attention through to the very end. her efficacy ranks up there with the narrator of life of pi and why we buy. a narrator can make or break a title, and i can't imagine reading this title as a book - the narrator brings out so many nuances that i would have missed simply with the written word. her accents are impeccable and the listener can almost feel the sun on their brow and the dry wind at their back. the narrator is poignant and articulate and communicates very effectively the simplicity and unburdened hearts of her characters. it is a story of love and africa, the kalahari sun and simplicity, the joys and heartaches of a family, and the triumphs of the human spirit. but this book is so much more than a detective story. I have to admit that i purchased this novel thinking i would be getting a detective story along the lines of sherlock holmes or agatha christie. This is Book 1 of the series, so there is more character development and family history than I would expect in later books. I think it would appeal mostly to adult females, but I suppose guys and teenagers could also find it enjoyable. OVERALL - Very clean book with no sex, cursing or violence. Sometimes I could kind of her her lips opening and closing which was a little distracting, but she did a great job overall. She also performs some nice male characters, one with a convincing Indian accent as well. I don't know if her accent is authentic African, but it convinced me. It's just easy, entertaining and a nice little escape to Africa! PERFORMANCE - Ms. It's well written with nice descriptions of African landscape and villages. You're not going to get anxious or sad, and your mind can wonder a bit and you won't lose your place. She drives around in that tiny white van following people, then comes up with some pretty good whoppers to convince them to tell her what she needs to know so she can solve her case. She solves these problems with nothing more than a good heart, common sense and some very creative lying. They are all fairly simple problems like following a possible cheating husband or figuring out why a doctor seems to be behaving strangely. and is pronounced "Ma." Anyway, Mma Ramotswe solves probably six or seven mysteries throughout the book. Throughout the book she is referred to as "Mma Ramotswe," which apparently is some form of title similar to Miss or Madam or Mrs. She just decides to open up a detective business and does it. She lives in Botswana and drives a tiny white van (three words which you will hear about 50 times). The main character, Precious Ramotswe, is female, self-admittedly very fat, and has no detective training whatsoever. STORY (modern fiction) - Yes, the title of the book has the word "detective" in it and the main character is a detective, but this is not your typical detective book.
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