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Business Stationary Mart - The Miracle at Speedy Motors: The New Novel in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency)
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List Price: $22.95
Our Price: $11.59
Your Save: $ 11.36 ( 49% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Pantheon
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780375424489
ISBN: 0375424482
Label: Pantheon
Manufacturer: Pantheon
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: 2008-04-15
Publisher: Pantheon
Release Date: 2008-04-15
Studio: Pantheon
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Charming, As Always
Comment: If you have not listened to the Ladies Detective Agency books on CD, narrated by the incomparable Lisette Lecat, do yourself a favor and get one immediately! I love these books, but when I listen to the pronounciations (e.g., Pooh-tee Rah-tah-POO-tee), I feel like I am right beside Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi in Botswana.
This tale is as lovely as all the rest, and one of my favorites in the series. The two lady detectives are hard at work on some difficult cases, but something is up with Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni; we fear he has been taken in by a medical charlatan, who has promised a "miracle" in curing the couple's wheelchair-bound daughter. So evocative is this situation, you find yourself talking aloud: No, Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni, please don't do it!!
Then we have the Adventures of the Bed with the Heart-Shaped Red Velvet Headboard--I won't do a spoiler here, but let us just say that the bed has captured Mma Makutsi's heart. (could not resist the pun) I was laughing aloud in my car more than once!
Yes, the lothario apprentice Charlie is very much in evidence, and actually inadvertently helps on a case!
Do yourself a favor, and read or listen to this fabulous book, perfect for summer, perfect for any time you want the gentle kindness that permeates this series.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Another good story
Comment: This is another good story in the series by Alexander McCall Smith. I enjoy reading about his respect for the landscape and traditions of this part of Africa. There is less "mystery" in this one than others which means it isn't as good as the first of the series, but still well worth reading.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming Series of Novels
Comment: I have read the entire series of No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels. My only complaint is that each of these is TOO SHORT. I like to spend a long time with a good novel, but reading one of these is extremely enjoyable but soon over...kind of like eating a tasty snack--addictive, but fleeting.
I love these books mainly because of their heroine, Precious Ramotswe--a common sense, "traditionally built" woman in modern Africa. She and her quirky assistant solve simple mysteries but explore more universal truths about human nature. Smith has an engaging style that makes the narrative delightful. Hard to describe...you just have to read the books to understand. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Blessings
Comment: This is latest in a series that starts with "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency." Every book is delightful. You can read the last three paragraphs of this book and find out what the miracles are. There are several. But, instead, start the series at its beginning, and every time you feel depressed, read a book in the series. Besides feeling better, you will have learned a little about the culture and history of Botswana. What a painless way to learn!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Series is not yet tired...
Comment: The real mystery in this series is how the author manages to continue the charming adventures of Precious Ramotswe, Grace Makutsi and Mr. JLB Matekoni well past the original seven volumes he had originally intended. Now on Book #9, McCall still manages to breathe new life into his characters, even if they still maintain habitual bush tea drinking or conversations with their shoes!
One of the gifts or major frustrations of this series (depending on your preference) is the slow rate of character development (at least in terms of their interpersonal relationships). While Mma Potokwane can still be relied upon to supply fruitcake and charm Mr. JLB Matekoni into doing odd jobs, other characters begin to grow and mature, even if only by inches. The changes are subtle, but this is what keeps readers coming back for yet another volume.
I have to admit to skipping over some of the repetitions (Smith writes so that you can pick up any volume in the series, but I do recommend reading them in order) but I found the plot coherency better in this book than in the Good Husband of Zebra Drive, for example. There is still a sense that perhaps he sets up too many loose ends and feels a pressure near the end to tie them up, but it doesn't detract from the general enjoyment of the novel.
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Editorial Reviews:
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In the latest installment of this infinitely enjoyable and best-selling series, Precious Ramotswe is doing what she does best--helping people with their problems and enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
Mma Ramotswe is busy investigating her latest case: a woman who is looking for her family. The problem is, the woman doesn't know her real name of whether any members of her family are now living. Meanwhile, Phuti Radiphuti has bought Mma Makutsi a glorious new bed. Unfortunately, it will inadvertently cause her several sleepless nights. And life is no less complicated at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, where Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni--Mma Ramotswe's estimable husband--has fallen under the sway of a doctor who has promised a miracle cure for his daughter's medical condition, which Mma Ramotswe finds hard to believe. But Precious Ramotswe deals with these difficulties with her usual grace and good humor, and in the end discovers that the biggest miracles in life are often the small ones.
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