The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency

This book was incredibly boring for me. Had I not had to read this for class, I wouldn't have finished it. As it was, I skipped paragraphs and sometimes even pages in order to get through it. The biggest problem is that I like action and an over-arching story and even adventure or something, while this is more of a character-driven story.

Now, one of my biggest problems is when the time within the book drastically changes, with almost no warning, or no reason. This mechanism to tell the reader about a character's past or about the consequences of actions, is rather annoying, especially when one is trying to keep track of a story. A book in a series told over time, should be linear, in my opinion. Jumping ahead one year into the future tells me we are now a year into the future, but immediately jumping back to ‘the present' was annoying. There are also whole chapters on the scenery or other side characters who may give background on Mma. Ramotswe's character.
So, 20% into the book I was ready to put it down, but I do see why people may enjoy this story.

For starters, for people who enjoy light, quick stories this is perfect. For the most part, Mma. Ramotswe takes a case and wraps in up within a chapter, so this can be read in those little moments of free time. The focus is also very much on the characters, so if people enjoy that sort of thing, then they will feel a deeper connection with the book. It is a charming little book that is not meant to hook people, but let them slowly sink in to.