The Kalahari Typing School for Men (2002)
Mma Ramotswe has many worries, but not the least of them is her concern over Mma Makutsi's inability to score a bloke. She talks to Mma Makutsi, who just descends into resignation over the whole matter. But, lack of a man is not the greatest of Mma Makutsi's worries. Mma Ramotswe's business is on the rocks, and Mma Makutsi is worried she might get the flick.
So, consequent to a brilliant bit of deductive work, Mma Makutsi establishes an after-hours typing school for men. The school is a big success, and some good money rolls in. But Mma Makutsi discovers the reality that not all that appears to glisten is necessarily gold.
Concurrently, Mma Makutsi discovers the younger of Mr J L B Matekoni's two apprentices has stopped talking to his mate Charlie about girls. He has become intensely christian. Mma Makutsi takes on some work at his church in addition to the typing school.
Possibly Mma Ramotswe's biggest business-related problem is with the man who has established a rival private detective agency in Gaborone, which he constantly stresses is run by a man. Not only is he a very difficult man to deal with, being what we in Australia would call a bloke with his head up his arse (well, some of us would ... okay, one of us would), but he is very quickly stealing a good bit of Mma Ramotswe's business.
Another, perhaps much more important of Mma Ramotswe's problems is at home. Her children, Motholele and Puso are being bullied at school. This is not particularly surprising, for they are very different to their school colleagues. Not only are they Bushmen, traditionally regarded as lesser beings by the majority Tswana population, but their life experiences to date have been extremely different to those of the other children. Added to which, of course, Motholele is in a wheelchair.
On the whole, Motholele is coping with the problem pretty well, but Puso is younger, and perhaps being a boy was an issue as well. Mma Ramotswe is stumped, not knowing much about boys, until she remembers someone who might be able to help.
And, of course, to keep the agency afloat, Mma Ramotswe has some cases to deal with. One is a fairly standard case of a woman who thinks her husband might be being unfaithful to her.
The other involves a man who has become quite wealthy, but has just had a life-threatening occurrence which has caused him to think about resolving negative matters from his life. He was once just a poor student. At that time, he committed two "crimes" which have burdened his mind for many years. He wants to set things right with the victims of these two crimes. He wants Mma Ramotswe to track them down and determine what will enable restitution.
And over all lies the dark cloud of Mr J L B Matekoni's illness, one both of us understand all too well. We're not 100% taken with Sandy's representation of this illness in the context of the 1st Ladies' Detective Agency series as a whole, his representation within this novel is very good indeed. We don't want to give too much away, so won't say too much about
Mr J L B Matekoni's illness, except Mma Ramotswe's fiance's life is in very, very serious danger. Will she lose another much-loved man, the only other one she has ever come across who comes anywhere within a bull's roar of the greatest men who have ever lived, her father Obed and Botswana's first president Sir Seretse Khama? Just remember, Sandy killed off Obed, and illness killed Seretse well before his proper span on earth.
So, consequent to a brilliant bit of deductive work, Mma Makutsi establishes an after-hours typing school for men. The school is a big success, and some good money rolls in. But Mma Makutsi discovers the reality that not all that appears to glisten is necessarily gold.
Concurrently, Mma Makutsi discovers the younger of Mr J L B Matekoni's two apprentices has stopped talking to his mate Charlie about girls. He has become intensely christian. Mma Makutsi takes on some work at his church in addition to the typing school.
Possibly Mma Ramotswe's biggest business-related problem is with the man who has established a rival private detective agency in Gaborone, which he constantly stresses is run by a man. Not only is he a very difficult man to deal with, being what we in Australia would call a bloke with his head up his arse (well, some of us would ... okay, one of us would), but he is very quickly stealing a good bit of Mma Ramotswe's business.
Another, perhaps much more important of Mma Ramotswe's problems is at home. Her children, Motholele and Puso are being bullied at school. This is not particularly surprising, for they are very different to their school colleagues. Not only are they Bushmen, traditionally regarded as lesser beings by the majority Tswana population, but their life experiences to date have been extremely different to those of the other children. Added to which, of course, Motholele is in a wheelchair.
On the whole, Motholele is coping with the problem pretty well, but Puso is younger, and perhaps being a boy was an issue as well. Mma Ramotswe is stumped, not knowing much about boys, until she remembers someone who might be able to help.
And, of course, to keep the agency afloat, Mma Ramotswe has some cases to deal with. One is a fairly standard case of a woman who thinks her husband might be being unfaithful to her.
The other involves a man who has become quite wealthy, but has just had a life-threatening occurrence which has caused him to think about resolving negative matters from his life. He was once just a poor student. At that time, he committed two "crimes" which have burdened his mind for many years. He wants to set things right with the victims of these two crimes. He wants Mma Ramotswe to track them down and determine what will enable restitution.
And over all lies the dark cloud of Mr J L B Matekoni's illness, one both of us understand all too well. We're not 100% taken with Sandy's representation of this illness in the context of the 1st Ladies' Detective Agency series as a whole, his representation within this novel is very good indeed. We don't want to give too much away, so won't say too much about
Mr J L B Matekoni's illness, except Mma Ramotswe's fiance's life is in very, very serious danger. Will she lose another much-loved man, the only other one she has ever come across who comes anywhere within a bull's roar of the greatest men who have ever lived, her father Obed and Botswana's first president Sir Seretse Khama? Just remember, Sandy killed off Obed, and illness killed Seretse well before his proper span on earth.
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