The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon: The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
| The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon: The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith | |
|
| |
| Category: General Fiction | |
| |
Reviewer: Ruth Ng
 | |
| Summary: Get your cosy socks on, slather that strawberry jam on a scone, pop a redbush teabag in your mug and get ready for a lovely, relaxing read! | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 256 | Date: February 2014 |
| Publisher: Abacus | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9780349139289 | |
|
Share on: | |
|
| |
Although the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency belongs to Mma Ramotswe, I often feel that Grace Makutsi really shares equally in these stories and, in this particular episode, she has reached a truly lovely high point in her life. We saw her arrive to work for Mma Ramotswe, initially standing upon the laurels of her unheard-of 97% in her secretarial exams, and throughout the series she has developed, both as a character and as a person. She grew her role from secretary to associate detective (with great determination at times!), she bought new shoes and sometimes conversed with them, and then we rejoiced with her when she married Phuti and began to build a home with him. This time around Mma Makutsi is pregnant, but the question on everyone's mind is will she ever speak to Mma Ramotswe about the baby before it arrives?
A lot of this story is about motherhood, in various different forms, but I think even above this, what stood out for me, was the idea of friendship. Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi have come through a great deal together over the years, and there have occasionally been little issues between them, yet at this point they have discovered their working balance. As Mma Ramotswe realises when Grace goes on maternity leave they are more, much more, than just work colleagues and there is a genuine feeling of loss for her without Grace around each day. I love the dynamic between the two women, and it is portrayed so beautifully in this story. When Mma Ramotswe goes to visit Grace's baby for the first time I felt very emotional reading of the ease of friendship between them, and the very deep, unspoken love and respect these two women have for each other. There is a moment, after they have both looked at Grace's new baby, where Alexander McCall Smith writes there was no need for words, for there are times when words can only hint at what the heart would wiah to say and I think it says something for his writing that reading those words I have already pictured the two women, sitting together, and I know exactly what they are both thinking and feeling.
Even with the birth of a very much wanted and loved baby, there is still work to be done, and there are some interesting cases this time. A lawyer asks for help in an inheritance problem, and Mma Soleti, who has opened the Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon is struggling to get her business off the ground. I'd like to say, first of all, that there is a definite gap in the market for a Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon here where I live! I love the idea of only needing minor adjustments - it sounds so very reassuring! The cases are interesting, and I liked the fact that Mma Ramotswe still needed Grace's help in order to resolve the cases. I wasn't sure the conclusion was quite as full as I would have liked, but the story was so beautiful that really, it didn't matter and, as always, the story is less about the mysteries being investigated and much, much more about spending some time with people I consider to be friends. And besides the cases and the baby, there is trouble with a snake, and a course for modern husbands, and of course there is always time for a slice of cake, or two, and many, many cups of tea! Lovely, and most definitely recommended!
Have you lost track of where we are in the series? The book before this one is: The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection: The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 13 by Alexander McCall Smith, or you'll find all the books listed here.
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon: The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon: The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith at Amazon.com.
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
