Once again, Alexander McCall Smith has written a love letter to Botswana. His novels are filled with wonderful descriptions more than action packed mystery. The stories slowly develop and draw the reader into a way of life. I always find the pace resfreshing.

I've read a number of this author's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels. I guess I'm just tired of the nitpicky style of his stories and the characters. I got about half way through the book, waiting for it to get better. It didn't and I gave up on it.

Alexander McCall Smith writes a charming book. I seek him out like an old friend, and I’m thankful and lucky that he is such a prolific author!
This is a new addition to his #1 Ladies Detective series. Every character is back, and this book follows two main stories: a request from a cousin of Mma Ramotswe, as well as Charlie’s adventure with her van and an elephant. It’s a quick read, and a lovely escape.

The 21st book in Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency —How To Raise An Elephant—is just as heartwarming, funny, and endearing as all of the other novels in this series are. The characters never grow old with me—just more beloved—nor does the gentle wisdom shared in the pages.

Two of the main problems dealt with in this book are literally how to raise a baby elephant who has been orphaned, and how to deal with a relative that asks for money.

The first mystery is more easily solved than the second. Precious Ramotswe and her assistant Mma Makutsi are not overly concerned when young Charlie, who is employed part time by the Mma Ramotswe and part time in the adjoining car repair business of her husband Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, asks to borrow the detective’s van briefly to help a friend move something. This lack of concern is obviously a mistake to anyone who has read some of the other novels in which Charlie is prone to make rash decisions and get into trouble. But when the van is returned with a bent tailgate and an unidentifiable earthy smell, that mystery is solved pretty quickly by a visit to Charlie’s neighborhood where he is discovered with a baby elephant who appears to consider Charlie his mother. The orphaned elephant—they discover—is destined for a bad end. And, Charlie’s neighborhood is definitely not a good long term home for the elephant. So they must find a new home for the elephant and spirit him away from those who mean him harm.

The second mystery—of whether the distant relative wishing to borrow money from Mma Ramotswe is honest or dishonest—is harder to get to the bottom of.

New neighbors move in next to Precious and her husband’s house and this adds interest to the story. I always love the wisdoms imparted in these books and the clever way in which they are imparted. Here is a passage from the book about the new neighbors:

“Neighbours were important, as troublesome relations with any neighbour could cast a shadow over anybody’s life. It was rule no. 1, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni told himself, to remain on good terms with neighbours—even in the face of difficult or even provocative behaviour over the garden fence. Mind you, he admitted, there were other candidates for that rule no. 1 status, including the rule that you should be ready to say sorry when sorry was required. Or the rule that you did not tell a lie to get yourself out of trouble. The wisdom behind that last rule proved itself time and time again: lies created a sticky spider’s web that quickly enmeshed those who uttered them. A single lie was rarely enough to conceal the truth, but soon had to be topped up with supplementary lies to confirm the original, until eventually the whole edifice of concealment and distortion toppled over.”

Here is another example of this from the book. Mma Ramotswe is visiting her wise friend Mma Potokwane at the Orphan Farm to seek her advice about what to do with the baby elephant. And as they are mulling over the problem with cups of tea and homemade cake:

“There was silence. From outside, there drifted into Mma Potokwane’s office the sound of children chanting a counting rhyme. Mma Ramotswe caught the words, and raised a finger. “I remember that,” she said. “I remember that from a long time ago.” It was a sound from the old Botswana—the Botswana of her childhood, when everything was quieter and more certain; when people had time for one another. It made her sad to think about that—how people had stopped having time for each other. Well, they hadn’t altogether, but it did seem that we all had less time for others in our lives. People had more material things than they used to: they had more money; they had cars; they had more food than they could eat; they had fridges purring away in their kitchens, but what had they lost? What silences, rich and peaceful, had been pushed out of the way by humming machinery?”

And last but not least, this is a funny passage when Charlie is remarking on the fact that Mma Ramotswe should get a new van:

“Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni pointed out that he had offered to buy Mma Ramotswe a new van on more than one occasion. “I have tried to replace that van,” he said, “but I am always thwarted.”
“There is nothing wrong with it,” said Mma Ramotswe.
“Other than being very old,” said Charlie. “And having dents in the tailgate. And smelling of elephants. And having great difficulty in getting up hills if they’re at all steep. Apart from that, Mma Ramotswe’s van is fine.”
Mma Ramotswe chided Charlie, but in a friendly tone. “It’s all very well for you, Charlie. You’re young and have no dents . . . yet. But you’ll learn to appreciate old things when you get a bit older yourself. You’ll begin to understand that old is not the same word as bad.”
Charlie laughed. “I’m going to be a really cool older person,” he said. “When the time comes—many years from now—then I am going to be a seriously cool older person. They’ll say, ‘Look at him, you’d never know he was forty-two!’ ”

I highly recommend this series as well as this latest addition to it. They are delightful books.

Thank you Pantheon and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book and for allowing me to review it. Publication date 24 November 2020.

Alexander McCall Smith returns us to Botswana in How to Raise an Elephant. The ladies of the detective agency discover that Charlie has adopted a stray baby elephant that one of his friends plans to sell as meat. The elephant is taken into their custody and a home found for the orphan elephant. Along the way the lady detectives discover the universals of cherishing relations with others and avoiding misunderstandings. Truly heartening example of the human spirit. Perfect for Christmas or birthday gift.

All our favorite characters are back: Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi, Charlie and. Mr. J.L. B. Matekoni. This charming story has the Ladies figuring out a request from a distant cousin of Precious Ramotswe and dealing with Charlie borrowing Precious’ beloved white van. Charlie has helped a friend who found an orphaned baby elephant. These books are so refreshing and while perhaps short on plot, are long and deep on philosophy and the Botswana culture. And, who doesn’t love elephants! You can lose yourself in this story.

For those of us who admire her, Mma Precious Ramotswe has been a treasured character for years. Alexander McCall Smith's novels about a female sleuth who lives in Gaborone, Botswana, bring smiles to our faces. "How to Raise an Elephant" is even lighter on plot than usual. It deals with an attempt by Charlie, who works for Precious and her husband, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, to look after a baby elephant. In addition, a distant relative, Blessing Mompati, appeals to Mma Ramotswe for funds to pay for a neighbor's hip operation. Precious's associate, Mma Grace Makutsi, is leery of this request, since she suspects that Blessing is a fraud who wishes to take advantage of Mma Ramotswe's benevolent nature.

Neither of these themes is particularly compelling, and the book drags at times. There are too many pages devoted to rambling conversations about the strengths and weaknesses of men and women, and the sad realization that Botswana's old ways—respect for one's elders, civility, and generosity—are no longer universally upheld. Still, what redeems "How to Raise an Elephant" is its heart and gentle humor. McCall Smith emphasizes the value of good friends, loyal husbands, and seasonal rains for Botswana's crops and cattle. Some individuals take their good fortune for granted, but Precious knows how lucky she is to have everything that she needs and wants.

Mma Silvia Potokwane, the resourceful matron of the local Orphan Farm, dishes out slices of her yummy fruit cake, along with terrific advice and practical assistance. Both Precious and Grace have loyal and supportive spouses and children who bring them pleasure. As always, the author captures the spirit and atmosphere of Botswana, a tranquil democracy in which most people live in peace. There are rogues in Botswana, of course. Identifying malefactors and finding evidence to prove their guilt is one of the tasks of Mma Ramotswe's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. However, this time around, the tale is less about evildoers and more about the ways in which kindness, a devoted family, and satisfying work enrich our lives.

As always, the 21st book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novel, Smith returns his readers to the slower pace of Mma Ramotse’s Botswana. A minimum of detective work solves the two mysteries. A distant cousin is suspected of lying to get money from Mma Ramotse and a baby elephant found by Charlie is eventually sent to an elephant sanctuary. But its not the mysteries that readers return to solve, it is the interaction between the characters. Like all good series, readers must begin at the beginning to fully appreciate the characters and understand the importance of fat cakes and bush tea.

I didn't feel as if this book was as good as previous titles in this beloved series. I would give all of the previous books a 5 out of 5, while this one was just a 3.5. I actually skipped pages to get ahead to finish because I had lost interest in reading some of them. Overall, I still love all of the characters, but the plot wasn't very compelling to me this time around. I look forward to the next in the series being much better.

Another lovely entry in the series. The perfect mental escape from the pandemic.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley for an honest review.

Feeling anxious? Worried about the world? I have just the right prescription for what ails you. Spend an afternoon with “How to Raise an Elephant” and a mug of bush tea. You will be transported to a world where people live in harmony and the coming of rain will be enough to look at the future with optimism.
Actually any book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series will do, and if you have had the good fortune to listen to an audio version so the melodious names of the people and places of Botswana are familiar to you, so much the better.
The plot is secondary in this story. In fact Mma Ramotswe barely has to use her detective skills at all in this installment. Instead she relies on her common sense and good heart to settle several problems in her neighborhood and in the office. An orphaned baby elephant needs rescue, a distant cousin asks for a loan, a new neighbor has marital problems, These are the concerns that fill the pages of How to Raise an Elephant. Nothing too earth shattering but just enough to take you away from your own troubles. As Mme. Ramotswe muses, “ The Botswana Daily News was full of unfortunate things that befell people. And these things were inevitable, given the nature of the world and the things that could go wrong. But you couldn’t let all that deter you, she thought. You soldiered on; you carried on doing what you thought was the right thing to do; you soldiered on.”
And that is the wonderful thing about this series. It shows you people soldiering on and gives you the hope that you can do the same.

Alexander McCall Smith books are the ultimate comfort read. This installment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency features an elephant, a distant cousin in need of money, and new neighbors for Precious. This book is 5 stars for me. Alexander McCall Smith's wit and wisdom are unparalleled. I was actually moved to tears a few times by his beautiful insights. I highly recommend this book and this series. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Mma Ramotswe and her staff continue their business of detecting for the people of Gaborone, while considering both the advantages and disadvantages of the growth of their town. When she is faced with a baby elephant, though, Precious must call upon her maternal instincts to figure out how to raise a baby elephant.

This is the 21st book in this long-running series, and I always look forward to reading the latest installment. After the previous book, I was a little concerned about the main character – and perhaps the tone of the series itself – but this book put those concerns to rest. As usual, I enjoyed this visit to Botswana and the familiar characters. As the series has progressed, it's been good to see some of them grow and learn to appreciate what they have, and I like the way they all work together to answer questions and solve problems. I look forward to my next visit to Gaborone and the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

I and our patrons still really enjoy this series, the First Ladies Detectve Agency. Always a steady enjoyable read.

I have read all of the books in this series. It is a chance to visit again with the characters each time. They are a gentle, easy read, but in the past there was at least some point to the story. Now they just meander around and shoot off into boring long tangents. I am sorry to say that I was not very happy with this book. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.