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Summary Of The NovelThe No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

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Botswana is known for many things, from the country’s sprawling landscapes to it’s sparkling diamonds. It is this beautiful country that Alexander McCall Smith uses as the backdrop for his novel, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Smith, a former professor at both the University of Botswana and Edinburgh University, creates a wonderful and entertaining story centered around a patriotic woman who wants to make a difference. The novel’s main character, a middle aged woman named Precious Ramotswe, uses the money from her late father’s cattle to open her very own detective agency. At the time, this was an abnormality for a woman. As the novel progresses, one thing becomes clear: Certain qualities of the country of Botswana and in the novel The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency has clearly defined the expectations of males and females, leaving females treated unfairly. Throughout the novel, Mma Ramotswe encounters many different people and is faced with many obstacles. One of these obstacles is the fact that she is a woman, which Mma Ramotswe does not believe should be a problem. Despite her opinions, the detective sees the difference in genders as she solves many of her cases. The earliest encounter in the story is in one of the first cases the detective works on: a case in which a young woman, named Happy Bapetsi, wants Mma Ramotswe to prove that man who appeared on her doorstep is truly her long lost father. Happy Bapetsi is not your average Botswana woman. Successful and

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