A Song of Comfortable Chairs (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Book 23)

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I enjoyed the larger role played by Charlie in this book. He is certainly beginning to mature. Just beginning mind you. I am happy that he has been introduced to tooth paste just in time to save his teeth! I found myself in total agreement with Mma Ramotswe about the importance in our lives of comfortable chairs and of sharing cups of tea and cake with our friends. It is all very cosy and reassuring. and a firm called Twenty-First Century Chairs is selling new-age, adjustable seats at reduced prices. Unfortunately, Phuti can't compete. Precious and Grace come up with a scheme that would temporarily move the woman and her unruly son into Grace and Phuti's home. Physical punishment is forbidden in any attempt to discipline him for his bad behaviour. Their plan includes an undercover actor visiting the home and interacting with the antagonistic, hostile teenager. However, the plan is not working as the son shows no sign of changes in his attitude or behaviour. Suddenly, he is much calmer and wants to return to the previous home, apologize, and get along with his mother's new boyfriend. It seems he received a secret visit from Charlie, which improved the boy's outlook considerably. Of course, Grace cannot accept or credit Charlie's unorthodox methods of solving the case, now concluded with a happy ending. The story comes in the third person POV. It alters between limited third-person (of both the leading ladies) and omnipresent narration. That idea means that Orphan Farm matron, Mma Potokwani gets to star in an ad campaign and the photo shoot attracts not only staff of the Detective Agency and the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, but also a large support crew from the Orphan Farm.

I love this author's Isabel Dalhousie series and I was looking forward to discovering another wonderful series by him. Instead, I was disappointed by the slow pace, and the repititiousness in the characters. It's odd, but the very things that I love about Isabel Dalhousie just don't work for me here. Precious Ramotswe is contentedly self-described as traditionally built. Her aging little white van attests to her bulk as it lists markedly on the driver’s side. It rarely achieves a speed over 15 miles per hour and frequently requires interventional maintenance by her mechanic and business owner husband, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni who is frustrated in his attempts to have her replace the vehicle. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Knopf Doubleday via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of A Song of Comfortable Chairs by Alexander McCall Smith for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Patience has asked Mma Makutsi for help, and she and Mma Ramotswe come up with a plan, that Phuti agrees to. I read No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels for philosophical asides such as this: It was a curious thing, she thought, that a person's eyes should tell you so much about what was going on inside them. There were so many ways in which people might reveal their thoughts and emotions — gestures of the hands, smiles, shrugs. The repertoire of human body language was an extensive one.

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Meanwhile, Grace is approached by an old friend who has a troubled son. She and Phuti agree to take Patience and Modise in and lend a hand, but things don’t work out quite as intended, and the situation proves difficult for them to handle. It will require not only all of their persistence and dedication but also help from an unexpected quarter to find a solution that will make everyone happy. In this latest installment in the beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Grace Makutsi encounters a pair of quandaries that will require all of her and Mma Ramotswe's cleverness and generosity to resolve It was important, she felt, to keep your working life separate from your home life; she knew far too many people who allowed the cares of the job to intrude upon their home life, and these were the people who tended to become depressed or suffer from something that she had recently read about in a magazine - something referred to as burn-out.’ To summarize, A Song of Comfortable Chairs is the kind of book you want to sit with on cold noon and warm your heart. It isn’t a typical cozy mystery or drama. It’s a comfort read that’ll make you think and smile at the same time. We see both the conflict and the solid friendship between Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi, the conflict and the growing understanding between Mma Makutsi and Charlie, Mma Ramotswe's own insecurities as well as her wisdom and flexibility, and, along with the strong relationship between Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, whe see the strong relationship between Mma Makutsi and Phuti Radaphuti. The whole story reflects the values of respect and caring for each other and the community they're a part of.

For example, Mma Ramotswe takes her employee, part-time detective Charlie, to the dentist; Mma Makutsi goes to the supermarket with her husband Phuti; Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi visit their friend Mma Potokwane at the orphan farm; and more.The only female-owned detective agency in Botswana is the realization of a dream of Mma Precious Ramotswe. She was inspired when she came across a slender volume, the self-published The Principles of Private Detection by a little-known (fictional) American author, Clovis Andersen, of Muncie, Indiana who set the gold standard of investigation for her. The now battered, oft-read copy serves as a guideline and part gospel for the small office. TWO WOMEN STRIVE TO RESTORE HARMONY Grace Makutsi's husband has a furniture business, which is in trouble. An international is selling furniture for cheaper prices. While Phuti Radiphuti is particular about quality and comfort, the new competitor is intent on sales and profits. The detective agency has a separate entrance but is housed in the same building as his garage, Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors. The two women are training the young mechanic Charlie as a part-time Junior Assistant Detective. The office case-load is light as they are selective about their clients and making money is not their primary objective. They rather prefer to right wrongs and restore harmony. ONE RIVAL FURNITURE STORE COULD BRING RUIN

Now I see why the series is successful and much loved. The book doesn’t really fit any genre. The mysteries are not ‘mysteries’, but aspects of one’s life- things we see in society, issues someone has to deal with, and decisions people need to make. There's also the small matter of an old friend of Mma Makutsi's, another woman from Bobonong named Patience, who after some major challenges in her life, is now living, along with her 14-year-old son, with a good man who treats her very well. Unfortunately, her son resents him and is extremely rude and disrespectful to him. It's extreme enough that it's putting real strain on Patience's relationship with the man, to the point where he's suggested that this can't go on. He'll have to ask her to leave if things don't improve.In a world where there aren’t always answers and at a time when we are all looking for answers, this is a fabulous read. I know any book in this series will end well and that Precious and Grace will solve the cases. For a few hours, all is right with the world and my worries are set aside. We could all do with a little Botswana wisdom in our life. As the story opens Mma Ramotswe is musing about Mma Grace Makutsi - her employee at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.