Precious and Grace
by McCall Smith, Alexander
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 1408708124
- ISBN 13
- 9781408708125
- Seller
-
Dunfermline, Fife, United Kingdom
22 Copies Available from This Seller
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About This Item
Little, Brown Book Group Limited. Used - Very Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Reviews
On Oct 19 2016, CloggieDownunder said:
Precious and Grace is the seventeenth full length novel in the popular No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith. With Grace Makutsi's status in the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency elevated and Precious Ramotswe no longer being her boss, as such, Mma Ramotswe finds her considerable skills of diplomacy and tact are more often required in their case discussions and client meetings.
This is indeed so when a client who has travelled from Canada presents with a somewhat unusual request: Precious and Grace agree to approach the case from quite different angles. Both get results, and both are surprised.
But this is not Mma Ramotswe's only concern: garage mechanic, Fanwell has taken on the care of a dog without the space or means to do so; Mr Polopetsi is involved in a business scheme that has alarm bells ringing in Mma Ramotswe's head; and it seems that Mma Makutsi's nemesis, Violet Sepotho is up to more tricks.
As always, Mma Ramotswe muses on the problems and challenges of life, making wise observations and comments to those near and dear. She philosophises about people we know: family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and even enemies; about the past; about trusting one's feelings; about whether animals have souls; about lists. "Lists, she thought, are the stories of our lives; they give a picture of who we are and what we do every day"
"…she reflected on the possibility that young men were a completely alien breed, and that however much you tried to get them to see things the way you saw them, you were destined to fail. And that perhaps part of the secret of leading a life in which you would not always be worrying about things, or complaining about them, was to accept that there were people who just saw things differently from you and always would"
On souls, Mr J L B Matekoni has an opinion: "Old cars have souls. Modern cars … well, I think the Japanese don't put souls into them. They save money, perhaps, by not putting in a soul"
This instalment sees some character development in Fanwell, Charlie and even the dreadful Violet. Apart from the rather determined dog, this instalment also features Mr J L B Matekoni's favourite stew, a puff adder, fat cakes (and some creative rationalising surrounding them), a newspaper story featuring Grace Makutsi, and the obligatory fruit cake. Mma Makutsi's garrulous shoes are noticeably absent. Another delightful dose of Bostwana.
Precious thoughts on the past: "There were too many people who took the view that the past was bad, that we should rid ourselves of all traces of it as soon as possible. But the past was not bad; some of it may have been less than perfect – there had been cruelties then that we had done well to get rid of – but there had also been plenty of good things. there had been the old Botswana ways, the courtesy and the kindness; there had been the attitude that you should find time for other people and not always be in a desperate rush; there had been the belief that you should listen to other people, should talk to them, rather than spend all your time fiddling with your electronic gadgets; there had been the view that it was a good thing to sit under a tree sometimes and look up at the sky and think about cattle or pumpkins or non-electric things like that"
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Details
- Bookseller
- Better World Books Ltd (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- GRP95414328
- Title
- Precious and Grace
- Author
- McCall Smith, Alexander
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 22
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 1408708124
- ISBN 13
- 9781408708125
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group Limited
- This edition first published
- 2016
Terms of Sale
Better World Books Ltd
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping cost for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged. Please keep in mind that because we deal mostly in used books, any extra components, such as CDs or access codes, are usually not included. CDs: If the book does include a CD, it will be noted in the book's description ("With CD!"). Otherwise, there is no CD included, even if the term is used in the book's title. Access Codes: Unless the book is described as "New," please assume that the book does *not* have an access code.
About the Seller
Better World Books Ltd
Biblio member since 2009
Dunfermline, Fife
About Better World Books Ltd
Better World Books generates funding for literacy charities through the sales of second-hand books. Our current partner charities in the UK are READ International, the National Literacy Trust, Room to Read. (Registered Charities no. 1128534, no. 1116260 and no. 1125803 and the National Adult Literacy Agency. Much of our stock is ex-library due to our close relationships with UK libraries. We offer a service that helps them keep their unwanted books out of landfill. All ex-library books will be marked as such in their individual listings. 99% of orders are dispatched within 24 hours and we offer a 100% money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied.