On 7/16/07, Abhijit Menon-Sen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
At 2007-07-16 12:57:36 +0530, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> And Zimbabweans were a lot friendlier and pleasant than the Batswana I
> was living among at the time.
Say, have you read Alexander McCall Smith's "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective
Agency" books? If so, did you enjoy them?
I've read the first one. I thought it was a pretty authentic depiction
of mid-80s Botswana. The geography is spot on -- I remembered specific
intersections and buildings based on his descriptions. He even
mentioned real people -- Iike Dr Moffat [1] in Princess Marina (a
local notable who I knew personally).
However, I didn't feel any urge to read any of the subsequent books.
He makes Botswana seem very exotic or picturesque -- but it's hard to
find places you know intimately very exotic. And most Batswana that I
knew were far more hard-headed, tough and realistic than
McCall-Smith's Mma Ramotswe.
-- b
