How to Raise an Elephant (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #21)
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2020-11-25 04:10:54
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Alexander McCall Smith
- ISBN：9781524749361
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
11/09/2020
In Smith’s leisurely 21st No。 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novel （after 2019’s To the Land of Long Lost Friends）， Blessing Mompati， a distant cousin of Precious Ramotse， the agency’s head， needs money to pay for a hip replacement for her friend Tefo Kgomo。 Tefo， a South African who’s lived for years in Botswana， can’t get citizenship because he’s been convicted of stock theft and is ineligible for health care。 Mma Ramotse and her assistant， Grace Makutsi， suspect Blessing and Tefo are lying。 When a couple move into the house next door to Mma Ramotse and her husband， Mr。 J。L。B。 Matekoni， she’s distressed to overhear them arguing。 Meanwhile， Charlie， who works for Mr。 J。L。B。 Matekoni’s garage， is keeping an orphaned baby elephant outside his uncle’s house。 The effort to find a permanent home for the animal generates a little suspense， along with some comment on the plight of the desperate people who kill elephants for their ivory。 Minimal detective work leads to the resolution of all three situations。 Series fans will be charmed， as usual， by the conversations between Mwa Ramotse and her friends on such topics as the usefulness of men and the benefits of bush tea， but this isn’t the place to start for newcomers。 Agent: Robin Straus， Robin Straus Agency。 （Nov。）
Reviews
Cloggie Downunder
，
“There was an important element of reciprocity in her relationship with Mma Potokwani， but if you set up imaginary scales and put fixing the pump or the minibus on one pan， and an elephant on the other， there was no doubt in her mind as to which way the scales would tip。” How to Raise an Elephant is the twenty-first book in the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by popular Scottish author， Alexander McCall Smith。 The weather is hot and business is slow when a distant cousin of Mma Ramotswe’s comes to the office， wanting money for yet another relative。 Mr JLB Matekoni warns his wife to be wary， not wanting her to acquire a reputation as a soft touch。 Mma Ramotswe is always charitable， but is the reason for the request genuine？ Charlie asks to borrow Mma Ramotswe’s tiny white van and returns it with a strange smell and a damaged tailgate。 When Mr JLB Matekoni and Fanwell investigate， they bring back a barely credible story of an orphan baby elephant in mortal danger。 Who could help？ Mma Ramotswe has new neighbours in Zebra drive， and when thire furniture arrives， some of it has her wondering about the state of their marriage。 A later encounter with the wife leads her to offer advice: “Forgiveness is very powerful， Mma。 It can change things completely。 It’s like the rain we long for。 Everything is dry， dust everywhere， and then the rain comes。 You smell it coming and suddenly it is there and it changes everything。” As usual， both in conversation and inner musings， digressions from the main topic are common， often on hilarious tangents: from an elephant to the difference between lions and ostriches to evolution to Einstein。 Traffic jams， affairs， outstanding invoices and bad debt recovery and angels: all are examined， and Precious finds herself scrambling for diplomacy with Grace Makutsi’s new （trendy？ retro？） spectacles。 Grace， as always， pontificates on many subjects （“that is well known， Mma”） and shares her strong opinions， especially on the behaviour of men， and a certain Violet Sepotho。 And in the course of a day’s work， she draws some incorrect conclusions from evidence garnered， rather surprises herself with a spontaneous act of charity， and later joins a girls’ trip north。 Once again， McCall Smith gives the reader some minor mysteries that don’t tax the brain too much， laced with plenty of gentle philosophy， astute observations and wise words。 This author never fails to delight。
Nelda Brangwin
，
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 begi 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。 。。。more
Gillian
，
Perfect Mma Ramaotswe plus a Baby ElephantAll the amusing meandering and gentle yet laugh out humour I hoped for and more。 Whereas some books in the series didn't have quite the same feel， this had the comfort of the first few books with an added baby elephant。
Holly
，
Touching and charming。
BOOKLOVER10
，
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 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。 。。。more
Linda Reading
，
Another gentle instalment in the world of the No。1 Ladies’ Detective Agency。 A little weaker on the plot than others but still a warming reading none the less。
Lorna Harwood
，
I've been bingeing on AMcS the past couple of weeks， and am never disappointed with the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series！ The latest installment in the series features some difficult situations to solve which Mma Ramotswe again handles with deep thought and reflection - and as always， with some surprising results。
Phrynne
，
Virtual travel is the only way to go these days so this quick trip to Botswana was a treat。 The author writes it exactly as it is， and you can almost hear the collective sigh of relief when the rains eventually come and life returns to the land。 The story of the baby elephant is charming too。When you read a really long series like this one each new book is a visit to old friends。 There is no real mystery in How to Raise an Elephant and very little detective work is done， but we pass the time wit Virtual travel is the only way to go these days so this quick trip to Botswana was a treat。 The author writes it exactly as it is， and you can almost hear the collective sigh of relief when the rains eventually come and life returns to the land。 The story of the baby elephant is charming too。When you read a really long series like this one each new book is a visit to old friends。 There is no real mystery in How to Raise an Elephant and very little detective work is done， but we pass the time with rooibos tea， cherry cake and conversation。 Mma Ramotswe seems to have gained a new friend， Mma Makutsi has a new recognition for how lucky she is and Charlie has been saved again。 All is right with the world。 。。。more
Sandy
，
Enjoyable as usual！
Annette
，
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。
Carla
，
As usual a very uplifting tale which I needed at this time。 I love these books。
Marianne
，
“There was an important element of reciprocity in her relationship with Mma Potokwani， but if you set up imaginary scales and put fixing the pump or the minibus on one pan， and an elephant on the other， there was no doubt in her mind as to which way the scales would tip。”How to Raise an Elephant is the twenty-first book in the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by popular Scottish author， Alexander McCall Smith。 This audio version is read by Adjoa Andoh。 The weather is hot and business is s “There was an important element of reciprocity in her relationship with Mma Potokwani， but if you set up imaginary scales and put fixing the pump or the minibus on one pan， and an elephant on the other， there was no doubt in her mind as to which way the scales would tip。”How to Raise an Elephant is the twenty-first book in the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by popular Scottish author， Alexander McCall Smith。 This audio version is read by Adjoa Andoh。 The weather is hot and business is slow when a distant cousin of Mma Ramotswe’s comes to the office， wanting money for yet another relative。 Mr JLB Matekoni warns his wife to be wary， not wanting her to acquire a reputation as a soft touch。 Mma Ramotswe is always charitable， but is the reason for the request genuine？Charlie asks to borrow Mma Ramotswe’s tiny white van and returns it with a strange smell and a damaged tailgate。 When Mr JLB Matekoni and Fanwell investigate， they bring back a barely credible story of an orphan baby elephant in mortal danger。 Who could help？Mma Ramotswe has new neighbours in Zebra drive， and when thire furniture arrives， some of it has her wondering about the state of their marriage。 A later encounter with the wife leads her to offer advice: “Forgiveness is very powerful， Mma。 It can change things completely。 It’s like the rain we long for。 Everything is dry， dust everywhere， and then the rain comes。 You smell it coming and suddenly it is there and it changes everything。”As usual， both in conversation and inner musings， digressions from the main topic are common， often on hilarious tangents: from an elephant to the difference between lions and ostriches to evolution to Einstein。 Traffic jams， affairs， outstanding invoices and bad debt recovery and angels: all are examined， and Precious finds herself scrambling for diplomacy with Grace Makutsi’s new （trendy？ retro？） spectacles。 Grace， as always， pontificates on many subjects （“that is well known， Mma”） and shares her strong opinions， especially on the behaviour of men， and a certain Violet Sepotho。 And in the course of a day’s work， she draws some incorrect conclusions from evidence garnered， rather surprises herself with a spontaneous act of charity， and later joins a girls’ trip north。Once again， McCall Smith gives the reader some minor mysteries that don’t tax the brain too much， laced with plenty of gentle philosophy， astute observations and wise words。 This author never fails to delight。 。。。more
Marianne
，
“There was an important element of reciprocity in her relationship with Mma Potokwani， but if you set up imaginary scales and put fixing the pump or the minibus on one pan， and an elephant on the other， there was no doubt in her mind as to which way the scales would tip。”How to Raise an Elephant is the twenty-first book in the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by popular Scottish author， Alexander McCall Smith。 The weather is hot and business is slow when a distant cousin of Mma Ramotswe’s “There was an important element of reciprocity in her relationship with Mma Potokwani， but if you set up imaginary scales and put fixing the pump or the minibus on one pan， and an elephant on the other， there was no doubt in her mind as to which way the scales would tip。”How to Raise an Elephant is the twenty-first book in the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by popular Scottish author， Alexander McCall Smith。 The weather is hot and business is slow when a distant cousin of Mma Ramotswe’s comes to the office， wanting money for yet another relative。 Mr JLB Matekoni warns his wife to be wary， not wanting her to acquire a reputation as a soft touch。 Mma Ramotswe is always charitable， but is the reason for the request genuine？Charlie asks to borrow Mma Ramotswe’s tiny white van and returns it with a strange smell and a damaged tailgate。 When Mr JLB Matekoni and Fanwell investigate， they bring back a barely credible story of an orphan baby elephant in mortal danger。 Who could help？Mma Ramotswe has new neighbours in Zebra drive， and when thire furniture arrives， some of it has her wondering about the state of their marriage。 A later encounter with the wife leads her to offer advice: “Forgiveness is very powerful， Mma。 It can change things completely。 It’s like the rain we long for。 Everything is dry， dust everywhere， and then the rain comes。 You smell it coming and suddenly it is there and it changes everything。”As usual， both in conversation and inner musings， digressions from the main topic are common， often on hilarious tangents: from an elephant to the difference between lions and ostriches to evolution to Einstein。 Traffic jams， affairs， outstanding invoices and bad debt recovery and angels: all are examined， and Precious finds herself scrambling for diplomacy with Grace Makutsi’s new （trendy？ retro？） spectacles。 Grace， as always， pontificates on many subjects （“that is well known， Mma”） and shares her strong opinions， especially on the behaviour of men， and a certain Violet Sepotho。 And in the course of a day’s work， she draws some incorrect conclusions from evidence garnered， rather surprises herself with a spontaneous act of charity， and later joins a girls’ trip north。Once again， McCall Smith gives the reader some minor mysteries that don’t tax the brain too much， laced with plenty of gentle philosophy， astute observations and wise words。 This author never fails to delight。 。。。more
Sangitha Ramesh
，
Another delightful book from the Number 1 ladies detective agency series。 I cannot wait for the next one in this series。
LibraryLaur
，
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。
Allison
，
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 Bot 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。 。。。more
Gaby Meares
，
You read books for different reasons: some books take you on a rollercoaster ride， some books make you leave the lights on after dark， and some books return you to the company of old friends。 And so it is with How to Raise an Elephant， the twenty-first book in The No。 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series。 The books in this series are less about plot， and more about the people who populate the books and how they feel and what they think。 McCall Smith has a gift for putting into words the quandaries You read books for different reasons: some books take you on a rollercoaster ride， some books make you leave the lights on after dark， and some books return you to the company of old friends。 And so it is with How to Raise an Elephant， the twenty-first book in The No。 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series。 The books in this series are less about plot， and more about the people who populate the books and how they feel and what they think。 McCall Smith has a gift for putting into words the quandaries that trouble many of us。 Issues of world importance， and issues of no importance at all， are given equal consideration over steaming cups of bush tea。 The climate change crisis: ‘Everybody wanted to look after the world， but nobody wanted to give up anything they already had’。 The drought: ‘…will the [rains] ever come？ Each year they seem to be later and later， and when they do break， they are sometimes no more than a wind with a few drops of water in its eyes。’ Kindness: ‘unkindness was never the way to convert others to a truth of any sort。 On the contrary， it was kindness and concern that changed people within， that could soften the hardest of hearts， that could turn harsh words into words of love’。 And grief: ‘Late people talk to us， but most of the time we are not listening because we are so busy … But then， when we stop for a moment and catch our breath， we might just hear the voices of the late people who love us， and they are whispering to us， quietly， like the wind that moves across the dry grass; and we know that it is them， although we also know that it cannot be them， for they are late。 And so we try hard to hear， just to be sure， and their voices fade away and there is nothing once again。’I have a sense of bereavement whenever I finish my time in Botswana with the wise and kind Precious Ramotswe， and Mma Makutsi， （who can communicate disapproval or scepticism via a simple sniff）; Mma Potokwani， who is tireless in her care for orphan children （and the baking of fruit cake） and Mr J。 L。 B。 Matekoni， owner of Speedy Motors and gentle husband of Mma Ramotswe。 All these people are much more than mere characters in a book， they are like family: and like family some are loveable， and some are annoying， but all are precious。 。。。more
Herman
，
Steeds minder op te lossen mysteries， steeds meer van Smith's levenswijsheden， waarvan de meeste nu wel bekend zijn。。。
Helen Connell
，
This is a gently moving story in which the characters develop and we get to know them better。 There are some good messages in it especially how easy it is to judge others without knowing the full story。 The elephant in the title is cute and I love the way it is so integral to the story。
Carol
，
As always this series never fails to entertain and amuse me
Linden
，
I started reading another book， but although well written， it delved too much into the current political situation。 Since I can't deal with that right now， I thought a visit to Botswana and Mma Ramotswe might be in order。 Charlie has asked to borrow the van， but is being very secretive about why he wants it。 When Precious and her husband find out the truth， they take steps to help deal with the strange situation。 A distant cousin comes to ask for money， but Mma Makutsi is suspicious of the woman I started reading another book， but although well written， it delved too much into the current political situation。 Since I can't deal with that right now， I thought a visit to Botswana and Mma Ramotswe might be in order。 Charlie has asked to borrow the van， but is being very secretive about why he wants it。 When Precious and her husband find out the truth， they take steps to help deal with the strange situation。 A distant cousin comes to ask for money， but Mma Makutsi is suspicious of the woman from the start， and investigates further。 If you need an escapist read now， I recommend visiting with Precious Ramotswe and her friends。 Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this ARC。 。。。more
Anna Bennett
，
A nice gentle read that made me chuckle。 I love Mma Ramotswe。
Anthony Posner
，
Reading all of the 5 star reviews I was reluctant to give only 4 stars。 However the lack of any "action" sits uneasily with me。 The usual characters are in place saying the usual things and that makes up for the lack of something else to happen。
Ellie Kojan
，
The usual barbed but sometimes unwittingly clumsy remarks， ranting arguments， so normalized for these characters。 Politically correct over corrections， the usual trademark kindness。 Sheer guilt free pleasure。 Nobody ashamed to be themselves here， as people can laugh easily even when their is overt politeness。
Adele
，
Admittedly not much seems to happen， but then again I don’t pick up a No。 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency expecting an explosive plot。 I pick them up for the precise reason that they gently meander along， and I genuinely enjoy being in the company of Alexander McCall Smith’s delightfully original characters。
Jennifer Schell
，
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。
Jacki （Julia Flyte）
，
I don't have a lot to say about this book。 A meagre plot has been spread very thin but you don't read this series for the plots， you read it for the warm feels and the endearing characters。 Which it delivers， as always。
Amanda
，
For some reason， seemed to move slower than other books and not nearly as much happened， there was not really any sense of mystery。 And the sardonic internal comments were more than usual， and the pointless conversation about evolution between Mma Makutsi， JLB Matekoni and Fanwell in the office seemed to drag on quite a bit。 Also felt a couple of occasions where it should have been obvious that Mma Makutsi thought of her own son， but he was not mentioned。。。 Seemed strange。 Overall fun and enjoya For some reason， seemed to move slower than other books and not nearly as much happened， there was not really any sense of mystery。 And the sardonic internal comments were more than usual， and the pointless conversation about evolution between Mma Makutsi， JLB Matekoni and Fanwell in the office seemed to drag on quite a bit。 Also felt a couple of occasions where it should have been obvious that Mma Makutsi thought of her own son， but he was not mentioned。。。 Seemed strange。 Overall fun and enjoyable to read but tbh not one of strongest in terms of the story 。。。more
Manju Mazumder
，
A little time spent in the company of Mma Ramotswe & gang is always pleasurable。 The simplicity & smartness comes across thru’ my favourite Alexander McCall Smith。 Long may he write。 A little time spent in the company of Mma Ramotswe & gang is always pleasurable。 The simplicity & smartness comes across thru’ my favourite Alexander McCall Smith。 Long may he write。 。。。more
Barb
，
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 characte 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。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Abigail
，