HOW TO RAISE AN ELEPHANT

Human needs and emotions and failings and healing...all beautifully narrated in story form.Another Precious story....wow. Mma Potokwani and Mma Makutsi have contributed their parts generously...just like the fruit cake they all love.Take a full bite of this novel.

Excellent continuation of the Ladies' No. 1 Detective agency books. Here Precious and Grace save a baby elephant that Charlie finds himself saddled with. The book ends with the baby being taken to the farm attached to the orphanage run by Mma Potokwane. Gently humerous. Effortlessly written.

AMS has again written an excellent rendering of human thoughts as one passes through emotions and life . Easy reading indeed.

There was something off about the book the whole way through. Mma Makutsi's characterization and the way she interacts with Mma Ramotswe were just... Off. And Charlie! Last book, we could really see Charlie developing as a man. I was looking forward to hearing a lot more about him. But instead, his wedding is glossed over and we see the same man who skillfully avoided falling into a scam falling into one invoking an elephant. It's like he's regressed. There's no mention of Daisy, the little girl Mma Ramotswe took in last book. Why not? She seemed like she was going to be important. Why are Puso and Motholeli basically gone from the series too? And the rambling moral discussions... While I do enjoy seeing the different characters' points of view on modern topics (and as a relaxed and socially liberal person, I tend to agree with Mma Ramotswe), it is getting a bit repetitive. I can barely remember any mystery in this book at all, to be honest. The heist bit near the end was fun, the book could have focused on that and the elephant much more.This book feels like it was written by someone else. I wonder if it was? I have nothing against ghostwriting, some of the best mystery series have been ghostwritten. But whether it's the author or a ghostwriter at the helm, they should try a little harder. It's kind of sad to see the series get to this point. Maybe AmS or whoever is writing these should take a break from the series, go on holiday in Botswana, and gather some more inspiration before launching into the next book? Either way, I will buy the next one. I just miss the tone and pacing of the early and mid-series books.

This series has always been a mix of homespun philosophy, reminiscence, amicable and otherwise discussion and eating fruit cake with a dash or more of actual detective work. This one is so bloated with the first four that the lattermost barely features and then the No.1 detectives get it wrong. The only significant story is Charlie and his baby elephant and JLB crashes the white van! Charm has been present in all the books but this is over egging the pudding, every conversation is interrupted by reminiscence etc, so much so that I found myself skipping to the end of the paragraph or sometimes page to pick up the story again. Just too much sugar!

I just love this series of the Ladies Detective Agency books. They truly capture the flavour of Botswana, the warmth of the people, and the atmosphere of the country. I love the gentle philosophy that comes through and the pace of life. This latest story which revolves around a baby elephant is delightful. I look forward to the latest book coming out and am never disappointed.. Such a special story, amusing, and I can just lose myself in the telling. Love it.

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed all of the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books. This book has been my favourite. I laughed out loud throughout . I really feel I know all the characters personally at this stage. I did not want this book to end it brought a smile to my face every time I picked it up. The best book I have read this year. Loved every bit of it.

...if you are expecting AMS's usual entertaining reads of No 1 LDA.This book if full of padding to the extent that whatever story there is , is submerged in dross. One wonders if AMS has only just discovered copy and paste at times. There are so many storyline content/fact errors that it is obvious that any proof reading was only minimal. ( eg fat cake - singular becomes fat cakes - plural,(this being a storyline change and not a typo) a journey in a car becomes a journey in a truck , baby elephant is fed human baby formula, etc etc)I can only conclude that one or more of the following is relevent, 1) this was written by a ghost writer, 2) AMS has been instructed by others to 'product place' their opinions within his copy, 3) AMS has become bored of No.1 LDA.By all of the above and also the many, many attempts by AMS to indoctrinate his reader into his or others way of thinking AMS has sucessfully driven me from this series.I bought this book to be entertained and ended up feeling I had been scammed into reading content, which if I had known about previously would have prevented me buying the book . This book is not entertainment, it is a vehicle to promote contentious opinions...as factsGoodbye AMS, all the best on your new career as a moulder of minds