THE WOMAN WHO WALKED IN SUNSHINE

Sometimes books can be really demanding.They seek your undivided attention,leaving you with very little time to do anything else.My weekends are usually reserved for reading and consequently I hardly get any work done at all.This time around however I was looking to read something without investing too much of myself in it.

The No 1 Ladies Detective agency is a series Im very fond of.These books are an acquired taste.When I was first introduced to them several years ago,I was skeptical.However,I believe in giving every book a chance and I still remember the day I sat with the first book in the series and just like that I was hooked.This is the 16th instalment in the series and my 16th book as well.I must admit that these past months saw me checking time and again if the latest one was out and happily enough there it was on 27th October.I have written about one more book in this series here on  my blog.The rest were of course read before this blog was created.

This time around the story takes a rather unusual turn with Mma Ramotswe being packed off on a forced vacation by the tenacious Mma Makutsi.However Mma Ramotswe is ill at ease even though she reluctantly agrees to take time off.As a result she finds herself unable to relax and finds that peace is short-lived when she encounters a young trouble-maker named Samuel.But as she learns more about his story she feels the need to go out of her way and help this child in any way she can.

She is also concerned about Mma Makutsi not being able to handle the agency well in her absence.This is compounded by the fact that Mr Polopetsi secretly comes to her for help and tells her about a rather complicated case which he thinks is beyond Mma Makutsi's capacity.A well-respected Botswanan politician who is no longer alive is up for a major public honor and his reputation is being called into question by his rivals.His sister has contacted the agency to investigate these claims.However there is more to it than meets the eye.How this investigation changes a lot of things and viewpoints is what this story is all about.

My Views:

Alexander McCall Smith delivers every single time.At this point,I cannot say if I have grown more fond of the characters or the stories but these books will always have a very special place in my heart.I feel I read them just to know how the characters are doing.Its like meeting up with old friends after ages.And the titles are so charming----'The woman who walked in sunshine','Blue shoes and happiness'.Oh I could go on and on.They are simple stories and this is exactly why they are so endearing.They talk about simple things like the rain,the cattle,the blue skies,the land.Stuff which we have to be reminded of in our fast-paced world.Dont you just feel like escaping this world sometimes,go to a calm place where the mad frenzy cannot touch you.These books do just that,they manage to take me far from the madding crowd.They take me into a world I long to be in.Im an old soul,I often feel I dont belong here.

Smith finds a way to get all the characters together in each and every story.It might be a brief mention but it surely takes one back a long way.And of course,there are lessons to be learnt,sometimes they are obvious and sometimes very subtle.Sometimes we need to learn to trust and let go.We need to understand that everyone deserves to be treated with compassion.Mma Ramotswe is very selfless when it comes to helping the needy.In this story she rightly observes that "an act of selfishness,some small unkindess,could seem every bit as grave as a dreadful crime,the size of the secret said nothing about its weight on the soul".

A lot of things fall in place in the end.We learn that nobody is above human failings.

For fans of this series,there is also an interesting bit about Violet Sephotho,Mma Maktutsi's arch enemy.All this makes it a perfect read on a relaxed weekend.

I rate it a 4 out of 5.