Blue Shoes and Happiness
Blue Shoes and Happiness is the seventh in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith, set in Gaborone, Botswana, and featuring the Motswana protagonist Precious Ramotswe.
Plot introduction
Mma Ramotswe, happy in her marriage and her work, contemplates happiness and what people need – or think they need – in order to achieve it. With the help of her staff at the detective agency, she tackles several mysteries involving people who have been behaving badly or dishonestly in order to get what they believe will make them happy.
Plot summary
Mma Ramotswe is asked to investigate a cook who is being blackmailed, and a doctor whose nurse believes he is doing something illegal. She discovers the identity of the blackmailer, who is a newspaper agony aunt abusing the confidences of her correspondents, and forces her to stop. The doctor is selling generic drugs at the full cost to his patients, and she causes him to be reported. During the investigation she becomes more aware of her excess weight and its health risks and even tries to diet, but decides the most important thing is to be herself and happy.
Mr Polopetsi, the new employee, is happy in his work but still struggles with poverty and hostility from relatives due to his spell in prison. He wants to help Mma Ramotswe, his mentor, with detective work, and when superstitious fears disturb staff at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve, it is he who discovers the cause: an injured ground-hornbill, believed to bring ill luck. He removes it, but it dies, and he fears he has lost Mma Ramotswe's trust, but is relieved and grateful when she shows faith in him after all.
Mma Grace Makutsi fears her engagement to Phuti Radiphuti is over after a misunderstanding about feminism, but all is explained and, in the process, Mr J.L.B. Matekoni gains a comfortable new chair which will make him happy too. Grace begins to appreciate how her fortunes will change with her marriage, and indulges her passion for impractical shoes with a new blue pair, even though they do not fit very well.
References
Reviews cited
- Williams, Tom (19 February 2006). "Joyful investigations". Crime fiction, The Observer. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- Lively, Penelope (19 March 2006). "Review". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- Adair, Tom. "Review". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 4 November 2007.
- Crace, John (27 February 2006). "Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 April 2010., a parody
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Detective Agency
- The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (1998)
- Tears of the Giraffe (2000)
- Morality for Beautiful Girls (2001)
- The Kalahari Typing School for Men (2002)
- The Full Cupboard of Life (2003)
- In the Company of Cheerful Ladies (2004)
- Blue Shoes and Happiness (2006)
- The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (2007)
- The Miracle at Speedy Motors (2008)
- Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (2009)
- The Double Comfort Safari Club (2010)
- The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (2011)
- The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection (2012)
- The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon (2013)
- The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café (2014)
- The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine (2015)
- Precious and Grace (2016)
- The House of Unexpected Sisters (2017)
- The Colours of all the Cattle (2018)
- To the Land of Long Lost Friends (2019)
- How to Raise an Elephant (2020)
- The Joy and Light Bus Company (2021)
- A Song of Comfortable Chairs (2022)
- From a Far and Lovely Country (2023)
Entertainments
- Portuguese Irregular Verbs (1997)
- The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs (2003)
- At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances (2003)
- The 2½ Pillars of Wisdom (2004)
- Unusual Uses for Olive Oil (2011)
- Your Inner Hedgehog (2021)
Philosophy Club
- The Sunday Philosophy Club (2004)
- Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (2005)
- The Right Attitude to Rain (2006)
- The Careful Use of Compliments (2007)
- The Comfort of Saturdays (2008)
- The Lost Art of Gratitude (2009)
- The Charming Quirks of Others (2010)
- The Forgotten Affairs of Youth (2011)
- The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds (2012)
- The Novel Habits of Happiness (2015)
- At the Reunion Buffet (2015)
- Sweet, Thoughtful Valentine (2016)
- A Distant View of Everything (2017)
- The Quiet Side of Passion (2018)
- The Geometry of Holding Hands (2020)
- The Sweet Remnants of Summer (2022)
- The Conditions of Unconditional Love (2024)
- 44 Scotland Street (2004)
- Espresso Tales (2005)
- Love Over Scotland (2006)
- The World According to Bertie (2007)
- The Unbearable Lightness of Scones (2008)
- The Importance of Being Seven (2010)
- Bertie Plays the Blues (2011)
- Sunshine on Scotland Street (2012)
- Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers (2013)
- The Revolving Door of Life (2015)
- The Bertie Project (2016)
- A Time of Love and Tartan (2017)
- The Peppermint Tea Chronicles (2019)
- A Promise of Ankles (2020)
- Love in the Time of Bertie (2021)
- The Enigma of Garlic (2022)
- The Stellar Debut of Galactica MacFee (2023)
- Corduroy Mansions (2009)
- The Dog Who Came in from the Cold (2010)
- A Conspiracy of Friends (2011)
- My Italian Bulldoze (2016)
- The Second Worst Restaurant in France (2019)
- The Strange Case of the Moderate Extremists (2019)
- The Department of Sensitive Crimes (2019)
- Varg in Love (2019)
- The Talented Mr. Varg (2020)
- The Man with the Silver Saab (2021)
- The Discreet Charm of the Big Bad Wolf (2023)
- La's Orchestra Saves the World (2008)
- Trains and Lovers (2012)
- The Forever Girl (2014)
- Fatty O'Leary's Dinner Party (2014)
- Emma: A Modern Retelling (2015)
- The Good Pilot, Peter Woodhouse (2017)
- The Pavilion in the Clouds (2022)
- The Private Life of Spies (2023)
- The Love Story of Herb la Fouche (2024)
- The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (TV series) (2008)
- The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (radio series) (2004–2019)
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