No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Sorry it's Anita Brookner 'Hotel Du Lac' as a matter of fact i quite liked Hotel du Lac it took a lot of courage for the heroine not to walk down that aisle and refuse to marry that creep she was nearly married off to.

I worry that any white person writing about Africa is going to get it wrong - just as every white person, however well intentioned, has tended to get it wrong when it comes to Africa. Do read the wonderful 'Ukimwi Road' by Dervla Murphy. I read it whilst in Kenya and came to very similiar conclusions.

I did find this just plain patronising. It was almost a throw-back to the days of Rider Haggard. 'ain't 'dem black folk so funny with der silly little ways'. I don't think a white man should attempt this kind of stuff. It's gentle and I would like to believe that it's well meant but I found it arrogant and unpleasant.

I'm a white woman and I personally don't find any of the books arrogant and unpleasant Alexander McColl smith grew up in Africa and loves the place. I tell you what was arrogant and unpleasant - the opening scene of Casino Royale - oh no not another corny macho sick picture of Africa as a bandit infested hell-hole run by sadistic psychos - at least with the no One Ladies Detective Agency you hear a strong black female voice, a very caring empowered woman who lives a fairly ordinary life which for a lot of people who think africa is just starving kids, boy gunmen, abducted raped teenage brides, well here is another Africa that is just getting on with being African sorry it may be a bit dull a bit wry a bit heart warming but frankly thank god - i sponsor three orphan children whose parents died from AIDS in Zambia and that is fairly peaceful like Botswana - unlike Somalia and Sudan of course. did you see the film Hotel Rwanda where Paul the guy running the hotel craved peace and civilization amdist the madness and butchery? What do you think Africans want - another re-run of white superiority and post colonial smug ness as in The Heart of Darkness or do you think they just want tobe like us and have a good standard of living,l live in peace and prosperity, educate their children get access to good health care - not romantic of course!

It's not like the only two alternative portrayals of Africa are as a gun runners' paradise and a friendly, jolly little place. Objecting to the former isn't an argument in favour of the latter.

On a sidenote, I can't stand it when people talk about 'empowered' or 'empowering' women in books. The phrase in itself seems utterly condescending, like women - even fictional women - require someone to gift them powers in order to prove their worth. In terms of interesting, sympathetic characters, I'd rather read about a relatively weak or flawed woman who shows courage and ingenuity within the constraints of her power.

Jack please ... is this for real. I'm trying hard to get excited by this concept of a weak women 'empowered by some situation in her every day life ... let me see, she puts up a stand with the office bully and hangs on to her paper clips ... this is so Anita Bruckner remember the boring sad spinster in the shapeless cardigan .... ' Elizabeth Bennet, Katherine Hawthorne, Tess D;Urbeville and there are many more are heroines! Not quiet bores spinning in the background knowing their place .... please!!!!!!!

'to be like us'

now there's a dangerous extrapolation. Not to get all politikill, but what do you mean by 'be like us'?

Re Africa and 'be like us' so that would mean not having whole townships of adults wiped out leaving grandmothers t bring up children because there is inadequate healthcare, and people are dying of AIDs, have democracy and the free ballot, not have damaging civil wars, not deny girl children access to education, possibly eradicate female circumcision, give comminites easy access to clean water, ready and reliable source of food, respect for human rights ... or is it politically correct to sort of not talk about these issues - I want positive images of a strong free rich democratic Africa in fact i want that to be a reality for Africa so when I say 'like us' I mean have some of our advantages we have plenty of bad in our western democracy I know that

I'm a fan and read every book - maybe it's a bit corny in places but it's the right type of corny and I love the characters and the situations and look forward to the next fairly exciting instalment - we are not in Raymond Chandler's dark mean streets territory I know - but it has its moment