Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Full Cupboard of Life
    Unavailable
    The Full Cupboard of Life
    Unavailable
    The Full Cupboard of Life
    Ebook261 pages3 hours

    The Full Cupboard of Life

    By Alexander McCall Smith

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Listen to the audiobook instead

    About this ebook

    THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY - Book 5

    Fans around the world adore the best-selling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma  Ramotswe—with help from her loyal associate, Grace Makutsi—navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, good humor, and the occasional cup of tea.
     
    Still engaged to the estimable Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, Mma Ramotswe understands that she should not put too much pressure on him, as he has other concerns, especially a hair-raising request from the ever persuasive Mma Potokwane, matron of the orphan farm. Besides Mma Ramotswe herself has weighty matters on her mind. She has been approached by a wealthy lady to check up on several suitors. Are these men interested in the lady or just her money? This may be a difficult case, but it's just the kind of problem Mma Ramotswe likes and she is, as we know, a very intuitive lady.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandom House Publishing Group
    Release dateApr 20, 2004
    ISBN9780375423246
    Author

    Alexander McCall Smith

    Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the award-winning series The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and he now devotes his time to the writing of fiction, including the 44 Scotland Street and the Isabel Dalhousie series. He is the author of over eighty books on a wide array of subjects, and his work has been translated into forty-six languages. Before becoming a full-time writer he was for many years Professor of Medical Law at Edinburgh.

    Read more from Alexander Mc Call Smith

    Related to The Full Cupboard of Life

    Related ebooks

    Humor & Satire For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      ‘Ditshego loved Africa’

      Oct 25, 2020

      THE sudden death of Mr Samuel Mosalagae “Bra Sam” Ditshego upset a good part of Azania. It was so unexpected or worse it was not expected at all. Now or even later. But what can we say; “when a man is great any death is untimely, even if he dies at t

      2 min read

    • Article

      Southern Stand

      Mar 16, 2020

      Southern Stand
      5 min read

    • Article

      Winning Letter

      Sep 30, 2022

      I’m a single mother who struggles financially to get through each month. When my washing machine broke I had no funds to repair it, so I asked my neighbours if I could do my washing at their place. On a Wednesday afternoon my bell rang. At the door w

      5 min read

    • Article

      From Our Archives: A 1981 Interview With Toni Morrison

      Aug 7, 2019

      The award-winning author Toni Morrison died Aug. 5, 2019. We're reposting this 1981 interview conducted shortly after her fourth novel, "Tar Baby," was published.

      11 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Louise Erdrich

      Dec 4, 2017

      Maybe I would characterize 2016 as a movie car chase, and 2017 as the reveal where all of us anonymous motorists who got side-swiped, flipped, forced off bridges and into concrete abutments, rise out of the wreckage yelling for real. My list is compo

      3 min read

    • Article

      The William Trevor Reader: “In Isfahan”

      Apr 26, 2022

      I count this story as the fourth stone-cold masterpiece we’ve encountered so far. The post The William Trevor Reader: “In Isfahan” appeared first on The Millions.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Readers' Letters

      Feb 8, 2023

      Readers' Letters
      4 min read

    • Article

      Eating My Words

      Nov 15, 2021

      Eating My Words
      9 min read

    • Article

      Prevarication Jones

      May 1, 2019

      Prevarication Jones
      16 min read

    • Article

      An Ocean Of Love

      Aug 17, 2021

      An Ocean Of Love
      6 min read

    • Article

      More Poetry, Please

      Oct 6, 2021

      I’LL never forget the first time I read Edward Thomas’s As the Team’s Head-Brass. I had been familiar with Adlestrop from school and, later, had been introduced to Old Man and The Manor Farm (all three beautiful, rural vignettes), but the gentle pace

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Story Behind…

      Apr 12, 2024

      The Story Behind…
      5 min read

    • Article

      Ben Okri

      Apr 25, 2022

      Ben Okri
      5 min read

    • Article

      Chris Erskine: We Love Gold, Worry About Orange

      Nov 20, 2018

      The sun comes up big and orange, like a harvest moon. The angry grit from the recent fires sends bloody beams of sunlight through the oaks and the chaparral. I can hardly sleep lately, for a variety of reasons, but if I could sleep, this alone would

      3 min read

    • Article

      Stop Hating on Adjectives!

      Jun 12, 2019

      A common admonition in creative writing pedagogy is, “Cut as many adjectives as possible.” I propose that this rule springs from mere prejudice. The post Stop Hating on Adjectives! appeared first on The Millions.

      7 min read

    • Article

      Behind The Scenes

      Oct 18, 2021

      Behind The Scenes
      8 min read

    • Article

      Readers’ Letters

      May 4, 2022

      SIR: I write in respect of the article ‘Gentleman’s Relish’ by Mark Palmer (Spring issue). I too was brought up in Reading in the 1950s, though not, as I suspect in Mr Palmer’s case, as a scion of the excellent company that manufactured biscuits righ

      6 min read

    • Article

      World Set In Motion

      Jul 6, 2023

      World Set In Motion
      5 min read

    • Article

      An ocean OF LOVE

      Jun 27, 2023

      An ocean OF LOVE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Kwame Anthony Appiah

      Mar 9, 2021

      Kwame Anthony Appiah
      32 min read

    • Article

      Too Wild to Love

      Dec 1, 2022

      Too Wild to Love
      11 min read

    • Article

      Shelf Life

      Nov 2, 2023

      I’m not sure if I can truly pinpoint the moment my new novel Once A Monster was born – but I can trace the history of some of its most important ingredients. As a boy, looking through an old illustrated book of Greek myths, and being at once captiva

      5 min read

    • Article

      One Word: Salty

      Jan 2, 2019

      One Word: Salty
      6 min read

    • Article

      Dinner with Martin Amis

      Oct 3, 2019

      Dinner with Martin Amis
      9 min read

    • Article

      Pats On The Back

      Dec 12, 2019

      I AM writing this column from a prone position. Reclining on my sofa in the library, propped up with cushions like some latter-day Lady Ottoline Morrell, but without the wit, brilliance and patronage. I wish I could say my current condition arose fro

      3 min read

    Reviews for The Full Cupboard of Life

    4/5

    1,144 ratings44 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Precious Ramotswe's case requires her to help a rich woman decide which of her four suitors would be the best choice for marriage. The remaining story line focuses mainly around her engagement to Mr. J. L. Matekoni and includes all the regulars.This series is averaging out to be "just okay" for me. I know that it is a character driven series, but I enjoy it more when Mme. Ramotswe has a full caseload. I'm hoping she gets more business in the future. (3.5/5)Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..."
    • 4/5
      The chief pleasure of these books is, I think, derived from the chance to visit with their characters and observe their progress. The plots tend to be undramatic and unstructured, the pace moderate and the tone quiet; but it's pleasant to see Mma Ramotswe, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, and Mma Makutsi. This particular volume is very good for this purpose: much of the action consists of predicaments and problems of character, so it is a fine little novel of manners.
    • 4/5
      Another good read in the series, although I read it so long ago that I am shy on the particulars. The characters in the series are interesting, even if occasionally a little too one-note; the mysteries are always satisfyingly tied up; and the writing style is the perfect blend of not-too-obtuse nor too simple. Picking up this book is like visiting an old friend.
    • 5/5
      This book and the second are my favorites so far, for different reasons, and the author has become one of my top faves. The story and the author's writing style is such that I have gone from book to book with no gap in between, eager to find out what happens next. In fact, it was hard for me to stop the flow and write this, but I felt I had to while the material was still fresh because it is the funniest so far. There were several moments when I laughed out loud and could not stop chuckling, the funniest of which was Mma Potokwane's announcement that the time had come to get Mr. J. L. B. Maketoni to the altar and her plan of how to go about it. Another was the joke that Mma Makutsi played on the two apprentices about the most handsome man. I dare anyone to read those without laughing (chapters 13 and 16)! I read the book in one day, like the others, and immediately wanted to start reading it again just to savor all the funny moments. The author has such a funny way of describing the power of dominant women over men and the Batswana way. How could this book not get five stars?
    • 4/5
      Book number five in Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. This time, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's first female private detective, investigates a rich woman's potential suitors and deals with a fiance who can't say no to performing a dangerous stunt for charity, but can't say yes to setting a date for the wedding.Like the rest of the series so far, the most apt word for this one -- and I mean this in the best possible way -- is "gentle." It's a gentle story about gentle people (mostly), featuring gentle ruminations, the gentle suggestion of a plot, and a gentle sense of humor. Actually, that last thing is very much in evidence this time out, and I found myself smiling or even laughing (gently!) quite a few times as I read. Which is enough to make this probably my favorite of the series so far.
    • 4/5
      Mma Ramotswe is still unmarried at the beginning of this novel. Will Mr. Matekoni ever commit to a wedding date? And will he actually jump out of a plane for a charitable cause (I certainly hoped he wouldn't!)? And, as usual, there are simple cases to be solved. This is a very clever series with an usual backdrop and very interesting characters. I have enjoyed them all. This one was no disappointment.
    • 4/5
      Another good installment in the series. This time, the focus of the story is more personal, introspective as Mma Ramotswe questions when her engagement will become a marriage, Mma Makutsi's success is bittersweet as her focus is more on her family. Smith has done a better job this time balancing the focus of the story so that we get more or less equal time in the minds of Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. Mma Ramotswe's musings about life's peculiarities - like her musings in this book of why do people focus their energies on showering adoration on entertainment personalities they have no close association with? - are always a delight to read, and I usually find myself nodding my head in agreement as I am reading along.
    • 4/5
      Precious Ramotswe is wondering when Mr.J.L.B. Matekoni is going to set their wedding day. When she confronts him, he suggests it will happen and maybe next year. Feeling that she has a wonderful man as a fiancee. she accepts his answer. Meanwhile, Mr. Matekone is facing his own issue when Mma Potokwane intimidates him into doing a parachute jump to raise money for the orphanage she runs. He also discovers while repairing a local butcher's car that a large car service company in Gaborone is ripping off customers with shoddy workmanship and stealing parts from a customer's car and replacing them with old parts. Precious' case her agency accepts is to help a rich woman decide which of her four suitors wants to marry her for love and not her money. The novel ends with Precious' marriage to Mr. Matekone organized by the dominate Mma Potokwane.
    • 4/5
      The fifth book of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Precious Ramotswe has been hired by a very wealthy businesswoman to find out which of her four suitors is sincere and which want her for her money. Precious spends much of her time thinking about her own love life though, as her engagement has dragged on with no wedding date in sight.
    • 4/5
      I just love this series.Finally! Precious Ramotswe and Mr J L B Matekoni get married.
    • 3/5
      After reading the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency a couple of years ago, I accumulated a few of these, and went through 6 in less than a month. They're very quick reads - I read 2 and part-of-a-third in one day.

      They're very entertaining, charming, and compulsively readable. Although marketed as mysteries; they're not, really. Rather they follow Mma Ramotswe and those around her through their daily lives - it's almost besides-the-point that the business she runs is a detective agency. The stories are suffused with McCall-Smith's obvious sincere love of Africa (where he grew up), and the reader feels that a genuine window has opened up into the lives and mindsets of ordinary Africans. I don't agree with many aspects of Precious Ramotswe's view on the world, and I probably wouldn't get along with her in real life - but these books made me feel like I might understand people like her more than before.

      However... there's also a weird aspect to the books. They're so relentlessly cozy. It's not that McCall-Smith ignores the poverty, the devastation of AIDS, the lack of education, etc... these things are acknowledged, but then almost swept to the side. On the one hand, it's a celebration of the spirit of the people of Botswana and their love of their homeland... but on the other hand, it sometimes feels like a minimization of these things. It's not just larger social issues: there's domestic abuse, adultery, etc... all the normal foibles of humanity (although all reference to sex of any kind are totally non-existent)- but all the unpleasant things somehow get almost drowned out in the cozy, feel-good atmosphere of the books. Maybe it's just that I usually read darker, grittier material [especially in mysteries {McCall-Smith is no Stieg Larsson!}] but it felt a bit strange to me. I can't decide if it's a detriment or a positive asset to the books.

      In 'The Full Cupboard of Life' Mma Ramotswe is beginning to get a little antsy about her engagement - which is stretching out indefinitely, with no wedding date set. Mr. JLB Maketoni is a fine man and a great, honest mechanic - but his issues with depression make him a little indecisive when it comes to important matters such as marriage. However, he's sometimes easily pushed into things too - and here he finds himself terrified to have been pushed by the matron of the orphan farm into sorta-of agreeing to do a parachute jump for charity. Meanwhile, a wealthy woman hires the detective agency to investigate the possible ulterior motives of her multiple suitors.
    • 4/5
      Just wonderful. So easy to read. So wholesome and pleasant. This series, so far, is so refreshing. I love these books. I am taken to Botswana and loving it.
    • 2/5
      Wow--I can not say how much I DON'T like this series. I picked this one up by accident, thinking it was from another one of McCall Smith's series. Just written in a third grade mentality IMHO, characters seem to be too passive, I just really hated it. This was my second try at a book at this series and I will not try again. What the hell is all the fuss about???
    • 4/5
      Mma Ramotswe must suss out potential boyfriends. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has agreed to do a parachute drop for charity. And then there is the matter of their extended engagement. This book is packed with anecdotes and pithy comments.
    • 4/5
      The Full Cupboard of Life is book 5 in the No.1 Ladies Detective series by Alexander McCall Smith. Another great book, more of the same really (that's not a bad thing!). Mr J.L.B.Matekoni is asked to perform a parachute jump, and he and Mma Ramotswe finally get married. The mystery in this installment serves to further explore the ideas of marriage, love and commitment which are key. I did feel there was a little too much space dedicated to recapping the previous books.
    • 5/5
      I love this series! As always, the mysteries are solved with insight into the moral and philosophical aspects of human behavior,
    • 3/5
      loved the learning aspect ~ all descriptively included as part of the day to day and character development ~ lovely!
    • 4/5
      When we return to Mma Ramotswe we learn she is still engaged to Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. They have yet to set a wedding date. There is no doubt Mma Ramotswe is patient lady! Although, in this 5th installment she is losing faith and dares to ask Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni the dreaded "when" question. It is even starting to weigh on Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni as he dreams about a wedding date.The one noticeable difference about The Full Cupboard of Life is that, unlike previous books in the series, the plot is not as seamless as the others. Instead of picking up where the reader left off Smith takes the time to bring the reader back to the very beginning of the series, explaining who Mma Ramotswe is and how she came to have the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency in Botswana. He also takes the time to reintroduce us to Mma Ramotswe's beloved daddy and other early relationships. There is less emphasis on "mysteries" to solve.
    • 3/5
      As always with these, quiet, smile-inducing, relaxing--just good.
    • 4/5
      I read this book (the fifth in a series) somewhat out of sequence, having already read later novels in the series. This meant I already knew the answer to the question posed by Mma Ramotswe at the beginning of the novel. This didn't spoil the enjoyment for me, in fact quite the contrary, as I was quite intrigued to know whether it would be answered in this instalment (and how). I wasn't disappointed.As with the others in the series, I thought the book a gentle, evocative read, with one case for our detective to get her teeth into, whilst allowing us, the readers, to share more of the lives of the characters created by Alexander McCall Smith.
    • 4/5
      This was another enjoyable read. The characters are easy to relate to and, in my opinion, are growing and becoming less "perfect" and more nuanced (especially Mma Ramotswe). I enjoy the recurring minor characters as well, as we are learning a bit more about the apprentices and Mma Potokwane.
    • 5/5
      There was a side door to the house, and she opened this and peered out into the yard. The paw-paw trees had incipient fruit upon them which would be ready in a month or so. There were one or two other plants, shrubs that had wilted in the heat but which had the dogged determination of indigenous Botswana vegetation. These would survive even if never watered; they would cling on in the dry ground, making the most of what little moisture they could draw from the soil, tenacious because they lived here in this dry country, and had always lived here. Mma Ramotswe had once described the traditional plants of Botswana as loyal and yes, that was right, thought Mma Makutsi, that is what they are - our old friends, our fellow survivors in this brown land that I love and love so much.In this, the fifth instalment of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Mma Potakwani, the matron of the orphan farm at Tlokweng, manoeuvres Mr J.L.B. Maketoni into doing a charity parachute jump, Mma Makutsi moves house, and Mma Ramotswe investigates a rich business-woman's suitors to find out if they are only after her money. While reading this book, it occurred to me that Mma Ramotswe would be perfect for a Botswana version of the "Grumpy Old Women" television series, since she is always lamenting how the old Botswana ways and traditional values are in danger of being lost in the modern world.
    • 4/5
      Another good book in the series. Enjoyable read as the story unfolds and the characters keep developing.
    • 4/5
      Anyone who has read this far in the series will have decided they like the simple narrative style, quiet wisdom and gentle humour of the stories. This one is no exception and should not disappoint. I particularly like the way the author takes a facet of Western culture (eg the tendency to avoid eye contact with others) and contrasts it with the custom in Botswana, showing along the way that of course Botswana has it right!My only complaint is that the book cover needs to make it clearer which number this is in the series. There is no number on the cover, and the books are frequently listed out of order on the inside cover. Particularly important as the stories are starting to concentrate a lot less on detecting and a lot more on the personal lives of the central characters. I would say that given the content, you would really not want to read this book out of sequence.
    • 5/5
      Mma Ramonswe has been engaged to Mr. J. L. B. Matakoni for quite some time, and still they have no wedding date. But she doesn't want to be too pushy, for Mr J.L.B. Matekoni has much on his mind.
    • 3/5
      I am thinking about the appeal of these books. Not much happens, there isn't even much detection, but they are delightful. People going about their lives, dealing with their daily problems, but with kindness and respect. Ma Ramotswe takes the case of a woman trying to find out if her suitors are after her money, Mr J. L. B. Maketoni has to deal with a rival garage and a frightning proposition from Ma Potokwani - and when oh when will he set a date for his wedding? Lovely.
    • 4/5
      Love all the books in the series - fascinating stories of human life - why we do things we do.
    • 3/5
      I listened to this on audiobook and it did not go over well. Those of you who are familiar with the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency know that the main characters names is Mma Precious Ramotswe. It's the "Mma" that drove me crazy all through the book. Before when I read these books, I assumed that Mma was an abbreviation, sort of like Mrs., which translated into a word. Not so. It is actually pronounced M-m-a. The narrator sounded like she stuttered every single time she said Mma. It drove me crazy. Mmmmmmmmmmma Ramotswe....Not fun to listen too. In my opinion, some books that are fun, light reads just do not translate well to audio books. This series is one of those. The narration gets very repetitious. But **spoiler alert** I was very happy that they finally got married :)
    • 3/5
      Yet another installment in the series. A nice read. The long engagement finally comes to an end!
    • 3/5
      More from the Number One Ladies Detective Agency, and there’s not much more to say about it than that. Sweet, but unmemorable.