If you've read any books in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, you know that it is unlike any other detective series. It's what you grab when the real world is overwhelming and you just want to sit down and have a cup of red bush tea with two ladies in Botswana who love to philosophize about anything and everything: the importance of courtesy, loving one's neighbor, and brushing one's teeth regularly; the price of ambition; longtime nemesis Violet Sephotho; and intelligent chairs vs. comfortable chairs (hence the title).

Occasionally the women also quietly and creatively solve clients' problems. In this book they help an old friend of Mma Makutsi's with a difficult past when the woman's teenaged son's actions alienate her beau and threaten to leave them both homeless. Mma Ramotswe also tries to come up with a way to save Mma Makutsi's husband's furniture store in the face of some new competition.

If all of this sounds not exactly exciting, it's not meant to be. But it is utterly charming.

My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group/Pantheon for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

In a world filled with so much darkness, A Song of Comfortable Chairs is a much needed and welcomed ray of light.
The familiar characters are still there, and they have grown warmer and wiser. This book deals with so many issues that we are faced with, including cutthroat business rivalry, deception, teenaged angst, love, disappointment and hope ….it deals with life with all of its ups and downs.
I love the continuing development of the relationship between Mmas Ramotswhe and Makutsi and how their partnership has evolved both professionally and personally.
The two parallel stories involving comfortable chairs and the complexity of love and relationships unfold with warmth and humor. The evolution of Charlie from the lazy young man we Metin past books, to the wise and kind young man we meet in these pages isa joy to behold.
Turn off the news and pick up this book. You won’t be disappointed.

This series is like being wrappers up in a warm hug. It's always nice to spend time with these ladies, (and men). Mma Ramotswe has a couple of tricky problems to deal with; Mma Makutsi is concerned about a rival chair company who are undercutting her husband's business, and using arch rival Violet Sepotho in their advertising campaign; meanwhile, one of her old friends is having trouble with her son and a new man in her life. Mma Ramotswe tackles these hurdles with her usual generosity of spirit and kindness. She has a wise head on those shoulders.

This is the 23rd instalment, and I haven't kept up with all of them, but it didn't matter at all. I was easily able to slip back into their world without feeling I'd missed anything.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

Feeling down? Think there are no good people in the world? See no hope for the future? Read or listen to any of the stories in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, and you will immediately feel better. A Song of Comfortable Chairs is no exception. The main character, lead detective Precious Ramotswe, shows her love and empathy to friends and strangers alike, all the while using her good sense to solve two separate problems. They are not mysteries in the traditional sense, more like finding solutions to broken human relations. — in this case a young teenager is ruining his mother’s chance for happiness with a decent man by exhibiting all the worst traits of teen behavior. Meanwhile, someone is trying to destroy the successful furniture business of the husband of Precious’s associate, Grace Makutsi..
This is a particularly gentle book with very little anxiety. Some might complain the musings of Precious are childlike, but I think readers turn to this series to be soothed, not challenged, and fans will not be disappointed.
I might add that if you haven’t listened to this series as an audiobook, you should do yourself a favor and download at least one. The musical language, especially the names, will enhance the story and stay with you into the other installments.
I think Alexander McCall Smith provides a gift to all humanity with this series, and while maybe not a likely candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature, I think he deserves a special Nobel Peace Prize for demonstrating how people can live together in harmony.

This is a lovely episode in the No1 Ladies Detective Agency. Mma Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi don’t have a new case to solve but must use all their skills to help Grace’s husband save his furniture business from an undercutting competitor and to think of a way to help Grace’s friend Patience stop her son being a rude horrible teenager to her new boyfriend.

It was also fun to watch Mma Ramotswe’s puzzlement at Grace’s attempts to elevate her status at work and to witness the squabbling between Grace and trainee detective Charlie, the part time mechanic. I always enjoy the discussions between the characters that often meander off the point into more philosophical ruminations as if there's all the time in the world to consider these points. As always Mma Ramotswe’s homespun philosophy, kindness and common sense wins the day.

Mma Ramotswe returns with her gentle guidance, compassion,, kind ways, and good sense. After Mma Makutsi’s actions leave her feeling somewhat unsettled, Precious realizes Grace is acting from insecurities, and in this case there proves to be a basis for them. When The Double Comfort Furniture Store is facing ruin from an aggressive new competitor, it’s up to Precious to figure out a way to save Grace’s husbands business. Meanwhile an old friend of Grace’s needs to have her son change his ways before she loses the new man, who is the best thing to happen to her. How can Precious help her to keep her hard won happiness? As always, I enjoy seeing how she uses the wisdom of old Botswanaian ways to help her friends. Full of gentle observations (and a few whispers from talking shoes) this is always a relaxing series to read and quietly enjoy.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy.

This was a fun book about a group of ladies that come together to solve cases In their town. The characters are story were wonderfully written. This book was approved by netgalley and the publisher for me to.read and review.

A mild and gentle new installment of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Fans of Alexander McCall Smith will find the leisurely reading they've come to expect, where most of the story takes place in thoughts, between moments of conversation. There's a charming kind of wit peeping through in various scenes and a general sense that almost everyone means well. Comfort reading, really.

I do love this series of books. The characters are so real - as are most of the situations that they find themselves in. There are always things to learn about ourselves and others but written with a very light hand. They always make me want to go to Botswana.

Loved it - made me laugh

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

t is 1971, and Inspector Philip Steele is mentally exhausted and is looking forward to a well-deserved rest with his godmother who lives in a small town in the Appalachians of Atlantic Canada. But when a bank robbery and a teenage boy is murdered he is called back to service to solve this mystery as more shocking events follow. Things get even more complicated when he falls in love with the prime suspect...

A rich story with good characters who have a real sense of individuality to them and great diversity. It is a great beginning for a new series and all the more impressive for being a debut novel. It has humor, a touch of romance, self-discovery, intelligence and some action as well. I definitely look forward to reading more of this series.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

“’Mma, I see you.’ It was the oldest and simplest of African greetings. I see you. It implied so much more than it said, though, because it meant that Mma Ramotswe saw not only the person standing before her, but all that lay behind her – who she was, where she came from, how she felt.”

A Song Of Comfortable Chairs is the twenty-third book in the No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series by popular Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith. It opens with Precious Ramotswe considering aspects of her colleague Grace Makutsi’s behaviour that seem to signal ambition. Precious wonders if she’s about to face a coup, but Mr JLB Matekoni wisely diagnoses the sort of insecurity characteristic of someone with poverty in their past.

Grace’s husband Phuti Radiphuti’s Double Comfort Furniture Store has a serious competitor, Twenty-First Century Chairs, whose aggressive advertising campaign is fronted by her seemingly indefatigable nemesis, Violet Sepotho. Mma Ramotswe checks out their stock and returns with important intelligence. Eventually she has a clever idea that will hopefully save the business and dispel Phuti’s despondency.

That idea means that Orphan Farm matron, Mma Potokwani gets to star in an ad campaign and the photo shoot attracts not only staff of the Detective Agency and the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, but also a large support crew from the Orphan Farm.

After a hard life with plenty of bad luck, Mma Potokwani’s newest employee, Patience finally has a chance at happiness in Gabarone with a Water Affairs man from Malawi, but her teenaged son’s jealousy and poor behaviour poses a threat to that. Mma Ramotswe comes up with a radical plan that might teach the boy to appreciate what he has.

After his first- ever visit to the dentist, Charlie is dismayed to learn what will be needed to keep his teeth from falling out. As usual, he has numerous unsatisfactory interactions with Mma Makutsi, but somehow ends up becoming a mentor to a troubled young boy.

Throughout it all, the ladies (and their men) muse on many topics: unheeded parental wisdom, the benefits of occasional consumption of unhealthy food, the proliferation of extra features on any saleable item, the demise of dining tables and plates, and the curse of phased redundancy and planned obsolescence. Tea and fruit cake often accompany these musings.

As always, McCall Smith gives the reader some minor mysteries that don’t tax the brain too much, laced with plenty of gentle philosophy, astute observations and wise words such as “If we do not forgive, then we end up carrying a big burden on our shoulders” and “We should love one another, she thought, not only because it was the right thing to do, but also because it was far easier than hating one another. People who hated often had to work quite hard at keeping their hatred warm.” Anything by this author is a guaranteed feel-good read.

This book is wonderful just like the previous books in this series. It is immensely comforting with words of wisdom to remind the reader what really matters in life. It is a gentle mystery with characters that have over the past books been close to the reader and are like family. Precious,Grace,Charlie,JLB Matekoni,Phuti are all lovable characters each with their own perspectives on life. I can't wait to read the next installment in this beautiful series.

Another pleasant read and visit with Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi. and the rest of No 1 Ladies Detective Agency family. As always a fun read that has me laughing, smiling and seeing the best in people. In these book it is wonderful to see Charlie continuing to mature and grow into the young man he is becoming. The combination of the characters growing and feeling like I am in a room with friends I have known and loved. I am sad to finish, as I will have to wait a while for the next book (hope there is one coming). I look forward to each new book to see what is new with the characters and to go into the peaceful loving Botswana that McCall Smith brings to life so wonderfully. Having been to Botswana, I smile reading each book thinking about my experiences in the country. I get to know it and Africa a bit better through the pictures painted in the book.
Read the series, starting at the beginning, The books build on each other as the characters develop and mature. If you cann0t start at the beginning, start anywhere. The series is written in a way that you can learn the key details in each book.

The latest book in the “No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series is a worthy entry, and longtime readers will enjoy the continued problem-solving adventures of Precious and Grace. In “A Song of Comfortable Chairs” they are faced with two dilemmas—although, as is frequently the case, neither involves a paying client—one involves competition hurting business at the Double Comfort Furniture Company, and the other is a personal situation of a childhood friend of Grace’s. Precious finds a way to flesh out the problems behind each situation and there is, as always, some personal development and a happy ending. I’ve read all of the books in this series and enjoyed them, but I may be at the point where the repetition is a bit trying. However, this was a quick read, and much charm remains in these characters. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Mma Ramotswe and her friends are back solving problems big and small in the latest visit to Botswana and the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. The book begins with Mma Makutsi, partner in the firm, suddenly ordering stationery, name plates, and office upgrades which make it seem SHE is in charge of the first detective firm run by ladies in that country. Mma Ramotswe, the founder and force behind the company, is alarmed but decides to see where all this is going before confronting her friend about the situation.

The orphan farm, run by the well-known and beloved Mma Potokwane, gets a new bookkeeper in the form of a young woman named Patience. It turns out that Patience, like Mma Makutsi, comes from the village of Bobonong. Since everyone knows everyone there, the two ladies are acquainted with each other and happy to reconnect in the relatively cosmopolitan city of Gabarone. While catching up, Patience reveals that she has moved to town with her 14-year-old son because she was escaping a bad relationship but has fortunately met a very nice man. Her son, however, is making all of their lives difficult with his surly behavior. Mma Ramotswe may just have a plan to solve the problem . . .

At the same time, Mma Makutsi's husband, Phuti Radiphuti, is also facing worrying times. His furniture store is being undercut by a new, flashy furniture company in town. While they don't sell the same type of furniture, exactly (the new store places more worth on style than comfort), Phuti's business is in serious decline. It doesn't help matters when everyone's nemesis, the glamorous but evil Violet Sephotho is hired to be a model and CELEBRITY OPINION FORMER for the rival company. But once again, Mma Ramotswe can outmaneuver dirty business tricks with her own brand of wholesome revenge.

It is a pleasure to revisit all the characters and to find them pretty much the same as always: Mma Ramotswe enjoying red bush tea, Mma Makutsi and Charlie, the apprentice detective, sniping away at each other, Violet up to her old tricks, and Mma Potokwane baking and eating her fruitcake. It is lovely to step into their gentle and kind world and to know that everything will work out in the end, and the reader will have an enjoyable journey getting there!

It's been a while since I last visited the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency but that hardly matters. Reading this book was like catching up with a longtime friend. Although there isn't really a mystery in this title, several interwoven problems draw in both Mma Ramotswe and the reader. And as always, I loved the descriptions of the land and people of Botswana. Recommended for both series fans and new readers alike.

I used to love these books, but now they are just a bit to rambly for me. Nice to visit with the characters, but maybe it is time to wrap it up. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

The #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series is my absolute favorite. Every new book is a delight and like a visit with old, dearly loved friends.

In A Song of Comfortable Chairs Mma Ramotswe’s tender wisdom is showcased in helping her friend and assistant Grace Makutsi and also helping an old friend of Grace’s. All the usual characters are present and you can lose yourself for a time in the gentle rhythm of Botswana.

A delight!

Can you get any more charming the an Alexander Mcall Smith #1 Ladies Detective book? Filled with loveable characters that you are glad to have back. Grace Makutsi's husband is having competition with his furniture store and doesn't know how to resolve the problem. Chairs have always been his best sellers, but he is being undercut on price and comfort. Mma Ramotswe comes us with a campaign and solution. Another problen arises when Mma Makutsi's friend approaches her about her problem son. With the help of Mma Potokwani, he is helped. You can count on everything to work out with charm and grace and common sense. Always a happy and sensible ending to these books.

A SONG OF COMFORTABLE CHAIRS, Alexander McCall Smith's latest entry in the The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, is another delight. Readers who have enjoyed Precious Ramotswe's adventures will be thrilled with another installment. While Mma Makutsi is perhaps a little more grating than usual in this story, it never reaches a point that it disrupts the pleasure of more time with the ladies and their agency.