Short stories from the best-selling author of "The #1 Ladies Detective Agency, range from the comedic to the heartwarming, and are always universally recognizable. Major Review Coverage.
From the author of the hugely popular mystery series featuring Precious Ramotswe and her No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (The Kalahari Typing School for Men) comes a totally unrelated collection of short stories first published in Great Britain in 1995. As the title implies, the stories center on dates and/or relationships and take place in various countries and time periods. The longest of the stories, "Bulawayo," is about a young man living in Rhodesia in the late 1950s whose marriage is failing because he is a homosexual. In "Fat Date," an overweight couple who met through a dating service for fat people ends up hitting it off after the man gets stuck in his chair at a restaurant, and his date comes to his rescue. In the title story, "Heavenly Date," a young woman gets impregnated by an angel whom she has asked to join her for a picnic in the Italian countryside. The many fans of the author's mysteries will likely be disappointed by this strange collection of stories because they don't focus on the same character or story line of the series that made him popular. One suspects that the publisher issued the collection just to capitalize on Smith's success. Recommended for libraries where the author's name recognition will create demand.-Karen Core, Enoch Pratt Free Lib., Baltimore Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Smith, author of the bestselling The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and some 50 other books, nimbly examines the mysteries of dating in this captivating collection. The stories, which take place in various locales-Africa, Australia, Italy-and in periods from the 1950s and '60s to today, explore the timeless, intricate dance of love and courtship, and make wise, often compassionate observations. In the lovely title story, a young woman summering in Tuscany has an assignation with an angel ("It may be unusual in other places, but here, there seemed nothing extraordinary about it") and finds herself pregnant with a miraculous child. In the arch "Intimate Accounts," the protagonist, a jaded psychiatrist, noting that "terrible things can happen on dates-traumatic things-which can trouble people to the very depths of their psyches," helps a narcissistic patient discover that his best date might be with himself. Two members of a "dating [service] for fatties" share a comic dinner in "Fat Date"; two wealthy Swiss singles make friends with the younger generation and learn the joys of sharing in "Wonderful Date," while in "Maternal Influence," a young man mollycoddled and emasculated by his mother, "the Mayoress," finally takes a stand when he meets a girl he likes. Smith's nine stories, with their light humor and touching moments, should inspire smiles and sighs in tenderhearted readers everywhere. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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