Las lágrimas de la jirafa
Cuando mma Ramotswe repasa sus cuentas a final de año, descubre que no se está haciendo rica, pero tampoco ha perdido dinero; ha tenido suerte y ha estado muy ocupada; una situación bastante parecida a su idea de la felicidad. La fama de su agencia de detectives ha llegado a oídos de la embajada de Estados Unidos que la recomienda a una de sus ciudadanas: la señora Curtain, cuyo hijo desapareció en el desierto de Kalahari, hace más de diez años. Michael Curtain trabajaba en la mejora de la agricultura en el árido suelo africano, cuando se esfumó sin dejar rastro. A pesar de las dificultades y del tiempo transcurrido, mma Ramotswe acepta el caso, porque sabe muy bien lo que significa perder a un hijo. La solidaridad, la complicidad y la comprensión entre Precious Ramotswe y la señora Curtain es muy similar a la que se produce entre su prometido, J.L.B Matekoni, un hombre honrado y cariñoso, y dos niños del orfanato local a los que Matekoni siente el irreflenable deseo de proteger. Mma Ramotswe, la dueña de la primera agencia femenina de detectives de Botsuana, no sólo tendrá un negocio y un marido, sino una familia completa de quien ocuparse. Al fin y al cabo, en África todos somos "hermanos y hermanas" y ese es el mensaje de esta emocionante novela que ofrece mucho más que la mera solución de un misterio de la mano de un personaje que ha cautivado a millones de lectores en todo el mundo. «Ocurrentes y tiernas, las páginas de esta novela nos divierten, nos sorprenden y nos llegan al corazón, todo al mismo tiempo.» Los Angeles Times «Precious Ramotswe es la Miss Marple de Botsuana.» Times Literary Supplement
FictionMystery & Detective
RELEASED2004
PUBLISHERUmbriel
LENGTH198
LANGUAGEES
Alexander McCall Smith, often referred to as ‘Sandy’, is one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors. For many years he was a professor of Medical Law and worked in universities in the UK and abroad before turning his hand to writing fiction. He has written and contributed to more than 100 books including specialist academic titles, short story collections, and a number of immensely popular children’s books. His first book, The White Hippo—a children’s book, was published by Hamish Hamilton in 1980. But it wasn’t until the publication of the highly successful The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series that Alexander became a household name. The series has now sold over twenty million copies in the English language alone, and since the books took off, he has devoted his time to writing. His various series of books have been translated into forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the popular 44 Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in the Scotsman newspaper and now the longest-running serial novel in the world; the Isabel Dalhousie novels, and the von Igelfeld series. He is also the author of the Corduroy Mansions series, which started life as an engaging cross-media serial written for the Telegraph online. In addition to these series, Alexander has written a number of stand-alone novels, including The Forever Girl, Fatty O’Leary’s Dinner Party, My Italian Bulldozer, The Second Worst Restaurant in France, Chance Developments and Pianos and Flowers. Earlier stand alone books include Trains and Lovers: A Heart’s Journey; La’s Orchestra Saves the World; and Emma—a reworking of the classic Jane Austen novel. He has also authored many non-fiction titles, the latest of which are A Work of Beauty: Alexander McCall Smith’s Edinburgh and What W.H. Auden Can Do For You. Recently Alexander has written a new children’s series—The School Ship Tobermory—and we now have four books in the series. This increases the number of children’s books he has written to more than thirty. Alexander has received numerous awards for his writing and holds twelve honorary doctorates from universities in Europe and North America. In 2007 he received a CBE for services to literature and in 2011 was honoured by the President of Botswana for services through literature to the country. In 2015 he received the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction and in 2017 The National Arts Club of America—Medal of Honor for Achievement in Literature.
Las lágrimas de la jirafa
Cuando mma Ramotswe repasa sus cuentas a final de año, descubre que no se está haciendo rica, pero tampoco ha perdido dinero; ha tenido suerte y ha estado muy ocupada; una situación bastante parecida a su idea de la felicidad. La fama de su agencia de detectives ha llegado a oídos de la embajada de Estados Unidos que la recomienda a una de sus ciudadanas: la señora Curtain, cuyo hijo desapareció en el desierto de Kalahari, hace más de diez años. Michael Curtain trabajaba en la mejora de la agricultura en el árido suelo africano, cuando se esfumó sin dejar rastro. A pesar de las dificultades y del tiempo transcurrido, mma Ramotswe acepta el caso, porque sabe muy bien lo que significa perder a un hijo. La solidaridad, la complicidad y la comprensión entre Precious Ramotswe y la señora Curtain es muy similar a la que se produce entre su prometido, J.L.B Matekoni, un hombre honrado y cariñoso, y dos niños del orfanato local a los que Matekoni siente el irreflenable deseo de proteger. Mma Ramotswe, la dueña de la primera agencia femenina de detectives de Botsuana, no sólo tendrá un negocio y un marido, sino una familia completa de quien ocuparse. Al fin y al cabo, en África todos somos "hermanos y hermanas" y ese es el mensaje de esta emocionante novela que ofrece mucho más que la mera solución de un misterio de la mano de un personaje que ha cautivado a millones de lectores en todo el mundo. «Ocurrentes y tiernas, las páginas de esta novela nos divierten, nos sorprenden y nos llegan al corazón, todo al mismo tiempo.» Los Angeles Times «Precious Ramotswe es la Miss Marple de Botsuana.» Times Literary Supplement
FictionMystery & Detective
RELEASED2004
PUBLISHERUmbriel
LENGTH198
LANGUAGEES
Alexander McCall Smith, often referred to as ‘Sandy’, is one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors. For many years he was a professor of Medical Law and worked in universities in the UK and abroad before turning his hand to writing fiction. He has written and contributed to more than 100 books including specialist academic titles, short story collections, and a number of immensely popular children’s books. His first book, The White Hippo—a children’s book, was published by Hamish Hamilton in 1980. But it wasn’t until the publication of the highly successful The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series that Alexander became a household name. The series has now sold over twenty million copies in the English language alone, and since the books took off, he has devoted his time to writing. His various series of books have been translated into forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the popular 44 Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in the Scotsman newspaper and now the longest-running serial novel in the world; the Isabel Dalhousie novels, and the von Igelfeld series. He is also the author of the Corduroy Mansions series, which started life as an engaging cross-media serial written for the Telegraph online. In addition to these series, Alexander has written a number of stand-alone novels, including The Forever Girl, Fatty O’Leary’s Dinner Party, My Italian Bulldozer, The Second Worst Restaurant in France, Chance Developments and Pianos and Flowers. Earlier stand alone books include Trains and Lovers: A Heart’s Journey; La’s Orchestra Saves the World; and Emma—a reworking of the classic Jane Austen novel. He has also authored many non-fiction titles, the latest of which are A Work of Beauty: Alexander McCall Smith’s Edinburgh and What W.H. Auden Can Do For You. Recently Alexander has written a new children’s series—The School Ship Tobermory—and we now have four books in the series. This increases the number of children’s books he has written to more than thirty. Alexander has received numerous awards for his writing and holds twelve honorary doctorates from universities in Europe and North America. In 2007 he received a CBE for services to literature and in 2011 was honoured by the President of Botswana for services through literature to the country. In 2015 he received the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction and in 2017 The National Arts Club of America—Medal of Honor for Achievement in Literature.
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