The Full Cupboard of Life
Written by Alexander McCall Smith
Narrated by Lisette Lecat
4/5
()
About this audiobook
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.
More audiobooks from Alexander Mc Call Smith
My Italian Bulldozer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Private Life of Spies and The Exquisite Art of Getting Even: Stories of Espionage and Revenge Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fatty O'Leary's Dinner Party Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Pianos and Flowers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Perfect Passion Company Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related to The Full Cupboard of Life
Titles in the series (24)
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tears of the Giraffe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blue Shoes and Happiness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Miracle at Speedy Motors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kalahari Typing School for Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Double Comfort Safari Club Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Full Cupboard of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Morality for Beautiful Girls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In the Company of Cheerful Ladies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Husband of Zebra Drive Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Precious and Grace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House of Unexpected Sisters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Colors of All the Cattle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To the Land of Long Lost Friends Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Song of Comfortable Chairs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Raise an Elephant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From a Far and Lovely Country Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Joy and Light Bus Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related audiobooks
The Kalahari Typing School for Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In the Company of Cheerful Ladies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Morality for Beautiful Girls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Husband of Zebra Drive Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Miracle at Speedy Motors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blue Shoes and Happiness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tears of the Giraffe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Colors of All the Cattle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To the Land of Long Lost Friends Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Double Comfort Safari Club Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Precious and Grace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Joy and Light Bus Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Song of Comfortable Chairs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The House of Unexpected Sisters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Raise an Elephant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From a Far and Lovely Country Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Trains and Lovers: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Akimbo and the Elephants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5At the Reunion Buffet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love in the Time of Bertie Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Peppermint Tea Chronicles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Emma: A Modern Retelling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Mystery For You
Listen for the Lie: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hit and Run Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Lies in the Woods: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If She Knew (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 1) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heaven’s Crooked Finger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Sherlock Holmes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fifth Suspect Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And Then There Were None Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Did I Kill You?: A Thriller Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finlay Donovan Is Killing It: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Alone (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1): 01 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Death on the Nile: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When No One Is Watching: A Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Word is Murder: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Girl's Guide to Murder: A Debutante Dropout Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One for the Money Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mother-Daughter Murder Night: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tell No One Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The River We Remember: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hallowe'en Party: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ordinary Grace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Altered Carbon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crooked House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unexpected Guest Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Full Cupboard of Life
1,153 ratings45 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great series. I always feel like I've been on a mini vacation to Botswana when I finish one of these sweet wise books!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mma 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I just love this series.Finally! Precious Ramotswe and Mr J L B Matekoni get married.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just 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.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Wow--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???
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mma 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.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I love this series! As always, the mysteries are solved with insight into the moral and philosophical aspects of human behavior,
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Precious 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Book 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.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5After 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. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This 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?
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5loved the learning aspect ~ all descriptively included as part of the day to day and character development ~ lovely!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When 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.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5As always with these, quiet, smile-inducing, relaxing--just good.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This 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.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5There 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another good book in the series. Enjoyable read as the story unfolds and the characters keep developing.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anyone 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.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mma 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.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love all the books in the series - fascinating stories of human life - why we do things we do.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I 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 :)
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Yet another installment in the series. A nice read. The long engagement finally comes to an end!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5More from the Number One Ladies Detective Agency, and there’s not much more to say about it than that. Sweet, but unmemorable.