A review by book_concierge
How to Raise an Elephant: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (21) by Alexander McCall Smith

3.0

Digital audiobook narrated by Adjoa Andoh


Book # 21 in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series set in Botswana and featuring Mma Precious Ramotswe and the other employees (partners?) of the agency, as well as friends and relatives.

I’ve skipped a couple of books in the series, because I needed an elephant on the cover for a challenge. I’m sorry I did so because now I know how certain relationships will play out and that will likely spoil the fun for me. Oh well, it’s still nice to visit with friends, and enjoy a cup of (red bush) tea as we ponder life’s mysteries.

As is typical for this series, the mysteries are not murders, but a cousin who has some financial difficulties, or a woman with a straying husband, and also figuring out why the suspension in Mma Ramotswe’s beloved little white van seems to have gone bad … not to mention the peculiar smell coming from the back of the van.

I’ve always liked listening to the audiobooks chiefly because of the stellar performance by Lisette Lecat. But this time the narrator is Adjoa Andoh. Now, Ms Andoh is a talented voice artist and I’ve listened to other audiobooks she has narrated, but this time… Oh my stars, but this is terrible. She exaggerates the accents to the point of caricature, and totally UNflattering caricature at that. ZERO stars for the audio performance.