The Miracle At Speedy Motors, Alexander McCall Smith

The Miracle At Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith has given us another gentle story about a gentle woman who is ostensibly a private detective, but who really is a loving philosopher of life. Mma Precious Ramotswe again shows by her daily life how a gentle, loving woman can influence those around her and improve their lives. Again she helps people solve the problems that arise in their daily lives, and she teaches them about love and forgiveness and the importance of enjoying the simple pleasures in life.

In Alexander McCall Smith’s mind, Mma Ramotswe lives life slowly. She does not hurry through life. She understands and accepts the weaknesses and faults in others, and she sees and accepts her own faults as well. She finds ways of dealing with the faults in others in a gentle, forgiving manner. Her intent is to find peace and happiness in life, rather than conflict, and she constantly teaches these principles to those around her.

Alexander McCall Smith’s books are character studies. This series is not about solving crimes, it is about the daily lives of the characters in the story. In reading Alexander McCall Smith’s books, I am reminded of “character actors” in Hollywood. Alexander McCall Smith’s characters are “character actors”. They are not superstars. Alexander McCall Smith develops his characters slowly, and yet with beautiful detail to ensure that we know them fully, that we understand them and appreciate them. They are not great characters; they are the people we would meet in daily life, with all their flaws and weaknesses, and also all their strengths. We see them struggle with the problems they face in life, and also their own character flaws. We see their daily failures, and also their little triumphs. And in the end, Alexander McCall Smith’s characters find a happy end of the day, knowing that another day faces them tomorrow.

The ability of Alexander McCall Smith to develop characters can be seen by the great variety of characters in his books. They range from the gentle characters in The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, to the over-ambitious mother, Isabel, in the 44 Scotland Street series, to the wildly ridiculous characters in his Portuguese Irregular Verbs and The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs.