Eventually it was time to leave, and Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni drove home in the white van, with Mma Ramotswe at the wheel. It was early evening now, and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, who was feeling tired, went off to have his somewhat delayed Saturday afternoon nap. After the feast there would be no question of dinner, so she had no cooking to do. The children had gone to a friend’s house for the night; Mma Ramotswe was alone.
She went out into the garden. The sun had set, but there was still a faint glow in the west, above the Kalahari—enough to provide that half-light that makes everything seem so rounded, so perfect. She stood in her garden and looked about her. Against the gradually darkening sky, the branches of the trees traced a pattern of twigs and leaves—a pattern of such intricacy and delicacy that those standing below might look up and wonder why the world can be so beautiful and yet break the heart.
She stood still for a while, thinking about marriage. A wedding was a strange ceremony, she thought, with all those formal words, those solemn vows made by one to another; whereas the real question that should be put to the two people involved was a very simple one. Are you happy with each other? was the only question that should be asked; to which they both should reply, preferably in unison, Yes. Simple questions—and simple answers—were what we needed in life. That was what Mma Ramotswe believed. Yes.
She went back into the house, as night had come over the town, the sky suddenly going from deep blue into black—and stars had appeared over Africa. She gave one last glance towards the horizon, to check whether the Southern Cross was where it should be. It was.
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The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party
~A PANTHEON BOOKS READING GROUP GUIDE~
“First on my list—every time—is any new Precious Ramotswe tale.”
—The New Orleans Times-Pisayune
“The best, most charming, honest, hilarious and life-affirming books.”
—The Cleveland Plains Dealer
Discussion Questions:
The New York Times Book Review has noted, “As always in Alexander McCall Smith’s gentle celebrations of life in this arid patch of southern Africa, the best moments are the smallest.”Discuss how this is true. Does your reading of these novels inspire you to appreciate the small, precious moments and things in your own life?
Why is Precious Ramotswe so attached to her little white van, even after it is long gone? What is it about certain physical objects for us? Do you have one particular object, large or small, that you are especially attached to? Why? Is it the object itself that you cling to or is it to the memories that you have associated with it?
Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni is always referred to as “that fine man” or “that excellent man, proprietor of Tloweng Road Speedy Motors.”What makes him fine and excellent? And why is his job always attached to his name, even by his wife?
How much importance do you put on efficiency? Why does Mma Ramotswe think that, “if efficiency were the only value in this life, then we would be content to eat bland, but nutritious food everyday.” (see here) What other values are equally, if not more important in this life—in work and in play?
It is very clear, over the course of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, that “Charlie (Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni’s apprentice) did not follow the old Botswana ways.” (see here) What does this mean? What are the “old Botswana ways”? Who does follow them?
In The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party Mma Ramotswe says, “Each of us had something that made it easier to continue in a world that sometimes, just sometimes, was not as we might wish it to be ” (see here) What is that you need to get your mind off anxieties or problems in your own life—“a drive in the country …a quiet cup of tea”? Why do we all need these small pal,asures to release us from looming problems and issues?
Mma Ramotswe remembers witnessing with her father a group of birds being attacked by a snake, and he encouraged her not to do anything. Why? What lesson was he teaching young Precious?
Mma Ramotswe periodically quotes from Clovis Anderson’s The Principles of Private Detection. One she particular believes in and repeats is “the more you listen, the more you learn” (see here) What is it about this book and the pithy sayings it offers that appeals to Mma Ramotswe in moments of indecision? Do you have a book you turn to when you need reassurance or pleasure?
There is much talk of beef stews and pumpkins and cake in these novels, and in one instance in The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party, Mma Ramotswe thinks about dinner and says, “Life was very full.” Describe some of the dishes you remember in the novel.
Do you think Mma Ramotswe makes the right decision to turn to Mpho’s mother when the little boy shares the secret of the crime he committed? What would you have done in this predicament?
Discussions about the differences between men and women come up quite a bit in the novels, and in this novel in particular. What are some of the stereotypes that various characters discuss? Do you agree with them?
Mma Ramotswe appreciates the people in her life: her husband, her assistant detective/friend, her father. “That we have the people we have in this life, rather than others, is miraculous, she thought, a miraculous gift.” Discuss the people in your life that you are most thankful for and why.
Discuss how Grace Makutsi and Mma Ramotswe react differently to Charlie and his problem. Why is Grace more judgmental that her boss? Why do you think Mma Ramotswe is more successful in dealing with Charlie?
Mma Ramotswe tells Charlie she likes him, and she reflects that all humans need to hear that others like them, need to have the pleasure of knowing and hearing that others care about them. Why is she so kind to Charlie after all he has done?
The Christian Science Monitor has written that in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels, “Kindness is paramount.” Do you agree with this? And what do you think Alexander McCall Smith is trying to promote by writing these “kind” novels?
Discuss the titles of each of the chapters and the title of the book. What do these offer to the experience of reading the novel? Do you think Alexander McCall Smith has fun coming up with these titles?
Mma Ramotswe walks around her garden every morning and evening, noticing the flowers, trees, and birds. She also revels in the beauty of the Botswana countryside. Discuss the importance of nature in this novel.
Alexander McCall Smith is clearly a master wordsmith. Why do you think he chooses to use relatively simple language and plot lines in his novels? How does the language and rhythm correspond to the message of the novels? Connect this to one of the final sentences of the novel, “simple questions—and simple answers—were what we needed in life.” What is Alexander McCall Smith saying about life?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland.
www.AlexanderMcCallSmith.com
www.facebook.com/alexandermccallsmith
www.twitter.com/McCallSmith
www.pantheonbooks.com
ALSO AVAILABLE IN EBOOK
FROM PANTHEON AND ANCHOR
BY ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH
In the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series:
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency•978-1-4000-7765-6
Tears of the Giraffe•978-1-4000-7767-0
Morality for Beautiful Girls•978-1-4000-7766-3
The Kalahari Typing School for Men•978-1-4000-7941-4
The Full Cupboard of Life•978-0-375-42324-6
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies•978-0-375-42357-4
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Blue Shoes and Happiness•978-0-375-42426-7
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive•978-0-375-42479-3
The Miracle at Speedy Motors•978-0-307-37719-7
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built•978-0-307-37810-1
The Double Comfort Safari Club•978-0-307-37900-9
The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party•978-0-307-37963-4
In the Isabel Dalhousie Series:
The Sunday Philosophy Club•978-0-375-42343-7
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate•978-0-375-42392-5
The Right Attitude to Rain•978-0-375-42462-5
The Careful Use of Compliments•978-0-375-42527-1
The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday•978-0-307-37776-0
The Lost Art of Gratitude•978-0-307-37857-6
The Charming Quirks of Others• 978-0-307-37945-0
In the Portugese Iregular Verb Series:
Portuguese Irregular Verbs•978-0-307-42729-8
The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs•978-0-307-42858-5
At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances•978-0-307-42488-4
In the 44 Scotland Street Series:
44 Scotland Street•978-0-307-27679-7
Espresso Tales•978-0-307-38639-7
Love over Scotland•978-0-307-38759-2
The World According to Bertie•978-0-307-45522-2
The Unbearable Lightness of Scones•978-0-307-47674-6
The Girl Who Married a Lion and Other Tales from Africa•978-0-375-42344-4
La’s Orchestra Saves the World•978-0-307-37866-8
Corduroy Mansions•978-0-307-37930-6
The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party Page 20
