Precious Ramotswe

Precious Ramotswe, in her mid-thirties and (as the narrative calls it) "traditionally built" (i.e., plump and solid) is the novel's central character, and indeed the central character of all the books in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Interestingly, however, while her determination and compassion both brought the Agency into existence and continue to define the work it does, her presence in the narrative is somewhat less than it is in some of the others. This is because her life is expanding in scope - she now has Mr. Mma Makutsi, and the two children (Motholeli and Puso) to concern herself with. She is still an independent woman, still very much herself, but she is finding that she no longer has to rely only on herself, or be solely responsible FOR, herself. It could be argued that in some ways she is even more of a...