• The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party

  • The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 12
  • By: Alexander McCall Smith
  • Narrated by: Lisette Lecat
  • Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,349 ratings)

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The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party  By  cover art

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party

By: Alexander McCall Smith
Narrated by: Lisette Lecat
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Publisher's summary

This 12th entry from Alexander McCall Smith’s New York Times best-selling series showcases the humanity and matchless wit that define Precious Ramotswe. While both Precious and Grace Makutsi are puzzled by prophetic dreams, life goes on at the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Precious finds herself investigating a case of rural jealousy, while Grace inches closer to her wedding.

Listen to more titles in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.
©2011 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

What listeners say about The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Precious Ramotswe is a Gift

I am the type of guy that typically hates zappy books. I also like my detectives hard boiled, tough, cynical, and violent. Precious Ramotswe is the total opposite and I love her. She is one of my favorite characters of all time and reading this series is very life affirming and Precious Ramotswe is one of the most worderful characters ever created.

The stories tend to be a bit simple and written almost as if they were meant for children but it serves the stories well. In many of the books there a few and sometimes no mysteries. The stories tend to be more about the life of the characters than any detective work. I gave this book 4 instead of 5 stars because I tend to prefer the stories in this series that do more dedecting.

Having said that, Precious Ramotswe is a godsend. The kindness and wisdom of the character always brings tears to this tough guy. This story is wonderful but I anyone interested in the series should start with the first to really enjoy them. The reader is awesome.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The End?

This felt like the last novel of the series. If so, it ended as well as it began. If you are a fan and have not watched the BBC series based on some of the early episodes, you should search it out. It was filmed in Botswana and was beautifully scripted.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party

Lisette Lecat is great narrating this story. She gets all the names and accents correct because she is from South Africa. Alexander McCall Smith creates stories that make you feel as they are old friends and you are just dropping by to visit. I do hope there is a book 13 in this series. She got her little white van back in this story.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An absolute pleasure

McCall's newest book is a delight. I never get tired of returning to this magical place and revisiting my old friends. This story is full of warmth, wisdom, humour and valuable lessons for life. I

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful, as usual

Alexander McCall Smith is my favorite author, and this most recent book from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series doesn't disappoint. Full of beauty, joy, humor, and love. And, of course, Lisette Lecat is the perfect narrator. She really brings the whole book to life. I can't recommend this series (as well as all McCall Smith's books) highly enough.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Love these books

Listening to these books is like visiting old friends. I love these characters and their lives. I can't wait for each new book to see what the ladies are up to.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Where Has The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency Gone?

I have read every book in this series, in order, and I really struggled to get through this one. There were several times that I contemplated just shelving it (so to speak.) It seems that the more recent titles in this series of Alexander McCall Smith have not lived up to his earlier work. This series, early on, was one of my most beloved series. I could not wait for the next book to come out. In the last few books, it is almost as if McCall Smith is continuing writing the books just to... well... continue the series. There is no heart. There are no interesting cases to be solved. He has made Mma Makutsi into a very silly and unlikeable character, instead of simply being quirky (as she was in the early books.) Mme Ramotswe even comes across as being "tired" or disinterested, compared to her early passion for her agency, its work, and life in her beloved Botswana. Her basic character traits are still there, but in a watered-down version. Even the outstanding narrator, Lisette Lecat comes across as rather lackadaisical.

I can't suggest to an avid fan of this series to not listen to this book as they all have some significant event in them that carries over to the next books, but I will say that I was extremely disappointed in this one, and if McCall Smith is getting bored with writing these books he should either find his earlier spunk to put back into them, or stop the series before he writes these wonderful characters altogether into the ground.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Back to Botswana !

The Saturday Night Big Tent Wedding ???A. McCall Smith
Audio version performed by Lissette Lecat
4 stars

Back to Botswana! This was my twelfth visit to The NO.1 ladies Detective Agency. A few things have changed. As the title indicates Mma Makutsi finally marries Phuti Radiphuti; there is even a kiss before they get to the altar. Mma Ramotswe helps to settle a cattle dispute, but does she really solve the crime? Does it really matter? No. McCall Smith uses the mild detective work of the agency to showcase his rosy view of a beautiful place filled with loveable characters. It makes for a nice vacation.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

PRECIOUS IS PRECIOUS

I LOVE LOVE PRECIOUS!! ALL OF THE CHARACTERS ARE LIKE FAMILY! I LOOK FORWARD TO EACH BOOK! LISETTE LECAT IS AN EXCELLENT EADER, I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYONE ELSE BRINGING THESE WONDERFUL CHARACTERS TO LIFE!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Welcom Home

What a great gift this series is. Love, wit, compassion... it's all here. Truly in a class all its own. And Lisette Lecat is one of the best narrators ever.

If I ever meet Mr. McCall Smith I'll ask him to write a sequel to The Lord of the Rings; he's the only author I've ever read who writes with enough heart to do that. Lovers of the books will understand what I mean.

Pick up this audio book and... welcome home.

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3 people found this helpful