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20th out of 101 books
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27 voters
Corduroy Mansions (Corduroy Mansions #1)
by
Alexander McCall Smith (Goodreads Author)
A delightful new setting - London - wonderful new cast of characters and one incredibly clever dog.
Corduroy Mansions is the affectionate nickname given to a genteel, crumbling mansion block in London's vibrant Pimlico neighborhood and the home turf of a captivating collection of quirky and altogether McCall-Smithian characters. There's the middle-aged wine merchant Willia...more
Corduroy Mansions is the affectionate nickname given to a genteel, crumbling mansion block in London's vibrant Pimlico neighborhood and the home turf of a captivating collection of quirky and altogether McCall-Smithian characters. There's the middle-aged wine merchant Willia...more
ebook, Serialised Digital Download
Published
(first published 2009)
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Aug 09, 2011
Lorna
added it
Scotland Street comes to London! Alexander McCall Smith's Edinburgh-based daily series for The Scotsman is being replicated south of the border, this time published in the Telegraph online and set in Pimlico.
Just like 44 Scotland Street, Corduroy Mansions is split into flats - the top flat inhabited bynny William the wine merchant (Master of Wine, failed), the middle one by four young women (Caroline, Dee, Jenny and Jo), and the ground floor by accountant Basil Wickramsinghe.
William is keen to...more
Just like 44 Scotland Street, Corduroy Mansions is split into flats - the top flat inhabited bynny William the wine merchant (Master of Wine, failed), the middle one by four young women (Caroline, Dee, Jenny and Jo), and the ground floor by accountant Basil Wickramsinghe.
William is keen to...more
A few hours ago, I finished 'Corduroy Mansions' by Alexander McCall Smith. I read Sue Townsend's 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole' a few months ago and actually found British novels very amusing. Here we have people from one of the most well-known counties in the world, going on with their everyday lives like the rest of us, sprinkled with a little weird attitudes and ignorance, making one laugh or complain out loud at every change of scene. Like I said, it’s amusing. I actually enjoyed 'Corduro...more
4 likes · like · see review
I have just discovered this book by Mr. Smith and enjoyed it as much as my favorite 'Bertie' series. Corduroy Mansions takes place in Plimlico area of London, GB. It mirrors the Edinburgh series in that it is about the lives of the persons residing within this building of owned flats.
On the top floor is William and we join him as he is trying to gain his freedom to live 'alone.' His Son, Eddie, 24yrs old, rather stay at home and live off him. Life, of course, interferes with Williams ideas.
First...more
On the top floor is William and we join him as he is trying to gain his freedom to live 'alone.' His Son, Eddie, 24yrs old, rather stay at home and live off him. Life, of course, interferes with Williams ideas.
First...more
Oct 06, 2011
Hoover Public Library Adult Fiction
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
audiobooks,
cozy-mystery
First book in the series. It was an amusing light read. The mystery in the book doesn't take up much of the story, it's mainly about quirky characters and the little adventures in their lives. Corduroy Mansions is the nickname of the crumbling 'mansion' block in London’s vibrant Pimlico neighborhood and it's where the quirky characters reside. There’s the middle-aged wine merchant William, who’s trying to convince his reluctant twenty-four-year-old son, Eddie, to leave the nest; and Marcia, the...more
I’ve enjoyed all the books I’ve read so far by Alexander McCall Smith, and Corduroy Mansions is no exception—one of those books that can be put down and picked up at any moment. Chapters are delivered in perfect bite-sized increments, characters in surprisingly deep and realistic coffee-cup caricatures, and the streets of London are depicted to the beat of modern coffee-shops while strains of Mozart drift along on the breeze. There are art galleries, art history, a politician of dubious honesty...more
Alexander McCall Smith has begun yet another delightful series. How does he do it? This one involves the residents of "Corduroy Mansions", a somewhat rundown apartment building in the Pimlico area of London.
Here we meet William, a widowed wine merchant who wants to get his son Eddie to move out. But when Marcia and a Pimlico terrier, Freddie de la Hay move in, he wonders if he's made a good trade. Especially when Freddie eats a possibly valuable painting.
Four young women share one of the apartme...more
Here we meet William, a widowed wine merchant who wants to get his son Eddie to move out. But when Marcia and a Pimlico terrier, Freddie de la Hay move in, he wonders if he's made a good trade. Especially when Freddie eats a possibly valuable painting.
Four young women share one of the apartme...more
The first in a new series launched by Alexander McCall Smith. I have to ask--does this man sleep? This book is set in the Pimlico neighborhood of London in a cozy, yet slightly decrepit, building divided into flats. The usual quirky cast of characters are featured--William, the middle-aged widower who runs a wine shop and is trying to convince his 24 year old son to move out; several young girls who share the second floor flat; and the accountant on the first floor. There's also an obnoxious mem...more
Another Horatian satire from A. McCall Smith. He can look at apartments and a neighborhood in London and imagine the lives of characters who all have gentle foibles. A cast-off dog (named Freddie de la Hay) with super-human sensitivity adds to the mix. There are so many plot lines that, towards the end of the book, I wondered how the author would tie things up neatly for me. He didn't (because there are other books in the series), but there is this toast, given by middle-aged wine merchant Willi...more
This book was charming, fun and silly and enjoyable all the way through - RIGHT UP UNTIL THE END. What happened there? I bought this book as part of some special offer in a bookstore because a) I recently enjoyed the first book of his The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series and b) it was really cheap. But even the cheapness of the book does not make how irritated I am about this alright.
I haven't read any of the 44 Scotland Street series, but Corduroy Mansions is based on the same kind of pri...more
I haven't read any of the 44 Scotland Street series, but Corduroy Mansions is based on the same kind of pri...more
6 likes · like · see review
I enjoyed this gentle slice of life in the Pimlico section of London. Corduroy Mansions is inhabited by a likeable group of folks: a middle-aged wine merchant who's trying to get his adult sponger of a son to move out; Marcia who is trying hard to get William to notice her; several young women who share an apartment, a less-than-notable Member of Parliament, among others. There is even Freddie de la Hay, the dog William adopts to try to get his son to move out! As in other Alexander McCall Smith...more
Corduroy Mansions is the first book in a new series from Alexander McCall Smith. It features a cast of characters connected to one another by Corduroy Mansions, the building in which some of the characters live. There's William, who tries a variety of methods to get his son Eddie to move out on his own; Marcia, who's sweet on William; a quartet of young women who live downstairs; the MP Oedipus Snark, who's hated by many people including his own mother Berthea; Barbara Ragg, who'd love to get he...more
This book has one of the cutest covers I have ever seen! Look at that little puppy dog. Awww. I am being slightly harsh on this book because I did enjoy and it was an easy read, but there was too much going on and it just ended with a lot of loose ends untied. The writing style rolled along pleasantly and there was a understated, witty sense of humor throughout. I even learned a few new words! Corduroy Mansions is the nickname for an apartment building in England, where quite a few (but not all)...more
This is the first volume in a new series by Alexander McCall Smith, somewhat reminiscent of his 44 Scotland Street books, but set in London. We are in familiar territory as we follow the inhabitants of Corduroy Mansions – a wine merchant and his scrounger of a son, a Sri Lankan accountant who may have a secret and four girls sharing a flat – and their various friends and acquaintances as their lives intertwine. There are some marvelous characters here, not least Oedipus Snark, described as the w...more
If you are looking for a stand alone mystery novel, this is not it. Though the story is charming and funny in a tongue in cheek sort of way, the resolution is inadequate. It's like watching a TV show and you have to stay tuned for the outcome next week . . . except in this case, it's the next book.
The story revolves around the tenants of Corduroy Mansions, which is just a building of flats with a fancy name. The characters are regular, middle of the road people living in an apparently still clas...more
The story revolves around the tenants of Corduroy Mansions, which is just a building of flats with a fancy name. The characters are regular, middle of the road people living in an apparently still clas...more
Corduroy Mansions","Alexander McCall Smith",""
"The first book in a new Alexander McCall Smith's new series. It is similar in form to his delightful 44 Scotland Street series, but this takes place in London instead of Edinburgh.. It is centered around the lives and loves of people living in flats in Corduroy Mansions. The top floor is owned by William, a quiet, passive wine merchant who is still supporting his adult son who lives with him. He wants the son out, but doesn't know how to go about i...more
"The first book in a new Alexander McCall Smith's new series. It is similar in form to his delightful 44 Scotland Street series, but this takes place in London instead of Edinburgh.. It is centered around the lives and loves of people living in flats in Corduroy Mansions. The top floor is owned by William, a quiet, passive wine merchant who is still supporting his adult son who lives with him. He wants the son out, but doesn't know how to go about i...more
I am a huge fan of The Number One Ladies Detective Agency Series. I look forward to every April when a new one comes out just in time for my birthday. I have read all of the Isabel Dalhousie novels as well while biding time for Mma Ramotswe. While enjoyable they are are somewhat dull compared to my time spent in Botswana. I picked this series up because of that gosh darn cute dog on the cover. He was the best thing in the whole book. I even love his name Freddie de lay Hay. An intelligent name f...more
A friend highly recommended The Dog Who Came in from the Cold, which is book #2, but I HAVE to begin at the beginning! Our public library had both in eBook form.
This book deserves a more thoughtful review than I can manage right now in the wake of having no power for more than 24 hours in the middle of a heat wave, but it is utterly charming in the leisurely witty way that characterizes McCall Smith at his best. There are many memorable turns of phrase of the sort that only British writers seem...more
This book deserves a more thoughtful review than I can manage right now in the wake of having no power for more than 24 hours in the middle of a heat wave, but it is utterly charming in the leisurely witty way that characterizes McCall Smith at his best. There are many memorable turns of phrase of the sort that only British writers seem...more
I really enjoyed McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. I loved learning about Botswana and getting to know Precious Ramotswe and her friends. Nothing devastating ever happens - there are bad things but there is good at the end. Precious is a sensible person who knows her worth and cares about others.
I moved into all the other series he wrote and I believe I read them all or nearly all. I enjoyed getting to know Edinburgh, particularly from the 44 Scotland St series, and when i v...more
I moved into all the other series he wrote and I believe I read them all or nearly all. I enjoyed getting to know Edinburgh, particularly from the 44 Scotland St series, and when i v...more
One of those books I got when I neglected to tell Quality Paperback Books I didn't want it. It's sat on my shelf for a few years and I finally picked it up. It really is a nice fluff of a book with moments of loveliness and even a profound thought now and then. The novel was originally serialized in Britain and the plot revolves around the residents of an apartment block, as the Brits call them, in London. One of the stories involves a man who adopts a dog in an attempt to force his slacker 30-s...more
I'm a big fan of the The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, so I decided to try other novels by Alexander McCall Smith. I'm afraid I read this one too soon after reading 44 Scotland Street. The story line is identical to 44 Scotland Street, but with a simple name change of city and neighborhood in which a new but similar cast of characters reside. The only difference was that these characters did not engage my interest as much as those of 44 Scotland Street. By page 42 I was bored and ready...more
Ah...how I love reading McCall Smith's books, especially his serials. Like the 44 Scotland Street series, in which the characters live in a building of flats, the Corduroy Mansions series is also based in a building of flats, but in London instead of Edinburgh. The concept of both 44 Scotland Street and Corduroy Mansions is based on Charles Dickens’ episodic writing, in which novels were serialized through weekly or monthly journals. McCall Smith pursued this method of writing following a meetin...more
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Alexander McCall Smith is a gifted writer. He has the gift of creating interesting characters and putting them in tricky situations, often with a dry humor, and occasionally with a "tug on the heartstrings." One of my favorites in this book was Terence Moongrove, the dreamy, bumbling
mystic who tries to jump start his car battery using the household current, and electrocutes himself. Then he gets a new car, a Porsche, and, unaccustomed to its power, drives off the road into a field of
wheat, then...more
mystic who tries to jump start his car battery using the household current, and electrocutes himself. Then he gets a new car, a Porsche, and, unaccustomed to its power, drives off the road into a field of
wheat, then...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I admit that I started it with some hesitancy on my part, as I also read Smith's 44 Scotland Street and was somewhat ambivalent about the setting and characters. Corduroy Mansions, however, is a different animal and much more fun. I'm all for more fun and have ordered the next two books in this series.
The main characters either live at Corduroy Mansions or know/are friends with one of the occupants. Middle-aged wine merchant William lives there, along with his 24-...more
The main characters either live at Corduroy Mansions or know/are friends with one of the occupants. Middle-aged wine merchant William lives there, along with his 24-...more
Have you ever walked down a city street and wondered about the people living in the buildings you pass? McCall Smith gives us a view into the lives of a cast of characters from the Pimlico neighborhood in London.
While the book lacks a sweeping plot, it is made up of a series of vignettes featuring the various characters. We meet William, the 50-something wine merchant. And Berthea Snark, the psycho-analyst who hates her son Oedipus. And Freddie de la Hay, a vegetarian terrier. And a whole host o...more
While the book lacks a sweeping plot, it is made up of a series of vignettes featuring the various characters. We meet William, the 50-something wine merchant. And Berthea Snark, the psycho-analyst who hates her son Oedipus. And Freddie de la Hay, a vegetarian terrier. And a whole host o...more
I admit I was drawn to my first Alexander McCall Smith book by the cute title and the dog on the cover. It’s a “moments-in-the-lives-of” novel centering on the residents of the title building in the Pimlico section of central London, including the new canine resident, Freddie de la Hay. He’s an ex-Heathrow sniffer dog sacked for gender inequality in the ranks whose subsequent owner has trained him to be vegetarian and wear seat belts, now acquired by the wine merchant who lives in the top floor...more
This is a new series by McCall Smith and it was initially serialised for Telegraph.co.uk. It was a gentle and pleasant read, mildly amusing. As usual McCall Smith is observant of human foibles and the small moral dilemmas of modern life, which frequently mirror dilemmas on a larger global scale. There’s a large cast of characters residing at Corduroy Mansions or connected in some way to the residents. Most of the story lines are unresolved and there is a second novel to follow in the series. I’m...more
Listening to the audiobook, which is fun because the narrator has such a perfect British accent. A charming, sometimes whimsical cast of characters lives in a 3-story building nicknamed Corduroy Mansions.
The author's sly wit and charm make me smile. Some parts remind me of PG Wodehouse. Another comfort read.
Finished the book. Liked the beginning the best, liked it less as the story went on.
The author left some characters hanging--you can tell there will be follow-on books. It was light and fun,...more
The author's sly wit and charm make me smile. Some parts remind me of PG Wodehouse. Another comfort read.
Finished the book. Liked the beginning the best, liked it less as the story went on.
The author left some characters hanging--you can tell there will be follow-on books. It was light and fun,...more
I started to write that I didn't know what was so entrancing and comforting about this book, but then I realized that's incorrect. I know exactly what makes these books, largely plot-less, so attractive. Following the lives of these quirky, interesting, and interconnected people is exactly as satisfying as a long phone call with your mom, catching up on the gossip from back home.
This book is largely interesting for the characters in it. Nothing earth-shattering happens (with one exception), but...more
This book is largely interesting for the characters in it. Nothing earth-shattering happens (with one exception), but...more
I enjoyed this slice of life in the Pimlico section of London. Corduroy Mansions is an apartment building that is divided into flats and inhabited by a likeable group of folks: William, a middle-aged wine merchant who's trying to get his adult sponger of a son to move out; Marcia who is trying hard to get William to notice her; several young women who share an apartment, and Freddie de la Hay, the dog William adopts because his son is afraid of dogs and William wants Eddie to move out. I listene...more
The story is like "a day in the life of ...", though it's more like a month and covers the lives of a number of people who are either living in a block of apartments or related to someone who is living there. People make and break relationships, old friends are seen in a different light, cars are changed and dogs are adopted (just one car and one dog actually). Because of the many characters in the book, some are quite undeveloped - Dee of the vitamin shop, for example, and there was another of...more
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Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon 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 in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what...more
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Feb 10, 2012 03:43pm