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Alexander McCall Smith
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Corduroy Mansions (Corduroy Mansions (McCall Smith), 1) Audio CD – Unabridged, July 13, 2010

by Alexander McCall Smith (Author), Simon Prebble (Narrator)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,099 ratings
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In the Corduroy Mansions series of novels, set in London's hip Pimlico neighborhood, we meet a cast of charming eccentrics, including perhaps the world's most clever terrier, who make their home in a handsome, though slightly dilapidated, apartment block. 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 William, who's trying to convince his reluctant twenty-four-year-old son, Eddie, to leave the nest; and Marcia, the boutique caterer who has her sights set on William. There's also the (justifiably) much-loathed Member of Parliament oedipus Snark; his mother, Berthea, who's writing his biography and hating every minute of it; and his long-suffering girlfriend, Barbara, a literary agent who would like to be his wife (but, then, she'd like to be almost anyone's wife). There's the vitamin evangelist, the psychoanalyst, the art student with a puzzling boyfriend and Freddie de la Hay, the Pimlico terrier who insists on wearing a seat belt and is almost certainly the only avowed vegetarian canine in London. Filled with the ins and outs of neighborliness in all its unexpected variations, Corduroy Mansions showcases the life, laughter and humanity that have become the hallmarks of Alexander McCall Smith's work.
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  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    Recorded Books, Inc.
  3. Publication date
    July 13, 2010
  4. Dimensions
    5.2 x 1.5 x 5.59 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1449839398
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1449839390
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Recorded Books, Inc.; Unabridged edition (July 13, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1449839398
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1449839390
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 1.5 x 5.59 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,099 ratings

About the author

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Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith

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Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world’s most prolific and most popular authors. His career has been a varied one: for many years he was a professor of Medical Law and worked in universities in the United Kingdom and abroad. Then, after the publication of his highly successful 'No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency' series, which has sold over twenty million copies, he devoted his time to the writing of fiction and has seen his various series of books translated into over forty-six languages and become bestsellers through the world. These include the Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in The Scotsman, the Isabel Dalhousie novels, the Von Igelfeld series, and the Corduroy Mansions series, novels which started life as a delightful (but challenging to write) cross-media serial, written on the website of the Telegraph Media Group. This series won two major cross-media awards - Association of Online Publishers Digital Publishing Award 2009 for a Cross Media Project and the New Media Age award.

In addition to these series, Alexander writes stand-alone books. 2014 sees publication of three new novels which fall into this area: 'The Forever Girl'; 'Fatty O’Leary’s Dinner Party'; and 'Emma' – a reworking of the classic Jane Austen novel. This year there will also be a stunning book on Edinburgh, 'A Work of Beauty: Alexander McCall Smith’s Edinburgh'. Earlier stand alone novels include 'La’s Orchestra Saves the World' and 'Trains and Lovers: A Hearts Journey'.

Alexander is also the author of collections of short stories, academic works, and over thirty books for children. He has received numerous awards for his writing, including the British Book Awards Author of the Year Award in 2004 and a CBE for service to literature in 2007. He holds honorary doctorates from nine universities in Europe and North America. In March of 2011 he received an award from the President of Botswana for his services through literature to that country.

Alexander McCall Smith lives in Edinburgh. He is married to a doctor and has two daughters.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
1,099 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Avid Mystery Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Addictive read!
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2010
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This is the first book that I have read by Alexander McCall Smith. I realize that I have been missing a lot! This novel is set in a London residential section and a building complex called Corduroy Mansions. What makes this such a great read is that the characters are all a little crazy, even down to the vegatarian dog. The dog enters the scene when William, the wine merchant, wants to get his adult (do-nothing) son out of his appartment at the Mansions. His son does not seem to take any hints about leaving, those obtuse or in-your-face. The idea is that since the son has a dog phobia, getting the dog will make his son leave the apartment - but that plan backfires and he moves on to other plans (which also do not work out quite as he expects). Thus the joy in reading the book. Looking into the lives of these eccentric people. I love the part where one of the characters has a "near death" experience by charging his car's battery with bare wires and does not realize he needs a battery charger for the task.
It is just one crazy event after another, told in that charming rather droll way that some Europeans have. I can't wait for the next installment of this series and I will certainly be hunting for the other series of books from this author.
16 people found this helpful
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SMNYL
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not great
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2024
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A quite enjoyable book, with the author's usual insights into human (and, of
course, canine) nature, but not quite up to the admittedly elevated level of the Scotland Street series.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Alexander McCall Smith is my doctor
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2019
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I cant quite get enough of his prose - it can change my humor from stressed and overwrought to a contented satisfaction in a single page - like a tonic for my outlook. The stories and characters I find so delightful, so human - even the dogs. Love and humor, a powerful combination I absolutely loved the 44 Scotland series - yet, I have read some less favorable opinions comparing the Corduroy Mansions series - mainly for lack of a parallel Bertie character. I feel rather differently and appreciate the distinction: this is a story with more grown-up, complex characters and I am grateful. The Corduroy Mansions is different, obviously, by intent & purpose, yet also: excellent. I fall happily under the spell of these characters’ lives and I am so pleased to be privy to the day to day experience of each and every one - may we see 15 or 20 more, please, Mr McCall Smith?
5 people found this helpful
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Debra Hamel
3.0 out of 5 stars I can't swear I'd never read another in the series
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2011
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Corduroy Mansions is the first book in Alexander McCall Smith's newest series, which focuses on the residents of the eponymous apartment house, a comfortable four-story building in London. It's an odd book in that there really is no central character but a whole cast of them: William, the fifty-something widowed wine merchant who spends much of the book trying to get his son to move out and who adopts a dog as part of that plan, a flock of girls who share an apartment beneath him, and so on. But the characters to whom chapters are devoted are not limited to residents of the Mansions. Sometimes we get to know quite well people who are only remotely connected to the residents. For example, McCall Smith focuses quite a lot on a woman who is the girlfriend of an MP for whom one of the girls on the third floor of the Mansions works. We also get chapters on the MP's mother and uncle. This seems an odd organization, but it mirrors life rather nicely: one hears stories about people in the course of a day--what's going on with a neighbor, his boss, the boss's family. Map these connections out and you get lines radiating from a central point--you--that quickly connect you with people you've never met. In McCall Smith's book, Corduroy Mansions sits at the central point; life goes on around it.

Corduroy Mansions doesn't have much of a plot, but that's okay: it's rather like watching a soap opera. One falls easily into the stories of the various characters, most of whom are interesting enough to warrant following. But sometimes the flow of the story is interrupted by conversations that aren't quite credible or over-long descriptions of a character's thoughts: Barbara Ragg the literary agent musing for hundreds of words, for example, on how one's life can turn on a dime. While her life is turning on a dime. The book can also be a little preachy. So, disappointing to an extent, but I wouldn't swear I'd never read another in the series.

-- Debra Hamel
One person found this helpful
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Peggy
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book. One of my favorite Alexander Mccall Smith books.
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2022
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Good book. One of my favorite Alexander Mccall Smith books. Interesting characters and great plot to keep your interest and attention.
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Scott Lloyd
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2010
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I have really enjoyed the Scotland Street series from Smith and wondered if he could keep the momentum going with this serialized novel that takes place in London. And amazingly enough he pulls yet another rabbit out of his hat with this charming and entertaining book. Like the Scotland Street series this book revolves around a specific location, this time a complex of London flats called Corduroy Mansions. There is a nice mix of characters with a variety of dilemmas so few people will get bored with the plot (or should I say plots).

If there is any difference in entertainment value it might be that there emerged no one quite like Bertie (in the Scotland series). In my mind he evolved to be the main character and took over the series (with very positive and humorous results). If you enjoy Alexander McCall Smith's writing be sure to check out the Scotland series as well.  44 Scotland Street: A 44 Scotland Street Novel (1)  to  The World According to Bertie: A 44 Scotland Street Novel (4) .
5 people found this helpful
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Annete K. Faltot
5.0 out of 5 stars In Love With Freddie
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2011
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I loved Corduroy Mansions. Freddie, the dog,is the star and was adorable and loveable - more so than the people at times. The second installment (The Dog Who Came In From the Cold)not listed on Amazon now for some reason, was also wonderful. Very well written and believeable. Hoping MCall Smith will write follow-ups to these two as he did for the Ladies Detective Agency series. My husband and I are mad for Freddie as we are for Mdma Ramotswe.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Tanja
5.0 out of 5 stars sehr guter Zustand
Reviewed in Germany on May 10, 2022
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Das Buch war bestens verpackt und in einem sehr guten Zustand
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great characters and fun to read
Reviewed in Canada on October 5, 2020
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Another fun story. Did not want to get to the end
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THOMAS KURUVILLA
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in India on January 16, 2017
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good
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Profbob
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Australia on May 19, 2017
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Another of his charming set of linked stories with interesting characters
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Kirstine
5.0 out of 5 stars Kindly and thoughful exploration of human behaviour
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2009
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Corduroy Mansions is in the same vein as 44 Scotland Street, but set in London. The inhabitants of a block of flats are the core characters who interact with the outside world. McCall Smith creates a range of believable people and weaves stories around them that illustrate human feelings and behaviour. When reading his books, I feel that the author is a kind and humane man who tries to see the best in people. His books do not depict the underbelly of society not are they full of violence, but they are not overly sentimental and do deal with philosophical and moral issues. I know Edinburgh well and the Scotland Street books are full of familiar Streets and venues which add to the pleasure. I don't feel that Corduroy Mansions has so many allusions to place, which is not surprising as McCall Smith has lived and worked in Edinburgh for a long time. The format of the book (like the Scottish series) is a series of short chapters, previously published in a daily newspaper, giving the book a pacy immediacy that carries the reader along. It's a bit like a superior soap opera where one follows the lives of the largely middle-class characters from day to day. Very enjoyable.
71 people found this helpful
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