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Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith  |
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Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith has been delighting readers with his many
series for well over ten years now. Apparently not one to be idle, McCall Smith started
a new series two years ago and the first book is now available in paperback, Corduroy
Mansions (Anchor Books, 2011). McCall Smith readers will recognize this series
introduction similar to his already established 44 Scotland Street series. Like 44
Scotlant Street, this is about the residents of Corduroy Mansions and their friends and
relations.
Corduroy Mansions is an older residence in Pimlico, London, that has been divided into
three flats. It’s of an Arts and Crafts style and its residents are neighborly to each other
and gather occasionally to discuss problems that need to be addressed with the care
and maintenance of the building. This happens rarely so for the most part, they all live
their separate lives.
William lives on the top floor. He’s 51, a widower, a wine merchant by occupation, and
has his 24-year-old son Eddie still living at home with him. William feels it’s time his son
moves out and gets a place of his own.
The flat below William’s is shared by four women, all in their 20s with a broad range of
interests and backgrounds between them. Caroline is from Cheltenham and grew up
in a privileged family. She’s currently at university pursuing a Master’s in Art History.
Jenny has a degree in economics and is a secretary for an MP, appropriately named
Oedipus Snark. He’s an odious politician, and even worse to work for, but Jenny is
toughing it out for the experience. Dee is very health conscious and works at the
Pimlico Vitamin and Supplement Agency. She’s quick to share health advice, and
in particular recommends colonic irrigation. Jo is from Australia and a free-spirited,
outdoorsy type, the Sporty Spice of the flat.
Below the girls lives Basil Wickramsinghe. He’s the quietest of the mansion’s
inhabitants, mainly keeping to himself but begins to come out of his shell after sharing
some specialty white tea with Jenny one day.
These are just the characters in the book that are the residents. Through them more
characters enter the story as McCall Smith interweaves their lives in and around each
other, or in some cases barely related at all. One of the best characters is the dog
William acquires in a co-ownership agreement. The dog is a Pimlico Terrier named
Freddie de la Hay and he reminded me of the dog Eddie on the TV show “Frasier.”
Freddie has a lively personality and captures your heart with his antics and little quirks,
just like Eddie did.
Though a lot like the 44 Scotland Street series, even ending with a dinner party,
Corduroy Mansions doesn’t have its energy. There are many moments of hilarity
and the characters are one-of-a-kind and trigger various emotional responses to their
behaviors but the story moved at a much slower pace, which seems uncharacteristic
of McCall Smith. Perhaps a reading of the second book in the series, already out, will
determine if it continues better or not.
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