Corduroy Mansions (2009)

Nobody can match Alexander McCall Smith when it comes to verbal portraiture . In this the first of a new series about the denizens of wonderful world of a set of flats called Corderoy Mansions. ( )

I enjoyed this, and since it was originally a serial for newspapers it was perfect for those times when I just wanted to sit for a little bit, and not an hour or two, to read. Some things felt unresolved in the ending, but that may be purposeful, as real life does not have easy resolutions. ( )

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 for an intelligent animal. The book needed more Freddie and less of the whiny, boring people living in the Pimlico flat Corduroy Mansions. This probably book would have been okay if I didn't have such high expectations. Apparently this series is very similar to McCall's series 44 Scotland Street. There is no mystery to anchor the lot so it is mainly a narrative of situations, some involving love and unpleasantness the characters find themselves confronted with. Although I love Alexander McCall Smith, and his creation Freddie de lay Hay I was not as enamored of the human residents of Corduroy Mansions. ( )

AMS sets this story in London. In it, he uses the same frame for the story as 44 Scotland Street--a group of people living in flats in a charming building--but moves further afield in the lives of the characters. Some familiar themes pop up wine merchants, British Racing Green Jaguars, a dog, and some philosophical thinking. I like how the author writes his characters and I keep coming back for more. Just what I was looking for... ( )

A lighthearted walk through the life of the residents of an old apartment in London. A chance to laugh at the foibles of others and ignore our own. ( )