Corduroy Mansions

Like chocolate for the ears.

Aaaaah. Just relax and enjoy this novel. If you have read any of the 44 Scotland Street novels, you will know what to expect plot-wise - an array of characters all with (fairly minor and often amusing) problems. But the best bit for me was Andrew Sachs' narration. Remember the ad for a famous food store that featured a chocolate pudding with melted chocolate oozing out ('This is not just a chocolate pudding...')? Remember how it made you feel (apart from hungry!)? Well, that's the effect Andrew Sachs' voice has. Your muscles relax, the stresses of the day float away. if you want a relaxing, undemanding, amusing listen; download this one.

13 of 13 people found this review helpful

Scotland Street Re-Located

I found Corduroy Mansions very enjoyable and funny, as I have read the whole of the Edinburgh set "44 Scotland Street" and the subsequent books. Well drawn characters, including (as in Scotland Street) a very intelligent dog. A mixture of the well established and confident types, mixed with the "threshhold of life" student, will they-won't they affairs and a wonderfully drawn total innocent who drives into a field and thinks the track he made is a crop circle! I hope this will become a series, as you actually begin to care about the characters!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

A delight

This is a charming, witty and gentle story and Andrew Sachs reads it superbly.

I have only gone as far as 4 stars because I felt there were some loose ends not quite tied up - I think I know why but it was a just a bit dissatisfying. However, it is only very minor and I would heartily recommend the book and especially this reading.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Wonderfully whimsical

I'd never really been interested in listening to Alexander McCall Smith's Ladies' Detective Agency novels, but had heard his Portuguese Irregular Verbs, which I had enjoyed. I then came across Corduroy Mansions, and found the whole thing immensely comfortable, witty, erudite and thoroughly British in its sense of whimsy. Superbly drawn characters equally superbly brought to life by Andrew Sachs, who is the perfect reader for this warm and charming book, somehow as familiar as a well worn pair of carpet slippers.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Relaxing

This is an entertaining and gentle comedy. It bumbles along and is a relaxing listen. It's a bit like watching 'The Waltons' on TV, you can relax as you know everything will be turn out well in the end. It's what I would expect of an Alexander McCall Smith book and is beautifully narrated by Andrew Sachs.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

A Lovely Listen

What a lovely listen - gentle, entertaining but insightful. And another wonderful dog with his patient, trusting, long-suffering human relationships.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

But what happened to ...?

The master of cliff hangers! But how I long to know what has happened to all the different characters. How about a book which follows ONLY one character, Bertie or Isobel or Freddie. Brilliant stories but also calming listening in bed at the end of a busy day. Sends one to sleep with a smile.

Gentle

Very gentle story, little bits of silliness which make it relatable. A relaxing listen, ideal for bedtime :-)

enjoyable

took a little while to warm up to some of the characters but in the end they were developed quite nicely. i love that there is a dog (like 44 Scotland street). there isn't really a plot per se....it's more an introduction to the characters ready for the next few books.

Edinburgh is better

Would you consider the audio edition of Corduroy Mansions to be better than the print version?

I love the Scotland Street series, so I was looking forward to something else in the same genre. But somehow I didn't warm to the characters of Corduroy Mansions as much as their Scottish counterparts. It may be that I don't like London life as much as life in a provincial city. Nothing wrong with the style and format, and well read by Andrew Sachs, but not just quite so good for me.

Would you be willing to try another book from Alexander McCall Smith? Why or why not?

Yes I have read many of his books. I sometimes find the philosophising irritating, especially in the Isolbe Dalhousie novels.

Which character – as performed by Andrew Sachs – was your favourite?

The dreamy Morris Minor driving brother.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me smile at times.