May 24, 2010
Set in present-day London, Smith's charming first in a new series offers a variation on his 44 Scotland Street books, centering on the eccentric occupants of Corduroy Mansions and their offbeat doings. William French, a wine merchant, hopes to force his son, Eddie, who refuses to take his hints about sharing a flat with other 20-somethings, to leave the nest by getting a dog whose presence in their apartment he expects will drive Eddie out. William's neighbors include Dee, who works at a vitamin shop and believes a coworker needs to purge his system of excess sodium, and her roommate, Jenny, who works for an odious MP, Oedipus Snark, who treats Jenny like dirt. Smith paints with broader strokes than in his subtle and often moving No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, and no one character is especially memorable, but the wry humor he elicits from the collisions of lives and their repercussions will bring smiles to the faces of many readers.
July 26, 2010
McCall Smith's latest is cut from the same cloth as the 44 Scotland Street series and follows the residents of a three-story Pimlico flat. William, a wine merchant, is a London Angus Lordy, both philosophical and innocent in regard to the ways of women. Freddy de la Hay, a "Pimlico Terrier," is a smaller version of Angus's dog, Cyril. As in all McCall Smith's series, most characters are kind, if a bit befuddled by the curves life throws them. The talented Simon Prebble narrates the vignettes with vigorous aplomb. In particular, he captures parliamentary member Oedipus Snark's innate nastiness, William's altruistic temperament, and his friend Marcia's hopeless attachment to him. Though the characters are less well individualized than in previous series, there are still many mirthful moments that will entertain McCall Smith fans. A Pantheon hardcover (Reviews, May 24).
November 1, 2010
No. 1 New York Times best-selling author McCall Smith's (www.mccallsmith.com) new series starter resembles "44 Scotland Street" in that it, too, revolves around eccentric characters (including a vegetarian dog!) sharing a block of flats--here, in London's Pimlico district. However, unlike the earlier series, which makes much of its Edinburgh setting, Corduroy Mansions provides so little sense of place that it might as well be set in Cleveland. The story is full of incidental charm and amusing observations about human nature that will delight devoted McCall Smith fans, but the thinness of the plot and excessive number of characters provide for a less-than-ideal audio experience, even with Simon Prebble's excellent narration. Recommended with reservations. ["A nice choice if you're looking for a smart beach book or a story to ponder on a rainy afternoon," read the review of the Pantheon hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 5/14/10.--Ed.]--R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA
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