- I wanted a good, traveling, airplane read.
- Alexander McCall Smith always puts me in a good mood.
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- Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
Summary from GoodReads:
Corduroy Mansions is an unassuming large house in London’s Pimlico, inhabited by an assortment of characters and one dog. The date of the building is indeterminate, but there are Arts and Craft features that point to the very late nineteenth century. It is believed to have been built as an asylum, or possibly a school, or a mansion block. In fact, nothing is known about the building’s history, although it does feature in a guide to the architecture of Pimlico.
It is described there as “a building of no interest whatsoever”. The nickname Corduroy Mansions was given in jest by a fashionable person, and stuck.
My Review:
There is just something special in the way that Alexander McCall Smith writes. I knew when I picked up Corduroy Mansions that I’d be in for a treat, and I wasn’t let down.
Here’s what I love most about Alexander McCall Smith’s writing: his character development. There is not a single book of his that hasn’t had me waxing on and on about at least one of his characters, and Corduroy Mansions is not exempt from this. I don’t know who I loved more, William (and Freddie de la Hay – the vegetarian dog), Oedipus Snark (such a fun, bad character) or Barbara and her adorable, naive brother, Theodore.
This was the perfect airplane read. It had me giggling softly to myself, thoroughly engrossed in the unfolding drama all centered around a quiet, unassuming building. A fantastic read and one I highly recommend.
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