Corduroy Mansions cover art

Corduroy Mansions

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Corduroy Mansions

By: Alexander McCall Smith
Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

 From the author of the global best-seller The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency comes a brand new serial novel set in the heart of London.

Corduroy Mansions is the affectionate nickname given to a genteelly crumbling mansion block in London's vibrant Pimlico. This is the home patch of - among others - a lovelorn literary agent, possibly the first ever nasty Liberal Democrat MP and Freddie de la Hay, an urbane terrier trained to be vegetarian and respectful of feline rights.

Loafers, wine merchants, vitamin evangelists, and the occasional psychoanalyst pass each other on the stairs of this delightful metropolitan des res. With his trademark wit, charm and lightness of touch, Alexander McCall Smith introduces a colourful cast of characters, full of the life, laughter and humanity so beloved in his writing.

©2008 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2009 Hachette Digital Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Funny Witty Vegetarian

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency cover art
44 Scotland Street: The Complete Series 1-5 cover art
Live Free or Tri cover art
14 cover art
The Cycle of Arawn cover art
Agent to the Stars cover art
The Crown Tower cover art
One for the Money: International Edition cover art
The Presidents Club cover art
Into the Wilderness cover art
The Witness cover art
All stars
Most relevant  

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.

Edinburgh is better

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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.

Like chocolate for the ears.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very gentle story, little bits of silliness which make it relatable. A relaxing listen, ideal for bedtime :-)

Gentle

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Relatable, colourful characters I enjoyed getting to know. The book cleverly interweaves their lives in a fun engaging adventure. More please!

This should be made into mini series!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What a lovely listen - gentle, entertaining but insightful. And another wonderful dog with his patient, trusting, long-suffering human relationships.

A Lovely Listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is really disappointing. Boring story, the narration doesn't improve the experience. Most unexpected after the other books by this author.
In addition the sound in jumpy and scratchy.

What a let down after the Scotland Street series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Humorous, whimsical, warm and entertaining. Good characterisation , grew fond of Characters. Addictive listening thanks to Sachs. Gentle but thought provoking.

Sach’s is melodic.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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.

But what happened to ...?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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.

Wonderfully whimsical

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I found this a little dull. I kept waiting for something big to happen but eventually realised that it wasn't going to. Maybe that just makes me shallow?

It's well written with some very good descriptive passages and some perceptive observations of human nature but if you're looking for "gripping" or "enthralling" then look elsewhere.

For me, the true measure of a good Audiobook is how slowly I drive to work and back home. This one did nothing for my contribution towards road safety.

Disappointed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews