Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith

McCall Smith must be a rabid observer of the human condition. Once again he has written a book based on the day-to-day activities of a group of very different people, illustrating as he does so well that life is far from ordinary. This time his characters live in a London apartment building nicknamed Corduroy Mansions. Residents include a wine merchant with a son who refuses to fly the nest and a lady friend who wants to be more than a lady friend; three single women who share a flat – one of whom is the assistant to a Member of Parliament with the unlikely name of Oedipus Snark; and a vegetarian terrier by the name of Freddie de la Lay. This rambling tale consists of the happenings in the lives of these and other tenants. There is no a real plot, just vignettes about the lives of residents and their acquaintances. Some stories connect the neighbors, others stand alone, but all come to relatively satisfactory conclusions before the book ends. I listened to this book during my daily commute and found it increasingly interesting but far from riveting. It will appeal to readers who enjoy delving into human behavior and the “characters” that populate our lives.