| Author: |
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Alexander McCall Smith
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| Title: |
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A Conspiracy of Friends |
| Moochable copies: |
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No copies available |
| Amazon suggests: |
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| Recommended: |
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| Topics: |
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| Published in: |
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English |
| Binding: |
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Paperback |
| Pages: |
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304 |
| Date: |
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2012-04-12 |
| ISBN: |
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0349123853 |
| Publisher: |
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Abacus |
| Weight: |
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0.44 pounds |
| Size: |
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0.83 x 5.04 x 7.68 inches |
Amazon prices: |
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| Previous givers: |
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2 Jan H (United Kingdom), Mike Silver (United Kingdom) |
| Previous moochers: |
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2 Pollie (United Kingdom), donna (United Kingdom) |
| Wishlists: |
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| Reviews: |
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Marianne (Australia) (2012/09/25):
A Conspiracy of Friends is the third novel in the Corduroy Mansions series by Alexander McCall Smith. In this instalment: psychotherapist Berthea Snark considers the possibility that she is not really the mother of the least-liked Lib Dem MP, Oedipus Snark; wine merchant William French ponders the purpose of his life; William’s unqualified and unemployed son, Eddie, engages a designer to turn his fiancée, Merle’s house on St Lucia into a hotel; literary agent, Barbara Ragg retracts a promise to her business partner, Rupert Porter, to sell him her flat, and takes a step to expose the corrupt behaviour of her ex-lover, Oedipus; fine arts graduate Caroline Jarvis meets a childhood acquaintance, is caught in a lie, loses a friend and lands in hospital; Berthea’s brother, Terence Moongrove becomes a racing-car driver; Barbara’s fiancé Hugh makes a confession about his past; Rupert Porter plays dirty; Oedipus’s visit to the Big Hadron Collider has unexpected consequences; Maggie, the wife of William’s oldest friend, makes an unexpected declaration that leaves him feeling most uncomfortable; ex-customs sniffer dog Freddie de la Hay becomes a photographic model and disappears during a weekend visit to the country; someone does something shocking with a magnet; accountant Basil Wickramsinghe plays detective; and Marcia Light helps William out of a sticky situation. McCall-Smith dispenses gentle philosophy through ordinary people in their everyday lives, commenting on such things as: the possibility of friendship between men and women; what sort of promises are not expected to be kept; unexpected declarations of love; taking the advice of others; unfinished business; willed amnesia; human rights and belief in justice; plastic surgery; and the calming qualities of drinking tea. Terence Moongrove’s follies are an ongoing source of humour. My favourite quotes are: “A moral dilemma is equally absorbing whether the stakes are the destiny of nations or the happiness of one or two people…” and “…sharks and other agents of Nemesis pay no attention to the claims of moral desert. A selfless campaigner for social justice tastes much the same to a shark as a ruthless exploiter of others…” I am never disappointed by Alexander McCall Smith’s writing and would have read this book if for no other reason than to find out in what context William considers Hello! magazine a work of theology. Delightful, as always.
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| URL: |
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http://bookmooch.com/0349123853 |
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