Sometimes it's pretty hard to tell them apart... my family and the animals, that is. I don't know why my brothers and sisters complain so much. With snakes in the bath and scorpions on the lunch table, our house, on the island of Corfu, is a bit like a circus. So they should feel right at home...
My Family and Other Animals
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As a self-described "champion of small uglies," Gerald Durrell (1925-1995) devoted his life to writing and the preservation of wildlife, from the Mauritius pink pigeon to the Rodriques fruit bat. My Family and Other Animals was intended to embrace the natural history of the Greek island of Corfu, but ended up as a delightful account of his family's experiences that were, according to him, "rather like living in one of the more flamboyant and slapstick comic operas".
As a 10-year-old boy, Gerry left England for Corfu with "all those items that I thought necessary to relieve the tedium of a long journey: four books on natural history, a butterfly net, a dog, and a jam-jar full of caterpillars all in imminent danger of turning into chrysalids". Durrell's descriptions of his family and its many eccentric hangers-on (he stresses that "all the anecdotes about the island and the islanders are absolutely true") are highly entertaining, as is the procession of toads, scorpions, geckos, ladybugs, glowworms, octopuses, the puppies Widdle and Puke, and the Magenpies. This is a lovely book. --Christine Buttery --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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* Hugh Bonneville gives a lovely reading...Delicious! Daily Express * Hugh Bonneville...relishes his succession of roles. The Times
--This text refers to the
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July had been blown out like a candle by a biting wind that ushered in a leaden August sky. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
July had been blown out like a candle by a biting wind that ushered in a leaden August sky. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
What can I say about this wonderful book that can possibly do it justice? I first read it 30 years ago, and I am convinced that it was on the strength of this book that I passed my English Literature G.C.E!! It is an incredible book. It is full of funny, warm characters, and of course, the amazing animals! It must have been like heaven to be a small boy on the island of Corfu. It was this book which made me determined to visit Corfu one day, and when I did, I wasn't disappointed. It evoked for me wonderful images of a country I had never visited, and made me long to see it. The Durrell family are a delight, and the way that Gerald tells the story makes you feel as though you are actually there! I loved it, and still do.My children have read it
and they also love it. It is I think an enduring book, one which will continue to delight readers for many years to come.
and they also love it. It is I think an enduring book, one which will continue to delight readers for many years to come.
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The first Gerald Durrell book I ever read,my mum recommended to me, I thought it would be very boring and in reply said no, but for my birthday she got me his fist 2 books written, I decided i should read it and, as I started to read it I couldnt put it down, set in the sunny country of Corfu, it was very funny, exciting and showed a real inside to that happy go lucky boy Gerald Durrell, full of laughs which he, his 2 brothers, his mother, his sister and of course his dog called Roger.
EVERYONE WILL LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is absolutely, brilliantly funny. The wit and unique characterizations are woven with great descriptions of the animals and plants of Corfu. That Durrell can hold the attention of readers who have no interest in biology simply demonstrates what a fine work this is. Gerald's depiction of a larger-than-life expatriate family on a larger-than-life Greek island is a tremendous celebration of life. The variety of different Greek characters parading through this book rivals the variety of Corfu's flora and fauna. Absolute great read!
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely read.
Lovely, funny and most enjoyable read I've had for a while. Took me back to my childhood, very nostalgic. I would recommend this book to others.
Published 1 day ago by moley
5.0 out of 5 stars
my family and other animals
loved this book in my youth and enjoyed reading it again. Gerald Durrells gentle humour and clear love of animal life is refreshing after all these years
Published 12 days ago by l m slough
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laugh out loud!
If you want a book that will make you laugh out loud then this is a must read. I read this round a pool on holiday and I cried with laughter.
Published 12 days ago by Zoe
5.0 out of 5 stars
really enjoyable
because i've been to Corfu several times and absolutely loved it, i really enjoyed these stories. he is a great writer and i could imagine myself back there again. Read more
Published 12 days ago by dragon53
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nostalgia
Three books stand out from my school days, decades ago - this is one of them. Bought all three for my 12 year old daughter, in the expectation that a girl brought up on a diet of... Read more
Published 13 days ago by Penny Doctor
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
I really enjoyed this it is about Gerald moving to curfu and finding various animals and meeting lots of people.this book was hilarious.
Published 1 month ago by Slick
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quite charming
A nice escape although winced sometimes when he took birds from their mothers nest and caged them etc. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Katherine Ellis
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant
Loved it first time I read it, Loved watching the tv version and enjoyed reading it again.
Definitely will be buying the other books, a genuis
Definitely will be buying the other books, a genuis
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Sa Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Enchanted Isle
This book is an undoubted classic of that most difficult to conquer territory in publishing: the crossover between adult and children's literature; but what is it which makes it so... Read more
Published 2 months ago by JB
5.0 out of 5 stars
A delightful book about the boyhood of the man who changed the faces...
Absolutely hilarious - a good laugh from cover to cover. Written by the one man who has done more for animals and their preservation than any other.
Published 2 months ago by Una Clifford
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