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My Family and Other Animals
 
 

My Family and Other Animals (Paperback)

by Gerald Durrell (Author) "JULY had been blown out like a candle by a biting wind that ushered in a leaden August sky ..." (more)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.47 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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My Family and Other Animals + A Zoo in My Luggage + The Corfu Trilogy
Price For All Three: £19.58

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  • This item: My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

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  • A Zoo in My Luggage by Gerald Durrell

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  • The Corfu Trilogy by Gerald Durrell

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Product details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin; New Impression edition (4 Nov 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140013997
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140013993
  • Product Dimensions: 18 x 11 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 55,196 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #28 in  Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Europe > Greece
    #94 in  Books > Biography > Science, Mathematics & Technology > Science

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

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



Product Description

This book is soaked in the sunshine of Corfu where the author lived as a boy with his 'Family and other Animals.' It is a matter of personal taste whether one most enjoys the family, with its many eccentric hangers-on, or the animals Gerry studies and brings back to the strawberry pink, the daffodil-yellow, or the snow-white villa. The procession includes toads, and tortoises, bats and butterflies scorpions and geckos, ladybirds, glow-worms, octopuses and rose-beetles, Quasimodo the pigeon, the puppies Widdle and Puke, and of course the magpies.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
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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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

My Family and Other Animals
54% buy the item featured on this page:
My Family and Other Animals 5.0 out of 5 stars (7)
£5.47
My Family and Other Animals
27% buy
My Family and Other Animals 4.5 out of 5 stars (11)
£5.54
The Corfu Trilogy
9% buy
The Corfu Trilogy 4.9 out of 5 stars (9)
£8.99

 

Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Aged five or Fifty this book will enthrall, 19 April 1999
By A Customer
When I was younger I loved this book for the enthusiastic, humourous & accurate descriptions of the numerous little creatures the young Gerald encountered & collected during his time in Corfu. Revisiting this book recently I discovered that it had lost none of it's magic & had even managed to gain some. Opening this book feels like walking out into the hot Corfu sunshine & smelling the Cypresses in the air. Durrell's descriptions are wonderful, of the earwig with her babies, the different coloured houses, and last but not least the Durrell family & friends. Despite reading some of the excellent Laurence Durrell's books I can't help but to think of him as big Brother Larry yelling at Gerald to get rid of the latest creepy crawly brought into the house. All in all a wonderful book thoroughly recomended by myself & everyone I know who have read it.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars dream-esque, 14 Mar 2001
By A Customer
This is such simple yet wonderful book. It really does transport you into a world of dreams, hilarious oddities and unfazed youthfull dreams. Including heart-warming and trully individual characters, through the eyes of an endearing young boy, this creation of loveliness is a must for anyone who still remenices over hazy childhood summers with a rush of happiness.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A book reread over and over, 5 Oct 2003
By A Customer
I first read this book when I was ten years old, and it has never stopped entertaining me. With Spiro's language, and his daring theft of the King of Greece's goldfish, Larry's extreme hilarious selfishness, to the picnic with the 'magenpies' causing havoc, not to mention the French language tutoring, this book is studded with great stories of a budding naturist. It is surely one of my all time favourite Durrell books.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars First class read
My family and other animals is a warm entertaining book that you will not want to put down. Gerald's boyhood memories are like a fairy tale with the Strawberry Pink Villa and the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Fletcher

5.0 out of 5 stars BRILLIANT GERALD DURRELL SHOWS TALENT AND FUN.
Gerald durrell (in my opinion) is the best author in the world, even though he has sadly passed away his novels still live, Hilarious my family and other animals I found very... Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2001 by cardfudge@aol.com

5.0 out of 5 stars Well described and incredibly funny
I've just finished reading this book, and it really is one of those you don't want to end. Join Gerry Durrell as he moves with his family to Corfu and discovers the wildlife there... Read more
Published on 9 Feb 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun book for animal lovers of all ages.
I read this book first as a child, when I read everything in the library slightly related to animals. Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2000

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