Gerald Durrell

Advantages: a timeless classic
Disadvantages: he's done better work

...This may be Durrell's most famous work but in many ways, it's not his best. Personally I find his tales of encounters in exotic jungles, facing both exotic peoples and animals, to be far more entertaining. MFAOA is indeed a good read, it's full of whimsy and amusement, and tales of a life in a by-gone era that has an indescribable magic. But Catch Me A Colobus; A Zoo In My Luggage; Three Singles to Adventure - they are, in my opinion, far better works. Durrell's style is criticised as being overly anthromorphic and somewhat dated - both of these may be true. But this is still a range of books that can truly make me both laugh and cry. That must be some achievement by any standards... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Makes you laugh out loud
Disadvantages: None

...'It was Larry, of course, who started it'.... '"Why do we stand this bloody climate?" he asked suddenly, making a gesture towards the rain destorted window. "Look at it! And if it comes to that look at us...Margo swollen up like a plate of scarlet porridge...Leslie wandering round with fourteen fathoms o cotton wool in each ear...Gerry sounds as though he's had a cleft palette from birth...And look at you: you're looking more decrepit and hag-ridden every day."' 'So we sold the house and fled from the gloom of the English summer, like a flock of migrating swallows.' That was how the Durrell family ended up in Corfu. Gerald Durrell live in Corfu from 1935-1939 (between the ages of 10 and 14). My Family and Other Animals tells the tale of his family life between these times. And it is no ordinary family life, it's a tad chaotic... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Funny and well written
Disadvantages: Too much of a good thing

...whippet. Turning an animal into a character is not an easy trick to pull off - there's a danger of overly sentimental anthropomorphism. Writers whose business is animals, such as Gerald Durrell or James Herriot, succeeded by detailed and amusing descriptive language born of years of knowledge. Jim is simply another of the strange, slightly depressive characters that people the book, who happens to have four legs and a body "so thin you can see through it". Although he is a pet there is no sentimentalism (asked by a passer-by if he is a good boat dog, Terry replies "No, rubbish.") When Terry is unwell and Jim cries too much, Terry threatens "Shut up, or you're in a sack and over the side." Jim cried some more; Jim cries a lot. Jim also speaks, in the sense that he is given direct speech, although not too often to be tiresome. In the end... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: a timeless classic
Disadvantages: he's done better work

...This may be Durrell's most famous work but in many ways, it's not his best. Personally I find his tales of encounters in exotic jungles, facing both exotic peoples and animals, to be far more entertaining. MFAOA is indeed a good read, it's full of whimsy and amusement, and tales of a life in a by-gone era that has an indescribable magic. But Catch Me A Colobus; A Zoo In My Luggage; Three Singles to Adventure - they are, in my opinion, far better works. Durrell's style is criticised as being overly anthromorphic and somewhat dated - both of these may be true. But this is still a range of books that can truly make me both laugh and cry. That must be some achievement by any standards... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Makes you laugh out loud
Disadvantages: None

...'It was Larry, of course, who started it'.... '"Why do we stand this bloody climate?" he asked suddenly, making a gesture towards the rain destorted window. "Look at it! And if it comes to that look at us...Margo swollen up like a plate of scarlet porridge...Leslie wandering round with fourteen fathoms o cotton wool in each ear...Gerry sounds as though he's had a cleft palette from birth...And look at you: you're looking more decrepit and hag-ridden every day."' 'So we sold the house and fled from the gloom of the English summer, like a flock of migrating swallows.' That was how the Durrell family ended up in Corfu. Gerald Durrell live in Corfu from 1935-1939 (between the ages of 10 and 14). My Family and Other Animals tells the tale of his family life between these times. And it is no ordinary family life, it's a tad chaotic... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...Durrell tells his story through the eyes of four different characters within it: Justine; Balthazar; Mountolive and Clea. Each section covers the same events and the whole unravels bit by bit as one's perspective changes. I first read it when I was in my late teens and was gripped by it then. I revisited it recently - 35 years on - and found myself caught up again in the heat of Alexandria and the depth of the passions and events described. Although it isn't a who-dunnit, it is the type of book which one doesn't want to put down and there is a strong compulsion to read on and to see what is happening to the people one has become so involved with. And to finish it is a sad parting.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful