Product Description

Soaked in the sunshine of Corfu, where the author lived as a boy, this delightful book tells of Gerald Durrell's early life with his 'family and other animals'. Brought vividly to life are the extraordinary members of the Durrell family and theirmany eccentric hangers-on, as well as the bizarre menagerie Gerry adopts for closer study. The procession of creatures he brings back to the strawberry-pink, the daffodil-yellow or the snow-white villa 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 Magenpies.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28350 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

About the Author
Gerald Durrell was born in 1925 in India. His family eventually settled on the island of Corfu, where his interest in wildlife, a cause to which he would dedicate his life, first grew. He travelled extensively on zoological expeditions, and made over seventy television programmes on wildlife subjects. In 1982 he was awarded the OBE. Encouraged to write by his brother Lawrence, his first book, The Overloaded Ark (1953) became a bestseller, and he went on to write 36 other titles. He died in 1995.

Customer Reviews

A magical,educational,and funny adventure for all.
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.

Absolutely charming and very easy to read
I read My Family And Other Animals whilst on holiday in Corfu and I couldn't have picked a better book to take with me. The story features a somewhat eccentric English family who move to Corfu because they're fed up with living in England. It tells of their experiences mainly from the eyes of the youngest family member, Gerry (Gerald Durrell).
I found this book absolutely charming and very easy to read. The siblings are unforgettable; bossy Larry with his love of literature, Leslie and his guns, Margo with her acne and of course Gerry with his animal collection.
There's a strong sense of freedom in the Durrell's new home and this makes for amusing reading throughout, especially when coupled with Mother's English reserve.

A charming story - Genuinely funny
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The stories within each chapter are filled with animals, the wonderful eccentricities of Durrel's family and the other residents of Corfu. The island and the authors childhood sound wonderful and I would recommend this book to anyone seeking something light-hearted, interesting and amusing.