Paperback, 273 pages
English language
Published Jan. 17, 2004 by Penguin Books.
My Family and Other Animals is an autobiographical work by naturalist Gerald Durrell, telling of the part of his childhood he spent on the Greek island of Corfu between 1935 and 1939.
An English family decamps to the Greek island of Corfu, and manages to make the place madder than it was already. Hilarious vignettes of the family's exploits interspersed with stunning descriptions of the author's observations of the natural world. The encounter between the gecko and the mantis is unparalleled.
My favourite book, I think I first read it when I was about 12, and I've possibly re-read it every year since then. Number one son was looking for a subject for a school project and we suggested Gerald Durrell and offered him this as well as a couple of other books... I think he skimmed it and went to wikipedia, but it meant I had the book out and read it again, and loved it as always
Wonderful stuff. Every chapter brings a new hilarious madness; the rampaging and conniving Magenpies, the shrieking Dodo with the wonky leg, swarms of scorpions, and many more trials for his long suffering family. Beautiful writing as well.
Cannot remember how I got on this subject, but said something to my mother about the genre of 'comedy British Imperialism travelogue' and it turned out we were both talking about this book. Shall have to re-read to see if any part of my memory of it is accurate, as I think I last read it at twelve.
