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jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
2.0
When Gerald "Gerry" Durrell was about 10 years old in 1935, his mom gave in to pressure from Larry, Gerry's older brother, to move the whole family to the Greek island of Corfu. They couldn't endure another English winter and Corfu sounded like an absolute paradise to them. Gerry already displayed the makings of a young naturalist at that age. He shares his zoological observations along with tales of his eccentric family in this memoir.
I'm currently watching All Creatures Great and Small, which leaves me longing for another gentle, funny book about people and animals. I don't particularly feel like re-reading that series at the moment though, so I thought My Family and Other Animals might fill the need.
I'm sorry to say that this didn't quite work for me. I'm disappointed since so many other readers love it.
The tales of the family misadventures were hilarious. Larry, the budding author, is a know-it-all who can steer his mom in any direction he chooses. Leslie, the avid huntsman, shoots his guns and scares the wits out of everyone at all hours. The lovely Margo's has numerous suitors. His poor mother feebly tries to maintain some semblance of family propriety. And then there are the dogs. They all made for comedy gold.
But I have unanswered questions. Larry, the oldest son, is 23. Why is he still living at home and bossing everyone, including his mother, around? Where is their dad? Where do they get their money? At 10, I suppose Gerry might not have known the answers to all of these questions, but he could have addressed them for his readers as he wrote his memoir.
The whole thing felt vaguely... colonial? The locals call him "the little English lord." And I hate to say it, but I felt that Gerry's descriptions of the locals were condescending. He did speak of them all as his friends and he mentioned how generous they were but they were almost all called "peasants." Spiro, a sort of family protector, comes across pretty well, but even he's always a cause for laughter because of his tendency to add an "s" to the end of every word he speaks. Theodore, an actual scientist who came back to the island after getting his degree, is the only local with true intelligence. And Theodore revels in sharing stories of island goings-on that, while funny, make the islanders look like idiots. It just didn't sit well with me.
Gerry's pilfering of nests for pets and specimens honestly bothered me too. Young, amoral, curious boys are going to do this kind of thing. But shouldn't he get in trouble so that he doesn't keep caging or killing every animal he comes across?
Durrell's descriptions of the island and the behavior of the animals that he observes are fascinating. I'm ready to book a flight to Corfu and see it for myself. But I'm not going to visit by reading the rest of the books in the trilogy.
I don't see other reviewers with my same complaints, so the problem must be me. I know I shouldn't judge actions in the past with 21st century values, which is what I'm doing, but I couldn't step back from it in this case. I don't feel the book has aged well but I'm very much in the minority. Read some other reviews on GoodReads to get a better feel for what the majority of readers think.
I'm currently watching All Creatures Great and Small, which leaves me longing for another gentle, funny book about people and animals. I don't particularly feel like re-reading that series at the moment though, so I thought My Family and Other Animals might fill the need.
I'm sorry to say that this didn't quite work for me. I'm disappointed since so many other readers love it.
The tales of the family misadventures were hilarious. Larry, the budding author, is a know-it-all who can steer his mom in any direction he chooses. Leslie, the avid huntsman, shoots his guns and scares the wits out of everyone at all hours. The lovely Margo's has numerous suitors. His poor mother feebly tries to maintain some semblance of family propriety. And then there are the dogs. They all made for comedy gold.
But I have unanswered questions. Larry, the oldest son, is 23. Why is he still living at home and bossing everyone, including his mother, around? Where is their dad? Where do they get their money? At 10, I suppose Gerry might not have known the answers to all of these questions, but he could have addressed them for his readers as he wrote his memoir.
The whole thing felt vaguely... colonial? The locals call him "the little English lord." And I hate to say it, but I felt that Gerry's descriptions of the locals were condescending. He did speak of them all as his friends and he mentioned how generous they were but they were almost all called "peasants." Spiro, a sort of family protector, comes across pretty well, but even he's always a cause for laughter because of his tendency to add an "s" to the end of every word he speaks. Theodore, an actual scientist who came back to the island after getting his degree, is the only local with true intelligence. And Theodore revels in sharing stories of island goings-on that, while funny, make the islanders look like idiots. It just didn't sit well with me.
Gerry's pilfering of nests for pets and specimens honestly bothered me too. Young, amoral, curious boys are going to do this kind of thing. But shouldn't he get in trouble so that he doesn't keep caging or killing every animal he comes across?
Durrell's descriptions of the island and the behavior of the animals that he observes are fascinating. I'm ready to book a flight to Corfu and see it for myself. But I'm not going to visit by reading the rest of the books in the trilogy.
I don't see other reviewers with my same complaints, so the problem must be me. I know I shouldn't judge actions in the past with 21st century values, which is what I'm doing, but I couldn't step back from it in this case. I don't feel the book has aged well but I'm very much in the minority. Read some other reviews on GoodReads to get a better feel for what the majority of readers think.
bananya19's review
5.0
I read this book when I was probably 14, traveling with my parents on a slow train in India returning after the summer from my hometown to the city. I haven't read any book since which has given me the same deep feeling of comfort and warmth. Reading this book, amidst the hustle-bustle of a moving train and railway stations with hawkers selling boiled eggs and chai is one of my fondest memories. I read it all in one sitting, and although the book doesn't have much of a plot, the way Gerald Durrell described the animals and the people around him made me feel like I was there - basking in the sunlight, staring at insects for long hours, meeting strangers on dusty roads.
I would definitely recommend the book to anyone in for a lazy afternoon on the weekends, ideally somewhere on holiday.
I would definitely recommend the book to anyone in for a lazy afternoon on the weekends, ideally somewhere on holiday.
shananananah's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.0
“Each day had a tranquility a timelessness about it so that you wished it would never end. But then the dark skin of the night would peel off and there would be a fresh day waiting for us glossy and colorful as a child's transfer and with the same tinge of unreality.”
A cute little book. I definitely want to visit Corfu after reading this one. It was pretty funny at times. I loved how he described the family and their conversations. Other than that though, not much happens and I got pretty bored with it.
3 / 5 stars ⭐️
A cute little book. I definitely want to visit Corfu after reading this one. It was pretty funny at times. I loved how he described the family and their conversations. Other than that though, not much happens and I got pretty bored with it.
3 / 5 stars ⭐️
mzoli's review against another edition
4.0
کتابی سرشار از منظرههای طبیعی، دریا، حشرات و دیگر حیوانات، به همراه ماجراهای یک خانواده پر جمعیت.
دورل عاشق جانوران است و آنها را خیلی جالب بررسی و رفتارهایشان را تفسیر میکند، مجموعهای از انواع مختلف آنها را هم دور خودش جمع کرده. در کنار دورل و جانور شناسیش که محور اصلی داستان هست، هر کدام از افراد خانواده هم شخصیت خاص و ماجراهای خنده دار و جالبی دارند.
من خودم هم کلاً از حیوانات خوشم میآید(البته نه در حد دورل که مار سمی بگیرم)، حین خواندن کتاب مرتب به خودم میگفتم بالاخره باید یک حیوان خانگی بگیرم.
در کل خیلی لذت بردم، چند وقت بود که کتابی با این سبک و به این مُفَرَّحی نخوانده بودم.
دورل عاشق جانوران است و آنها را خیلی جالب بررسی و رفتارهایشان را تفسیر میکند، مجموعهای از انواع مختلف آنها را هم دور خودش جمع کرده. در کنار دورل و جانور شناسیش که محور اصلی داستان هست، هر کدام از افراد خانواده هم شخصیت خاص و ماجراهای خنده دار و جالبی دارند.
من خودم هم کلاً از حیوانات خوشم میآید(البته نه در حد دورل که مار سمی بگیرم)، حین خواندن کتاب مرتب به خودم میگفتم بالاخره باید یک حیوان خانگی بگیرم.
در کل خیلی لذت بردم، چند وقت بود که کتابی با این سبک و به این مُفَرَّحی نخوانده بودم.
esshgee's review against another edition
4.0
4 1/2 wonderful, sun-drenched stars. This book has been on my list for such a long time, and I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it. I enjoyed the descriptive detail and absolutely loved the sense of humour peppered throughout the stories. What a completely nutty family. Just fabulous!
bridgetwf's review
5.0
Don't know why this took so long to finish, but it was lovely! Fun and funny--delightful, ridiculous family.