National Bestseller: The complete trilogy that inspired Masterpiece production The Durrells in Corfu in one volume. The tales of a naturalist and his family, who left England for the Greek island of Corfu—where they interacted with fascinating locals of both human and animal varieties—these memoirs have become beloved bestsellers and inspired the delightful series that aired on PBS television. … aired on PBS television.
Included in this three-book collection are:
My Family and Other Animals: Ten-year-old Gerald Durrell arrives on sun-drenched Corfu with this family and pursues his interest in natural history, making friends with the island’s fauna—from toads and tortoises to scorpions and geckos—while reveling in the joyous chaos of growing up in an unconventional household.
Birds, Beasts and Relatives: Written after a boyhood spent studying zoology, this memoir is part nature guide, part coming-of-age tale, and all charmingly funny memoir.
The Garden of the Gods: In the conclusion of the trilogy, Durrell shares more tales of wild animals and his even wilder family, including his mother, Louisa, and his siblings Lawrence, Leslie, and Margo, in the years before World War II.
“[Durrell’s] books have an unfailing charm. . . . It is a tribute to his skill that one never tires of his accounts” (Chicago Tribune).
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.
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I came to consider many of the characters in this book as friends. The books have many interesting characters, each interesting in their own distinct manner. I’ve finished the series, and find myself missing my friends from these wonderful stories.
Gerald Durrell never fails to entertain, and educate, be it this book on his family or the many books on his wildlife. I’ve seen the PBS shows, and read all his books. Two thumbs up if you like oddball characters and creatures.
Loved still reading will definitely will finish.
The Corfu Trilogy is a memoire by naturalist Gerald Durrell (younger brother of author Lawrence Durrell) about their family’s adventures in Corfu. It is a mix of documentation about the wildlife on Corfu and a hilariously funny description of his beleaguered mother’s attempts to raise four children alone in Greece after they left soggy England in search of warmer climes. The trilogy is over 600 pages long and I admit to only finishing two of the three books, but it’s a testimony to Durrell’s charming style that I waded through the mating practices of snails (not my usual fare) to the end of book two and plan to finish.
This is a departure from my usual recommendations because it is not a romance! Gerald Durrell was a naturalist and he wrote at least twenty books, including the Corfu Trilogy — composed of My Family and Other Animals; Birds, Beasts, and Relatives; and The Garden of the Gods. These books describe young Gerald’s life on the Greek island of Corfu back before World War II. The descriptive prose is incredible and the book is absolutely hilarious in spots.
Enjoyed this more than the TV series.
Well written. Full of flora and fauna references.
I really enjoyed reading the complete trilogy, one right after another. No waiting for the next book. They were tied together very well, but if one was to read just one book out of the trilogy it would be completely satisfying.
After rereading James Herriot’s “All Creatures” series I was was looking for some more light entertainment to take my mind off the state of the world. I found it in this series. Sometimes there are characters in a book you can’t warm up to. I enjoyed all of this quirky family and their adventures.
The best I’ve read in a long time. Alive, detailed descriptions and laugh-out-loud story-telling page after page. I hated for it to end. Must read more by this author.
Loved it!
An older book well worth reading. I laughed out loud more than once.
This memoir is a refreshing read. Durrell uses amazing imagery as he invites his reader into his family’s exploits on the island of Corfu off the Grecian coast during the early 1900’s.
A widow, her three sons and a daughter moved from England to Corfu. While you could possibly say that the main character of these novels is the youngest son who loves everything nature there offers, creating a little zoo, each child and the mother are very interesting characters as well as the inhabitants of the island. Eventually that youngest son establishes a zoo in England where he introduces new ideas in giving the animals an appropriate habitat so animals are no longer just displayed in cages.
A delightful romp with a madcap family that actually does things that most of us only fantasize! Especially good when combined with the TV series, The Durrells.
An excellent biographical look at a unique family on the Greek island of Corfu. I enjoy all three books in this trilogy.
Loved this book of a family who lived in Corfu near WWII. there adventures with the native people and the animal denizens was entertaining, informative and often hilarious. If you loved James Herriot, this is right up your alley!
Enjoyable reading type of book you would take to the beach
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If you are familiar with the PBS series based on the novels by British naturalist Gerald Durrell, you’ll understand immediately the lure of these easy-to-read observations on the interactions between the world of humans and animals and insects and other forms of life. But if the TV series has you craving for an introduction into how this all came about, you’ll definitely want to dig into these highly entertaining looks into the past … and into the future.
Too self-conscious for my taste. It reads like he was planning a movie, with a little too much sniggering and giggling.