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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Hilarious tales about the Durrell family. My third read, love it for the eccentric characters and the descriptions of Corfu.
Just fun.
While I loved the way the book was written it disturbed me to read the parts where the child was studying animals. While it was true to the time and probably wouldn’t bother most people, I was unable to finish the book. Otherwise I would have given this a 4 or 5 star rating.
This was fun after watching the series. The author has a wonderful way of describing their unique family and their adventures.
well written autobiography of an extraordinary family.
Excellent, funny read. Highly recommended.
Delightful tale of an animal lover’s journey to founding his own zoo. Unforgettable characters and comic scenes straight from Dickens! A smash hit!
I love to read before I go to bed, but I’ve learned the hard way that it’s best to stay away from mystery and/or suspense — too stimulating! This book is absolutely PERFECT for reading then – always interesting and fun, with lots of great local color. Very well written and informative, always enjoyable, sometimes laugh out loud. Great book!
Wonderful tale of a family’s adventures on the island of Corfu!
Some of the funniest books I have ever read. Laugh out loud books.
I loved Birds, Beasts, and Relatives. Have the audio recording read by Nigel Davenport. Every time I’m looking for a good laugh or a distraction. I listen to this again. Probably heard it 5 times already and read it twice.
Fascinating view of an interesting family.
Great book
Gerald Durell has one of the most beautifl writing voices I’v ever read.
So much so it’s hard to find something to read after reading one of his books.
The first book in this trilogy, ‘My Family and Other Animals ‘ is one of the funniest books that I have ever read. The other two are funny too.
Some of incidents made me laugh out loud, enough to wake the dog who sleeps with me!
PBS Masterpiece has done a re-boot of an earlier piece based on the book. Like most things, the book is better. Durrell’s writing brings a reader to time and place. One of my favorite parts involves a night swim with phosphorescence readily visible, then a pod of porpoises swimming into the bay and creating a light show with their acrobatics. Absolutely magical. Like much of Durrell’s writing, he conveys the stories in his books with a great deal of humor. He makes the reader feel as if sitting in Corfu, reading.
Loved Gerald’s observations on his world in Corfu. And the family stories are even more entertaining than the PBS series. A delight.
A glance at the world in the time between the World Wars.
Loved these books! Wish I had been part of that family.