Gerald Durrell
Paperback | Pages: 248 pages Rating: 4.33 | 6366 Users | 405 Reviews
Define Regarding Books Birds, Beasts and Relatives (Corfu Trilogy #2)
| Title | : | Birds, Beasts and Relatives (Corfu Trilogy #2) |
| Author | : | Gerald Durrell |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 248 pages |
| Published | : | March 31st 1977 by Penguin Books (first published 1969) |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. Autobiography. Memoir. Biography. Humor. Animals. Environment. Nature |
Rendition Toward Books Birds, Beasts and Relatives (Corfu Trilogy #2)
"Gollys, Mrs Durrells," he said, his face red with wrath. "Why don'ts yous lets Masters Leslies shoot the son of a bitch?"In life, Gerald Durrell would light up a room and his books elicit that same warm feeling.
His affection for the natural world lives on in the minds of those, who for decades, have enjoyed his magical stories.
This is the second part of his Corfiot trilogy, continuing from where My Family and Other Animals left off.
The bohemian Durrells have eschewed middle-class English suburbia for an unconventional life in idyllic Corfu. As in the first book, a procession of oddballs, fruit cakes and misfits turn up at their villa.
Best supporting character award goes to leathery-faced Spiro, whose pidgin English sounds exactly like Stavros, the kebab seller from a 1980s UK comedy sketch show.
"Honest to Gods, Mrs Durells, makes me scarce what that boy finds."
Fans of Durrell already know of his transcendent skill for observational detail.
For example, there's Mrs Haddock, the spiritualist, who is incapable of breathing while speaking, andwhosewordslatchtogether like a daisy chain.
And here he describes the beginning of his memorable meal at the Venetian-style villa of eccentric Countess Mavrodiki:
The first course that Demetrios-Mustapha set before us was a fine, clear soup, sequinned with tiny golden bubbles of fat, with fingernail-sized croutons floating like crisp little rafts on an amber sea.
How overlooked is Durrell as a writer? Seriously, how many writers today can compete with that?
This bacchanalian feast continued until his pants were fit to burst, and was washed down with red wine which was 'as dark as the heart of a dragon'.
Other characters include Captain Creech, the salty sea dog whose incautious, uncivil bonhomie (even in the politest company) revolves around tales of Montevidean strumpets and rampant gonorrhoea.
This trilogy was a standard school read for British kids of my generation and there is absolutely no reason why his books cannot be read by adults.
His writing is evidently better than most of the dross that is out there now.
If you haven't yet familiarised yourself with Gerald Durrell, and are wasting your time reading books that have men on the cover who, for some reason, have misplaced their shirts, then please find the time to do so.
Not only a truly gifted writer, he was also a wonderful, wonderful human being!
Describe Books To Birds, Beasts and Relatives (Corfu Trilogy #2)
| Original Title: | Birds, Beasts and Relatives |
| ISBN: | 0140043853 (ISBN13: 9780140043853) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Corfu Trilogy #2 |
| Setting: | Corfu(Greece) |
Rating Regarding Books Birds, Beasts and Relatives (Corfu Trilogy #2)
Ratings: 4.33 From 6366 Users | 405 ReviewsDiscuss Regarding Books Birds, Beasts and Relatives (Corfu Trilogy #2)
"Gollys, Mrs Durrells," he said, his face red with wrath. "Why don'ts yous lets Masters Leslies shoot the son of a bitch?" In life, Gerald Durrell would light up a room and his books elicit that same warm feeling.His affection for the natural world lives on in the minds of those, who for decades, have enjoyed his magical stories.This is the second part of his Corfiot trilogy, continuing from where My Family and Other Animals left off.The bohemian Durrells have eschewed middle-class EnglishI loved this - book two kept the magic going. Makes me want to move to Corfu in those simpler times. Gerry is ~10 in this novel and spends all his time as a budding naturalist, exploring the island and brining home crazy pets. The funniest parts were some of his animals escapades - such as when he dissected a dead turtle on the porch, or dragged a bear into the house - both had me cracking up.But as with the first book, what is magical about this book are just the descriptions of life in Corfu -
This book contains, for my money, quite possibly the funniest scene in the English language. The characters are the author's family and friends (and they are characters in every sense of the word) along with the various fauna of Corfu and, truthfully, the island itself. Durrell used the proceeds from his writing to found and nurture the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, the first zoo in the world founded specifically for the breeding and conservation of endangered species. Should you ever be
Birds, Beasts and Relatives is the second of three books in Gerald Durrell's Corfu Trilogy. All three books cover the five years that the Durrell family spent on Corfu, an idyll sadly interrupted by World War II. My review of the first book in the series, My Family and Other Animals, pretty much sums up my delight in all three books - although, I must say, the first book was magical. However, I found myself again laughing out loud at so many of the episodes as Gerry's animals and insects take
What a charming, witty and warm book. I have loved 'My Family and Other Animals' now for so long I can hardly remember but oddly enough had never dipped into parts 2 and 3 of the trilogy so evocatively written by Gerald Durrell. His sheer joy and love of life and his hugely eccentric family living in pre-war Corfu with seemingly no cares in the world comes through in waves of deliciously written prose. Its so gorgeous its a bit like treating yourself to a knickerbocker glory when you fancy an
This is the second book in Gerald Durrell's Corfu trilogy. It probably ought to have been combined with the first into one book. It covers the same time period of this hilarious family's life but is not actually "what comes next". It's just more of same. And it is wonderful. I had a grin on my face while reading it and broke into hysterical cackling giggle fits at times. Great fun. I can't wait to read the last one.
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