Gerald Durrell
Paperback | Pages: 248 pages Rating: 4.33 | 6366 Users | 405 Reviews
Present Books Concering 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) |
Description Supposing 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!Details About Books Birds, Beasts and Relatives (Corfu Trilogy #2)
| Title | : | Birds, Beasts and Relatives (Corfu Trilogy #2) |
| Author | : | Gerald Durrell |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 248 pages |
| Published | : | March 31st 1977 by Penguin Books (first published 1969) |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. Autobiography. Memoir. Biography. Humor. Animals. Environment. Nature |
Rating About Books Birds, Beasts and Relatives (Corfu Trilogy #2)
Ratings: 4.33 From 6366 Users | 405 ReviewsCriticism About Books Birds, Beasts and Relatives (Corfu Trilogy #2)
This was very similar to the 1st one (which I very much enjoyed)... with new stories and shenanigans involving Gerald Durrell's family, friends, and relatives. Just like the first one, I enjoyed most of the nature/ animal writing and observations. However, some of it I didn't really care about. Anything involving his family is absolutely hilarious. His brother Larry and his Mother are the best! I could read a 500 page book of just their conversations! I will be reading the last book in theThis 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.
I love Durrell. Can I please move to Corfu?
This second book of Gerald Durrell's Corfu trilogy isn't quite as good as the first one ("My Family and Other Animals"). However, if you like his style of writing this is worth reading. It has plenty of natural history, funny anecdotes and quirky personalities, making it a pleasant and quick read.
I did no realize until I finished the first chapter of Birds, Beasts and Relatives that events in the trilogy are not organized chronically where what happened in book one came before what in book two, but book two is supplementary to book one and both books happened at about the same time. Nevertheless, Birds, Beasts and Relatives is as funny as My Family and Other Animals. The family clearly loved each other, despite their constant arguments and bashing. "Mother" in book two became much alive
"My childhood in Corfu shaped my life. If I had the craft of Merlin, I would give every child the gift of my childhood." Gerald DurrellCorfu, Greece, as seen through the eyes of Gerry Durrell, had me digging around for my passport. What a breathtaking world when viewed through his eyes. The animals and other creepy crawlies were enough to keep me reading, but when he delved into the riotously rich characters, I was captivated."The island lies off the Albanian and Greek coast-lines like a long,
'I dont think its a good idea for you to write this book, Gerry.I second that, said Larry. If you publish well sue you in a body.Faced with such a firm and united family, bristling in their resolve to prevent me at all costs, there was only one thing I could do. I sat down and wrote this book.If you've ever read "My Family and other Animals" then you can also delight in more humour from Corfu in the second of the series. The setting...Our reasons for packing up and leaving the gloomy shores of
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