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My Animals and Other Family

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I have always admired Clare Balding, a sports presenter for British television. I know her from the racing coverage the BBC used to carry, but she has since gone on to do all sorts of events, including the Olympics and Paralympics. I have always admired her a lot. She comes across as an intelligent, knowledgeable and most of all genuine human being. I decided to listen to this book on Audible. It makes sense to me to listen to memoirs narrated by the author and I had a lot of fun with this one. Assieme a Louise, la madre, ci sono Larry e Leslie (i due fratelli) e Margo la sorella, il piccolo Gerry di dieci anni. The journal Biodiversity and Conservation brought out a special volume of the journal in tribute to Gerald Durrell, on the theme of "The Role of Zoos" in 1995, following his death. The National Youth Music Theatre performed the musical theatre The Carnival of the Animals at Fort Regent, Jersey as a tribute to Gerald Durrell in 1984. For a precocious child with a burgeoning interest in natural history, that time in Corfu was an exhilarating immersion in the richness nature had to offer. Gerry also had the benefit of being mentored by Dr. Theodore Stephanides, a Greek doctor, naturalist, poet, and author. Those years, I surmised, laid a firm foundation for Gerry’s pioneer work in zoo biology years later. He founded the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo on the Channel Island of Jersey in 1959.

I remember finding a box of Gerald Durrell stories on the shelf as a twelve year old and reading them in luxury. They captivated me as Durrell told the story of his childhood in Corfu hunting animals. Not only was it full of interesting facts about the animals he caught but also about the people in his life. Told with wit, humour and the pure ability of a natural storyteller this is a sort of autobiography that you can read as a novel full to the brim with short stories. Funny and unexpectedly wise. Balding has lots of good stories to tell. It is impossible not to admire her honesty Mail on Sunday Theodore, an "expert" on most sciences, but more importantly, Gerry's mentor on zoology and botany;It's a lovely palette cleanser between the heavy literary fiction I've been reading, that is certain. It's an escape to not only another country and time, but also from reality. This story, while having a certain truth that comes with memoirs, has been distinctly sanitised. If this is to be believed, this family's biggest troubles are that one of their dogs' hips comes out of place from time to time, or that they've argued over the naming of a homemade boat, or that they had too many guests to comfortably accommodate. Her family is quite batty - her mother in a charming and rather sweet way, her father in an unpleasantly chauvinistic and narcissistic manner, whilst her ever-present grandmother just seems plain horrible. She has a beloved younger brother too, who accompanies her bravely her on many of her outrageous exploits. A taxi driver, devoted friend of the Durrells who speaks unconventional English, adding 's' at random. Wildlife Preservation Canada established the Gerald Durrell Society in 2006 as recognition for individuals who have made legacy gifts. It is the first and most well-known of Durrell's Corfu Trilogy, together with Birds, Beasts, and Relatives (1969) and The Garden of the Gods (1978).

It was fun getting to know the zoo that characterized Durrell’s family: Louisa, his widowed mother and her bemused tolerance of her children’s antics; Larry, aspiring writer and adult brother with his pompous know-it-all attitude, hysterical theatrics, and murderous intent toward Gerry’s collection of strange creatures; Leslie, the gun-loving, hunter brother who built him a boat, and Margo, his sister with her enthusiasm for all things salubrious to health and beauty. The Durrell family would host a party ‘at a moment’s notice, and for no other reason other than we suddenly felt like it.’ Their parties never ever went as expected, but that was part of the charm. It was also lovely to hear of friendships forged with the Corfu peasants who had the gift of hospitality, and the Durrells’ special bond with Spiros, the Greek taxi driver who became a trusted guide and close family friend. The de-rodentification of Rat Island in St. Lucia by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust to create a sanctuary for the Saint Lucia whiptail lizard on the lines of Praslin Island has caused an official change in name for Rat Island. It is in the process of being renamed Durrell Island. My Family and Other Animals is the semi-autobiographical account of prepubescent Gerald's expat life on the Greek island of Corfu with his upper crust, eccentric, English family.

The statue park in Miskolc Zoo, created a bust of Gerald Durrell in 1998. Whipsnade Zoo also unveiled a new island for housing primates dedicated to **Durrell in 1998.[14] The town hall of Corfu announced in 2006 that it would rename Corfu Bosketto (a park in the city of Corfu) Bosketto Durrell, after Gerald and Lawrence Durrell as a mark of respect.[15]

According to Gerald Durrell 'all the anecdotes about the island and the islanders are absolutely true'. Am I the only one who has the impression that the author is winking now? The sad part is that the idyllic image of his family in the book seems to be highly idealised. Clare gallops joyously through her rather eccentric life, basing each chapter on a beloved dog or horse from the period being described.... She graduates from a plump Thelwell-type Shetland pony called Valkyrie, to gymkhana ponies, and finally on to racing the thoroughbreds trained by her father, who's a famous horse trainer. Throughout this journey we are immersed in her deep love of animals,sharing her pleasure in a life rich in dogs, horses and riding. Spiro, the brutally efficient taxi-driver who "adopts" the Durrell family the moment they land on Corfu, who can even steal goldfish from the King's house to satisfy Gerry;The way Gerald Durrell describes them is unbeatable. He casts a spell on you not only when he portrays quite spectacular species but also quite prosaic ones. Without a shadow of a doubt, he was a formidable storyteller and his command of the English language would shame most of our modern-day scribblers. Not only this; his human imagery is up there with the best. Una narrazione talmente romanzesca che, spesso, leggendo si fatica a ricordarsi la vera natura del testo. The most obvious thing you are attracted to are the adventures of the Durrells and their portrayals but there is something not so obvious worth exploring also. I mean the relationships between the members of the family, full of warmth and tolerance. One of the keys to the success is probably the fact that they are communicating almost all the time: 'we seemed unable to extract the full flavour of our letters and magazines unless they were shared.' The siblings are nasty to each other at times but even the most malicious remarks have a cordial lining. Hay tres ingredientes que hacen esta lectura exquisita: naturaleza, sensibilidad y humor. Los animales son personajes principales a los que el narrador les atribuye motivaciones, intenciones y personalidad. Terminas encariñándote con ellos y disfrutando la divertida fabulación que Gerald va mezclando con apuntes científicos y tiernas descripciones. De esa manera, hacen parte del escenario termitas, tortugas, escarabajos, escorpiones, aves, delfines, urracas e innumerables especies que habitan Corfú. Por supuesto, también está Roger, ese can que como actor principal se roba los focos de atención y el lector espera atento su próxima aparición, porque Gerald hace de él todo un personaje.

Gerald Durrell just loved animals; any shape any size, big or small. The criterion was ‘just be an animal’. As winter comes, Leslie begins hunting boar on the mainland. Larry maddeningly insists that hunting is easy, even after Leslie performs an especially difficult maneuver. Leslie invites Larry to come out to show everyone how it's done. Larry not only misses the birds, but falls into the deep mud and can barely get out. Angry, he takes three bottles of brandy to bed, drinks two, and falls asleep. A coal falls out of his fireplace and sets a supporting beam on fire, which sends the family into a tizzy when they discover it. Larry, unconcerned, instructs his family on how to put it out from bed. When spring arrives again, Mother receives a letter from Great-Aunt Hermione asking to visit. Nobody likes Hermione, so Larry insists they need to move to a smaller house so she can't come. Gerald si ritrova a contatto con una natura incontaminata dove può esercitare la sua grande passione, ossia quella di scovare animali di ogni tipo e osservare il loro comportamento. Of course he had to study; tutors came teaching all sorts of interesting things, skipping the prescribed curriculum altogether letting their imagination roam way beyond any school. Durrell had already written several successful books about his trips collecting animals in the wild for zoos when he published My Family and Other Animals in 1956. Its comic exaggeration of the foibles of his family – including his eldest brother Lawrence Durrell, who became a celebrated novelist and poet – and his heartfelt appreciation of the natural world made it very successful. Durrell was able to found the Jersey Zoological Park (now known as the Durrell Wildlife Park) in the Channel Islands. He also became known as a novel-writer and television personality. His books helped stimulate the development of tourism in Corfu. [1] Summary [ edit ]My Family and Other Animals (1956) is an autobiographical book by British naturalist Gerald Durrell. It tells in an exaggerated and sometimes fictionalised way of the years that he lived as a child with his siblings and widowed mother on the Greek island of Corfu between 1935 and 1939. It describes the life of the Durrell family in a humorous manner, and explores the fauna of the island. It is the first and most well-known of Durrell's Corfu trilogy, which also includes Birds, Beasts, and Relatives (1969) and The Garden of the Gods (1978). Pardon me, I never even realized that I might ruffle a few feathers by using it myself! That's beside the point. Think of Gerald’s gift on his birthday, Sally the beautiful donkey her soft ears protruding from a crown of flowers, to help Gerry on his trips around the island, think of the circular boat Larry built for him to collect samples from the deep, blue sea. Now I dont normally go for biogs, preferring fiction; but something about this book made me want to read it. I loved how each chapter was seperated into each different pet or horse Clare knew growing up. It had me laughing and crying in many places. She tells her story so well, which is easy to read and understand. I’m horsey but not that interested in Racing, but I understood what she was on about and could easily visualise the races or mishaps Clare got herself into growing up! She evoked fond memories I have, especially as I was a fearless tom boy growing up too who would get myself in lots of trouble sometimes involving a pony or friend. Larry, the eldest brother (the famous author Lawrence Durrell), who is so puffed up with importance about his literary talents that he cannot avoid behaving like a pompous ass;

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