Book Review - Birds, Beasts and Relatives by Gerald Durrell

Synopsis:  Part coming-of-age autobiography and part nature guide, Gerald Durrell’'s dazzling sequel to My Family and Other Animals is based on his boyhood on Corfu, from 1933 to 1939. Originally published in 1969 but long out of print, Birds, Beasts, and Relatives is filled with charming observations, amusing anecdotes, boyhood memories, and childlike wonder.

First Line:  "It had been a hard winter, and even when spring was supposed to have taken over, the crocuses - who seemed to have a touching and unshaken faith in the seasons - were having to push their grimly through a thin crust of snow."

Random Quote:  "The only other time I saw snails indulging in this curious love play was when I succeeded in obtaining a pair of the giant Roman or Apple Snails which lived on the stony outcrops of the Mountain of the Ten Saints, and the only reason I was able to get up there and capture these snails was because, on my birthday, Mother had purchased for me my heart's desire - a sturdy, baby donkey."

  Corfu - Image via Wikipedia

Review:  This is the second in a trilogy of books about his childhood on Corfu that Gerald Durrell wrote in part to subsidize his collecting habit (and when I say collecting I mean collecting of animals).  Durrell, the brother of Lawrence Durrell, was an author, naturalist, and conservationist.  He founded the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo.

I was first introduced to him by my Seattle grandparents, Wayne and Lorene, who I remember sitting up in their big king-sized bed with me, all of us reading Gerald Durrell books and laughing and stopping to read bits aloud to each other.  That's a really great memory.

These books gave me my long-time not-so-secret desire to run away to live on Corfu.  Maybe some day I'll get to do that.

Durrell writes wonderfully about animals and about his hilarious family and their friends.  These books will make you laugh out loud and will teach all kinds of things you didn't know about all kinds of animals.  I turned my son on to these books when he was 10 and recommend them often.