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oldenglishrose's review against another edition
3.0
In this particular volume of Durrell’s memoirs of his journeys he travels to Mauritius with the dual aim of educating a Mauritian student in the conservation of the local wildlife and catching some of the more endangered species to take back to his Jersey zoo to start breeding programmes. It sees him and his companions encountering marijuana growers in the high forests and scrambling around on exposed rocky islands chasing after skinks, all told with Durrell’s characteristic humour and flair for recounting anecdotes.
This isn’t my favourite of Durrell’s books that I’ve read so far, probably because it seems to focus more on the zoological aspects of Durrell’s expedition than some of his other books. Although Durrell’s animal stories are wonderful, it’s his descriptions of human antics that accompany them which I enjoy the most and I think the balance between the two isn’t as even in Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons as in others, particularly his Corfu stories.
Nonetheless, it remains an entertaining book, not least because of some worrying illustrations of Gerald Durrell in the sort of terrifyingly short shorts worn only by teenage girls and British men of a certain age when on holiday in hot countries where they think no one will notice. Dodgy clothing choices aside, his stories never fail to elicit a chuckle. His account of chasing skinks over Round Island is a joy to read, and he is able to characterise animals in an unfailingly vivid and comic manner. Take for example his description of some monkeys: "We rounded one corner and came unexpectedly upon a troop of eight Macaque monkeys, sitting at the side of the road, their piggy eyes and air of untrustworthy arrogance making them look exactly like a board meeting of one of the less reliable consortiums in the City of London."
Although it may not have been my favourite of his memoirs, Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons has reaffirmed Gerald Durrell’s place in my heart and on my bookshelf as a sure writer for a cheering book.
This isn’t my favourite of Durrell’s books that I’ve read so far, probably because it seems to focus more on the zoological aspects of Durrell’s expedition than some of his other books. Although Durrell’s animal stories are wonderful, it’s his descriptions of human antics that accompany them which I enjoy the most and I think the balance between the two isn’t as even in Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons as in others, particularly his Corfu stories.
Nonetheless, it remains an entertaining book, not least because of some worrying illustrations of Gerald Durrell in the sort of terrifyingly short shorts worn only by teenage girls and British men of a certain age when on holiday in hot countries where they think no one will notice. Dodgy clothing choices aside, his stories never fail to elicit a chuckle. His account of chasing skinks over Round Island is a joy to read, and he is able to characterise animals in an unfailingly vivid and comic manner. Take for example his description of some monkeys: "We rounded one corner and came unexpectedly upon a troop of eight Macaque monkeys, sitting at the side of the road, their piggy eyes and air of untrustworthy arrogance making them look exactly like a board meeting of one of the less reliable consortiums in the City of London."
Although it may not have been my favourite of his memoirs, Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons has reaffirmed Gerald Durrell’s place in my heart and on my bookshelf as a sure writer for a cheering book.
felinity's review against another edition
5.0
As this is one of Durrell's later books, written after his Jersey conservation zoo was established, you can see the difference in tone. The earliest books tend to be light-hearted, descriptively humorous and (one suspects) slightly exaggerated for comedic effect, while the later books still maintain the wonderful descriptions of people and animals but with much more serious undertones and the emphasis on educating - rather than entertaining - the reader, as evidenced by the subtitle: A Journey to the Flora and Fauna of a Unique Island. You're still presented with poetic descriptions that capture all your senses, strange characters of all nationalities acting as local guides, and that dry wit, but it also includes some historic narrative from previous explorers and some warnings about animal endangerment and the importance of maintaining their environments.
In the 1970s, Durrell travelled to Mauritius (multiple times) with his assistant and secretary to collect sufficient individuals from colonies of several endangered species unique to the islands, to start (or maintain) captive breeding programs. Some of them were down to just a handful of individuals, and amongst them were golden fruit bats, pink pigeons, boas, several types of skink, and guntheri geckos. I've never had such a desire to go snorkelling as after reading his chapter on the various reefs in the area... I wonder if those magnificent and so varied places are still there.
Naturally there were some problems with the landscape (the Olympic slide), capturing/feeding the animals (the local equivalent of durian), the local climate and even transportation (how do you prioritize essential clothing, fruit and boxes when the plane can't carry everything?) but somehow creative solutions were discovered.
Spoiler: There's a postscript with good news about the Pink Pigeon breeding program.
I should also note that the family photographs, while wonderful, are the same ones as in the new edition of [book:Three Singles to Adventure], so if you're reading both, don't get your hopes up!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In the 1970s, Durrell travelled to Mauritius (multiple times) with his assistant and secretary to collect sufficient individuals from colonies of several endangered species unique to the islands, to start (or maintain) captive breeding programs. Some of them were down to just a handful of individuals, and amongst them were golden fruit bats, pink pigeons, boas, several types of skink, and guntheri geckos. I've never had such a desire to go snorkelling as after reading his chapter on the various reefs in the area... I wonder if those magnificent and so varied places are still there.
Naturally there were some problems with the landscape (the Olympic slide), capturing/feeding the animals (the local equivalent of durian), the local climate and even transportation (how do you prioritize essential clothing, fruit and boxes when the plane can't carry everything?) but somehow creative solutions were discovered.
Spoiler: There's a postscript with good news about the Pink Pigeon breeding program.
I should also note that the family photographs, while wonderful, are the same ones as in the new edition of [book:Three Singles to Adventure], so if you're reading both, don't get your hopes up!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
4.0
One of my favorite parts of reading Gerald Durrell is looking up all the species he mentions to see how endangered they currently are. The exciting bit is that most of them are still around (for now), thanks to the work Durrell and the Jersey Zoo have done on their behalf. It's only a small drop of optimism, but it's still a heady one. I really enjoyed this particular adventure.
tabularasablog's review against another edition
5.0
Looking forward to reading many more books by this man.
thebobsphere's review
3.0
Durrell's first journey into Mauritius is not as good as it's follow up The Aye Aye and I but there are some good moments, especially the hunt for the golden bats. Solid but unspectacular.
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