jola_g's review against another edition
3.0
A person who enacted the ‘disappointing sequels’ curse on me, is kindly requested to undo it. It has been working effectively for a while and I feel exasperated.
Speaking seriously, I am solely the one to blame as far as Birds, Beasts and Relatives (1969) is concerned. I should not have ignored the first warning signal — at the very beginning, it turned out that the book covers exactly the same period as [b:My Family and Other Animals|48132|My Family and Other Animals (Corfu Trilogy, #1)|Gerald Durrell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327885239l/48132._SY75_.jpg|76682], the first volume of Corfu Trilogy, which I got enamoured of six years ago. Well, what you see is what you get.
It does not take Sherlock Holmes's deductive skills to suspect that the anecdotes and observations here are the ones which did not make it to the first volume. For a reason. Let’s face it, it does not sound like a guarantee of high quality. And indeed, Gerald Durrell tries to be entertaining and hilarious in Birds, Beasts and Relatives but his efforts to elicit laughter and thrills are annoyingly visible and heavy-handed while the humour in My family and Other Animals was completely effortless. An example: the cringe chapter about Mother and Gerry's visit to London. My eyes ached from rolling, especially during the spiritual séance.
Unfortunately, some aspects of Birds, Beasts and Relatives put me off even more. There are a few beliefs behind this book which felt awkward. They were not expressed straightforwardly, just subtly hinted, but perceptible anyway. ‘All ‘Gypsies’ are thieves’. ‘Fat girls are a laughingstock’. ‘A gay man is a wannabe paedophile’ (That man could have been a bad influence on the boy if he had had much to do with him). These ‘truths’ are served here soaking in a humouristic sauce which does not change much, quite the contrary. I know one should not expect our sensitivity from a memoir published in 1969 but, on the other hand, there are books written then which are devoid of such repelling revelations.
In spite of the infantile covers of some editions, I would not recommend this book for children. If at the age of 8 or 9, I had read a detailed description of a tarantula feasting on a baby lark, not to mention a dissection of a turtle or the death of Gerry’s hedgehogs, I would have been devastated while the rest of the book would have put me to sleep for sure.
The things I enjoyed immensely in Birds, Beasts and Relatives were Durrell’s bewitching and vivid descriptions of paradisiac nature and the explosion of warm nostalgia at the end of the book. And that would be it. I wonder if it is enough to embark on the third volume.
![](https://i.imgur.com/6mCTgpw.png%E2%80%9D407")
Agios Gordios, Corfu, Greece, Anne Durham.
Speaking seriously, I am solely the one to blame as far as Birds, Beasts and Relatives (1969) is concerned. I should not have ignored the first warning signal — at the very beginning, it turned out that the book covers exactly the same period as [b:My Family and Other Animals|48132|My Family and Other Animals (Corfu Trilogy, #1)|Gerald Durrell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327885239l/48132._SY75_.jpg|76682], the first volume of Corfu Trilogy, which I got enamoured of six years ago. Well, what you see is what you get.
It does not take Sherlock Holmes's deductive skills to suspect that the anecdotes and observations here are the ones which did not make it to the first volume. For a reason. Let’s face it, it does not sound like a guarantee of high quality. And indeed, Gerald Durrell tries to be entertaining and hilarious in Birds, Beasts and Relatives but his efforts to elicit laughter and thrills are annoyingly visible and heavy-handed while the humour in My family and Other Animals was completely effortless. An example: the cringe chapter about Mother and Gerry's visit to London. My eyes ached from rolling, especially during the spiritual séance.
Unfortunately, some aspects of Birds, Beasts and Relatives put me off even more. There are a few beliefs behind this book which felt awkward. They were not expressed straightforwardly, just subtly hinted, but perceptible anyway. ‘All ‘Gypsies’ are thieves’. ‘Fat girls are a laughingstock’. ‘A gay man is a wannabe paedophile’ (That man could have been a bad influence on the boy if he had had much to do with him). These ‘truths’ are served here soaking in a humouristic sauce which does not change much, quite the contrary. I know one should not expect our sensitivity from a memoir published in 1969 but, on the other hand, there are books written then which are devoid of such repelling revelations.
In spite of the infantile covers of some editions, I would not recommend this book for children. If at the age of 8 or 9, I had read a detailed description of a tarantula feasting on a baby lark, not to mention a dissection of a turtle or the death of Gerry’s hedgehogs, I would have been devastated while the rest of the book would have put me to sleep for sure.
The things I enjoyed immensely in Birds, Beasts and Relatives were Durrell’s bewitching and vivid descriptions of paradisiac nature and the explosion of warm nostalgia at the end of the book. And that would be it. I wonder if it is enough to embark on the third volume.
Agios Gordios, Corfu, Greece, Anne Durham.
poachedeggs's review against another edition
4.0
Durrell's writing is so lovely that I remember wanting to visit Greece (specifically Corfu) solely because of [b:My Family and Other Animals|48132|My Family and Other Animals (Corfu Trilogy, #1)|Gerald Durrell|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41rC5qKvgaL._SL75_.jpg|76682]. Then I went to Athens when I was in college and found that it was extremely crowded and hot, hot, hot (even in October)... but I probably had the wrong company then and that coloured my view quite negatively.
This is the sort-of sequel to My Family and Other Animals, the latter of which I read as a young, young girl of 14 or 15. I can't tell if it's every bit as good, since it's been so long since I read the first book, but it is definitely enchanting and extremely humorous (even though I know now that Durrell probably took some creative licence with regard to the portrayal of his long-suffering family).
Just a random flip of the pages in the book would reveal passages like this one:
When the storm had passed, the sky had been washed to the clear blue of the hedge-sparrow's egg and the damp earth sent out wonderfully rich, almost gastronomic smells as of fruit-cake or plum pudding; and the olive trunks steamed as the rain was dried off them by the sun, each trunk looking as though it were on fire.
Durrell's take on natural history is absolutely fascinating as well, and in Birds, Bees, and Other Relatives, he discusses donkeys, baby hedgehogs, snails' and snakes' mating habits, bears, and more unusual specimens (such as the ant-lion larvae) in captivating detail for the layman.
My only (small) criticism of the book is with regard to the haphazard way the chapters are sometimes organised, with Larry's friends sometimes appearing right after the discovery of spade-footed toads... then again that is probably half-intentional (as I realised when writing the above sentence) and part of the charm Durrell wields over his readers.
This is the sort-of sequel to My Family and Other Animals, the latter of which I read as a young, young girl of 14 or 15. I can't tell if it's every bit as good, since it's been so long since I read the first book, but it is definitely enchanting and extremely humorous (even though I know now that Durrell probably took some creative licence with regard to the portrayal of his long-suffering family).
Just a random flip of the pages in the book would reveal passages like this one:
When the storm had passed, the sky had been washed to the clear blue of the hedge-sparrow's egg and the damp earth sent out wonderfully rich, almost gastronomic smells as of fruit-cake or plum pudding; and the olive trunks steamed as the rain was dried off them by the sun, each trunk looking as though it were on fire.
Durrell's take on natural history is absolutely fascinating as well, and in Birds, Bees, and Other Relatives, he discusses donkeys, baby hedgehogs, snails' and snakes' mating habits, bears, and more unusual specimens (such as the ant-lion larvae) in captivating detail for the layman.
My only (small) criticism of the book is with regard to the haphazard way the chapters are sometimes organised, with Larry's friends sometimes appearing right after the discovery of spade-footed toads... then again that is probably half-intentional (as I realised when writing the above sentence) and part of the charm Durrell wields over his readers.
foreverday's review against another edition
I think this was my least favourite of the trilogy, but I still enjoyed it. Reason for this ranking is probably the fact that there was a much bigger focus on the animals; I do like hearing about all the interesting creatures (the spider that lived under water, etc) and his love for them really came across, but it's not funny in the way the family stories are.
There were still funny scenes -the turtle dissection, the Countess's dinner, Mother's proposal- but there were also a lot of animals, and a fair amount of scenes that were just average (& the birth scene was below average). Enjoyable, but the other two were better.
There were still funny scenes -the turtle dissection, the Countess's dinner, Mother's proposal- but there were also a lot of animals, and a fair amount of scenes that were just average (& the birth scene was below average). Enjoyable, but the other two were better.
antje_elisabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
mordecai's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
jonathanrobert's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
kateponders's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
mrigbybarington's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
A fun read.