E–pub/E–book (Birds Beasts and Relatives)

• Paperback
• 248
• Birds Beasts and Relatives
• Gerald Durrell
• English
• 02 September 2019
• 9780140043853

Gerald Durrell ↠ 4 Read & Download

Gerald Durrell ↠ 4 Read & Download Summary Ù PDF, DOC, TXT or eBook ↠ Gerald Durrell Read & Download Birds Beasts and Relatives Mals is based on his boyhood on Corfu from 1933 to 1939 Originally published in 1969 but long out of print Birds It is that time of year when I feel a desperate need for a vacation but I am unable to get away The next best thing is to take a virtual holiday to Corfu a Greek island in the sun For a short spell each day I looked forward to being back in the company of Gerry Durrell the ardent ten year old aspiring naturalist his exuberant family and close friends As with my first introduction to Corfu and the Durrells in My Family and Other Animals this second book in The Corfu Trilogy is just as charming and exhilarating Once again I was impressed by Gerry s immense interest in the natural world and amazed at the extent he went to collect specimens of a wide range of animals and learn about them His extraordinary power of observation was matched by an artful and vivid power of description that was often humorous and painted a jocular picture of the world he saw studied and loved Gerry s passion for all the insects and creepy crawlies he carted home in his jam jars and biscuit tins was communicated in a language so full of affection that each animal seemed like a sentient being worth knowing Gerry s enthusiasm became my own I googled pictures of the dung beetle that was said to roll its dung into perfect round balls pipefishes and beadlet anemones It was lovely to read about the spider crab weaving his camouflage a frond of seaweed at a time on his carapace Gerry s pictorial script is a treat to read Here s an example of one of his discoveries at the Bay of Olives Along the shore under the rocks you can find tiny crabs or beadlet anemones like little scarlet and blue jewelled pincushions or the snakelocks anemones their slender coffee coloured stalks and long writhing tentacles giving them a hair style that Medusa might well have envied I learned that snails are hermaphrodites I stumbled on a new discovery about seahorses Thank you GerryAnother aspect that lent this book its charm are the colorful characters and loony family that shaped Gerry s young life Spiros the Corfu native is a rock solid family friend George his first tutor was affectionately described as a fencer who loved to fight an olive tree with his walking stick Dr Theodore Stepanides a famous medical doctor biologist poet translator and historian was a significant influence in Gerry becoming a world renowned naturalist and conservationist There were hilarious episodes such as his brother Leslie s court case his sister Margo s encounter with a charlatan spiritualist Gerry s outstanding luncheon with a Greek countess older brother Larry s eccentric friends and of course adventures with Gerry s dog also an indefatigable student of natural history One gets an insider welcome from mingling with the local Corfu residents It was lovely to share their hospitality and be part of a wine harvest where one got to witness grapes being trodden in the wine barrels and to taste vicariously a free flow of wine as red as garnet Gerry wrote so convincingly I felt uite intoxicated just reading about the exchange of goodwill and fellowship in this community It is a bit sad therefore that the brilliance of these heady days were short lived as war was soon declared Below are some lines I enjoyedDescription of Gerry s luncheon at the Countess mansion The first course that Demetrios Mustapha set before us was a fine clear soup seuinned with tiny golden bubbles of fat with fingernail sized croutons floating like crisp little rafts on an amber sea It was delicious and the Countess had two helpings scrounging up the croutons the noise like someone walking over crisp leaves Description of a spider crab building a camouflage Making the best of a bad job he had decorated the top of his shell with a number of ingredients that I had left him He looked extremely gaudy and had an air of carnival about him Striped top shells had been pasted on interspersed with bits of coral and up near his head he was wearing two beadlet anemones like an extremely saucy bonnet with ribbons Description of a day out at sea The sea crisped itself along the sides of the boat with the sound of winter leaves wind lifted rubbing themselves affectionately against the trunks of the trees that gave them birth Birds Beasts and Relatives is a vastly entertaining enjoyable and informative read It is highly recommended I shall return to Corfu again soon as there is a Part III waiting What larks

Gerald Durrell ↠ 4 Read & Download Summary Ù PDF, DOC, TXT or eBook ↠ Gerald Durrell Read & Download Birds Beasts and Relatives Part coming of age autobiography and part nature guide Gerald Durrell's dazzling seuel to My Family and Other Ani 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 feelingHis affection for the natural world lives on in the minds of those who for decades have enjoyed his magical storiesThis is the second part of his Corfiot trilogy continuing from where My Family and Other Animals left offThe 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 villaBest supporting character award goes to leathery faced Spiro whose pidgin English sounds exactly like Stavros the kebab seller from a 1980s UK comedy sketch showHonest to Gods Mrs Durells makes me scarce what that boy findsFans of Durrell already know of his transcendent skill for observational detailFor example there s Mrs Haddock the spiritualist who is incapable of breathing while speaking andwhosewordslatchtogether like a daisy chainAnd 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 seuinned 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 thatThis 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 gonorrhoeaThis 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 nowIf 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

Summary Ù PDF, DOC, TXT or eBook ↠ Gerald Durrell

Gerald Durrell ↠ 4 Read & Download Summary Ù PDF, DOC, TXT or eBook ↠ Gerald Durrell Read & Download Birds Beasts and Relatives Beasts and Relatives is filled with charming observations amusing anecdotes boyhood memories and childlike wonder So when I began listening to this the second of Gerald Durrell s Corfu TrilogyI was thinking this is supposed to be funny but then I actually caught myself smiling By the end when this family had thoroughly taken me in I was laughing outright Here in this book the naturalist conservationist and author writes of his youth in Corfu during the thirties This is a very Victorian English family and I don t usually enjoy the formality and stiffness of Victorian s Yet this family is anything but stiff The author makes insects and spiders and snails and fish well exceptionally interesting His love for all varieties of animals shines through in his writing These spiders these insects and even the ugliest of fish somehow seem marvelous and yes downright beautiful Did you know that a snail is BOTH male and female and mating is uite magical The male part of each snail shoots out a calcium composed arrow into the female part of the other snail They are drawn together closer and closer They tingle and the arrows dissolve That is sex for a snail Amazing Interesting and funny are the words I would use to describe this book The bizarre antics of this family are amusing and the dialogs between siblings are realnot sweet talk for a book but the real thing Larry Gerald s older brother he does not mince words The audiobook is narrated by Nigel Davenport and he is so British In a good way The characters in this book well they are characters their personalities are adroitly reflected in their respective voices There is a Swede and visitors from other diverse countries you ve uite simply got to hear this Good lines and good narrationWhat a family Did you know that it is Gerald s brother Larry or Lawrence who wrote the Alexandria uartet I will be reading that soon too Completely different personalities and completely different writing styles Tell me are you similar to your siblings I am not So why should they be It is interesting to look at the family that produced these two authors