My Family and Other Animals

By: Gerald Durrell

Narrated by: Nigel Davenport

Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

This memoir is soaked in the sunshine of Corfu, where Gerald Durrell lived as a boy, surrounded by his eccentric family - as well as puppies, toads, scorpions, geckoes, ladybugs, glowworms, octopuses, bats, and butterflies.

©1956 Gerald Durrell (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A lot of frolic, fun, and charming ribaldry, as well as the warm feeling of having been transported to a lovely spot where worry is unknown and anything is believable." ( The New York Times)

A wonderful read

I savored every moment of this book. If you have picked it up because you are a fan of the recent masterpiece theater series, you should be warned that it differs significantly from the book. But there are wonderful new scenes in this book, as well as the seeds for many of the best episodes of the television series. Excellent narrator. This sort of gentle humor is just what we need right now during the pandemic. Highly recommended.

So much better than the tv series

I started listening to this cause I watched the tv series The Durrells of Corfu, and loved it, but as usual, the book is better.

This narrator did an excellent job with the various accents - Spiro in particular was hilarious - and I found myself instantly transported to the magical island of Corfu.

The story itself is brilliant. A memoir with animal bits sprinkled about; I found myself laughing so hard I cried at various scenes in the book, including the one where a scorpion surprises Larry, and the final dinner scene… if you love memoirs that are slow and sweet; if you love James Herriot, you will also love these books, guaranteed.

It reminded me so much of my childhood

This book was well narrated, which was a credit to the book. I enjoyed the humorous observations of their adventures. Many life lessons learned in their childhoods.

Great story

Highly entertaining and well read. There was some content not recommended for my younger children, but similar to James Harriet in nature. I may listen to it all over again!

Entertaining

The story was entertaining. I didn’t like the narrator at first. Someone mentioned that he was poor at doing young men’s voices...and I agree, tho I got used to it.

Others compared it to the tv series...I thought it held up well, considering that the series was based on the book.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the animals as well as the adventures of the animals with the various family members...and the family members, while not all as well developed as in the tv series were entertaining. Families, and sibling relationships in particular, are always interesting. The way the older siblings reacted to the presence of their youngest sibling’s creatures was often hilarious.

Finally, didn’t any notice that the Audible chapters did not match the actual chapters in the book? I found this distressing and inconvenient.

I Listened to it Twice!!

Where does My Family and Other Animals rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very high.

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Family and Other Animals?

When Leslie built Gerry the Bootle-Bum-Trinket.

What about Nigel Davenport’s performance did you like?

Davenport has such a wonderful voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I did not want it to end.

fabulous

I watched this show and was very sad when it ended. the book is fantastic!

Word Painting

I've read this book (more than once), and listened to the Audible version with huge enjoyment. The Durrell family is an unusual tribe that will leave you lol at their antics and thought processes. Their odd pets and collected fauna fit neatly into their strange clan. The words conjured by Mr. Tyrrell paint a magical picture of Corfu, it's beauty, it's engaging people, and a time when life was slowed to a pace where it could be truly appreciated. I wish I could have shared the family's time together in Corfu, but reading or listening to their story will do. Until time machines are invented...

Nigel Davenport 's narration is spot on, creating a necessary British tone that contrasts with the absurd situations he describes. His character voices are inventive and accurate for each of the unique characters he speaks for. This audio book is becoming my favorite gardening companion!

wonderful

we loved this story. The narrator did a good job with the voices.. Very funny.

Brilliant

I have loved this story since I was a little boy. Must have read it hundreds of times.