Marrying Off Mother: And Other Stories

by Gerald Durrell

A collection of short stories by a world-renowned naturalist and author of My Family and Other Animals introduces an eccentric cast of characters including a prize-truffling pig in France and an aging Memphis belle.

Genres: Short Stories, Humor, Nonfiction, Biography, Animals, Memoir, Nature

197 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Gerald "Gerry" Malcolm Durrell was born in India in 1925. His elder siblings are Lawrence Durrell, Leslie Durrell, and Margaret Durrell. His family settled on Corfu when Gerald was a boy and he spent his time studying its wildlife. He relates these experiences in the trilogy beginning with My Family And Other Animals, and continuing with Birds, Beasts, And Relatives and The Garden Of The Gods. In his books he writes with wry humour and great perception about both the humans and the animals he meets.

On leaving Corfu he returned to England to work on the staff of Whipsnade Park as a student keeper. His adventures there are told with characteristic energy in Beasts In My Belfry. A few years later, Gerald began organising his own animal-collecting expeditions. The first, to the Cameroons, was followed by expeditions to Paraguay, Argentina and Sierra Leone. He recounts these experiences in a number of books, including The Drunken Forest. Gerald also visited many countries while shooting various television series, including An Amateur Naturalist. In 1958 Gerald Durrell realised a lifelong dream when he set up the Jersey Zoological Park, followed a few years later by the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust.

Gerald was married twice; Jacquie Durrell (1951-1979), Lee Durrell (1979-1995).

Gerald Durrell's style is exuberant, passionate and acutely observed. He died in 1995.

Reviews

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of humorous short stories that have nothing to do with bugs or snakes-just people. Gerry states in advance that "All of these stories are true, or, to be strictly accurate, some have a kernel of truth and a shell of embroidery. Some were my own experiences, others were told to me and I appropriated them for my own purposes... Which of these stories is true and which is semi-true I have, of course, not the slightest intention of telling you..." So the guessing game begins! I'm guessing most of the stories are pure fiction and some may have a "kernel of truth."

The first story "Esmeralda" is one of the funniest. During a sojourn in the French countryside, Gerry comes across a pig smelling of expensive perfume and wearing a gold chain. She delicately enjoys his cheese before nodding off smelling of expensive perfume and cheese. He simply MUST find her owner. The characters here are so full of life, including Esmeralda herself. She is quite a personality and much beloved by her owner. The story does veer into the category of farce-slightly resembling a P.G. Wodehouse story, but it's very entertaining.

"Fred- or a Touch of the Warm South" is full of every stereotype about people from the American South-their proud heritage (bourbon, whiskey, genealogy, the Civil War), eccentric relatives and attitudes towards the help. I'm not from the South so I found it entertaining and amusing-until the very last scene. I'm not sure that much would be true. I don't know if a southerner would enjoy this story as much as an outsider unless it's not a stereotype and people are able to laugh at themselves.

"Retirement" takes place on board a small ship full of women headed from Australia back to Britain. Gerry and the Captain are the only men. The women, naturally, all have a crush on the Captain while he can't wait to retire and go home to his wife. This story is mildly funny at first but again it goes from realistic to completely silly quickly. I also found it a bit sad.

The title story "Marrying Off Mother" is another delightful adventure in Corfu. It clearly inspired the screenwriter of the current TV series. Larry and Leslie think Mother needs a man in her life. She insists she's fine. When Larry's friend, Antoine de Vere, a handsome movie actor, comes to stay, he manages to antagonize everyone except Mother! How could this be?! As with the memoir/novels, Gerry paints his family as a loving bunch of eccentrics. As always, all Larry thinks about is sex; all Les thinks about is guns and Margo is so selfish and stupid she never knows what's what. The story is as funny as the longer books and well worth reading for fans of the Durrells in Corfu. Poor Louisa! This is the best story in the collection.

"Ludwig" is a forgettable story about a German without a sense of humor. Gerry comes across as kind of caddish and not very kind. He reminded me a lot of his older brother Larry! The situation here goes on too long and since I lack a sense of humor, I feel sorry for Ludwig. I was shocked that Gerry cavalierly gave Ludwig a sedative AND they took it with wine!

"The Jury" is a macabre story set in South America. Gerry's newest acquaintance, James Menton, was a hangman by trade. Haunted by the memories of people whose lives were lost at his hands, he has turned to drink, a fact which Gerry is late to discover. In light of revelations, Gerry doesn't call the doctor as the doctor requests, Gerry continues to allow his host to drink and be melancholy. The ending wasn't a surprise but shocking and horrible all the same.

The penultimate story "Miss Booth-Wycherly's Clothes" was another one of my favorites. It features an elderly lady fallen on hard times who maintains her grace, humor and a trunk full of old clothes. There's also a delightful gambling nun! Who would believe it? This story is touching and funny! Gerry doesn't seem to be one of those who believes in God's voice directing people so he treats the matter with slight skepticism and humor as only a Durrell can tell the story. Again he sounds a bit like Larry without the rude snarkiness.

The final story "A Parrot for the Parson" doesn't hold up to today's values. The filthy talking parrot was funny but the parson was not. I was shocked at how cavalierly Gerry and his girlfriend treated their relationship with a predatory clergyman. Sorry Gerry but sex predators are not amusing characters for a story.

I didn't care for grown-up Gerry so much. He was so charming and sweet as a boy. He clearly learned how to treat women from Larry. This collection is a mixed bag for me.

[Lesle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gerald Durrell a British naturalist. He was always interested in animals, but his passion exploded when his oddball family moved to Corfu. He has been described as a cross between Bill Bryson and Sir David Attenborough (entertaining wisdom vs wildlife educator).

This book has eight stories, of which Gerry has a natural way of telling the stories with almost a poetic form when describing the nature. His words are easy to read and flows with humor, smiles and giggles along the way.

My favorite is the scheme he and his siblings come up with to marry off their mother who is driving them nuts, only to have her turn it around on them! Followed up by Esmeralda the prize truffle hunting pig that is thought to be stolen and held for ransom, but returned and pampered so you would have thought she was Queen of Sheba.

Cannot wait to indulge in his other books!

[K.J. Charles]

Picked up on a cheapie. I loved Durrell's writings as a teen and this collection had a lot of what I enjoyed--some bits hysterically funny, some lyrical writing, and even if he's very obviously a wild embroiderer of the truth when he isn't outright lying/writing fiction, he's got a knack for making you believe in his bizarre world.

Which said, some of these stories are really badly dated--xenophobic, pretty cringeworthy whenever race comes up, and with an unpleasantly misogynistic tang that now makes me wonder what I'd find if I went back to the books I loved. Heh. There's probably a reason this collection wasn't reprinted before.

[Florin Pitea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice writing. Diverse plots. Oh, and the Durrels are back. Recommended.

[Txe Polon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aunque quizás es el más flojo de los libros de Durrell que he leído, no puede negarse que la mayoría de las historias incluidas en este volumen tiene su interés (la cerda buscatrufas, el capitán de barco, el verdugo, la monja ataviada, el loro y el cura pedófilo), si bien algunas resultan un poco más endebles y otras tienen un final abrupto que no siempre cuadra.
Actualización (21/08/2018): Aunque hace dos años fuera el más flojo de los que había leído, a día de hoy tengo que reivindicarlo.

[jaroiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vdáváme matku se mi líbila nejvíc, pak asi Papoušek pro pastora. Oddechová četba. Taková pohodovka.

[Ian Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confession time. I am a Gerald Durrell addict. Having been away from his writings for quite some time, I started working my way through his 'collected works' a few months ago. And it's wonderful! But if there was a single book that threatened to break my addiction, then this is it. Perhaps expectations were too high. After all, his other collections of short stories - such as 'Fillets of Plaice' and 'The Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium' are quite simply delightful.

Not so with this often dreary and formulaic series of stories, which he freely admits are only loosely based on fact. He starts off brilliantly - the first paragraph is vintage Durrell - exquisite evocative language describing his first loves - food, wine and the natural world. Sadly it's down hill all the way from there, save for a characteristically humorous yet beautifully told story (fictional?) of his childhood in Corfu.

And that's perhaps what makes these such a disappointment. For if the truth is so easily dispensed with, characters so readily caricatured beyond recognition, then whither the magic of his childhood,the wonder of the exotic expeditions, the charm of zoos? Are these too just fabrications of a wondrously creative mind?

And did he really mean to finish the last story so abruptly? I turned the final page with a profound sense of frustration and disappointment.

But I have no doubt my faith will be restored. For I still have 'My Family and Other Animals' to turn to. Perhaps I should leave it to last.

[Serena.. Sery-ously? · Rating 3 out of 5]

Durrell mi aveva abituato super bene con "La mia famiglia e altri animali", che avevo adorato e mi aveva fatto un gran ridere..
Trovandomi di fronte questo titolo al Libraccio, non ho saputo resistere, pronta a gustarmi altre pazze avventure di questo naturalista in erba e della sua strambissima famiglia..
Che dire, un paio di orette carine le ho passate, ma nulla a confronto del primo libro! La storia che più mi è piaciuta è "Come far sposare la mamma" che è ambientata nuovamente a Corfu.. Le altre sono simpatiche, ma nulla di trascendentale!

Dando una sbirciata alla quarta di copertina mi è caduto l'occhio sulla biografia dell'autore e ho scoperto che è morto nel 1995. Ok, era nato nel 1925.. Ma la notizia mi ha messo tanta tristezza ;_;

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has not aged well. The title story was amusing, many of the others were casually racist and misogynistic. The rating is for the good stories, not the problematic ones. And thank goodness my edition seems to have lost the one about child molesting priests I see mentioned in other reviews.

[Sara Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non mi è piaciuto questo libro, ma non riesco a dare meno di 3 stelle ad un libro di Durrell e anche perché un racconto mi è piaciuto. Purtroppo però assolutamente NON PARLA MAI di animali, non ci sono informazioni scientifiche, ci sono tematiche mostruose trattate con leggerezza e storie inutili.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another of Gerald Durrell’s books of short stories, made up of leftover material from his other books. Several favorite characters – Ursula, the beautiful but unbearable girlfriend, for one – are found here. In the title story, taken from the period of My Family and Other Animals, Mrs. Durrell finally is able to turn the tables on her often-outrageous offspring. They decide, as a body, that she should remarry. She protests, but then “falls in love” with a friend of her oldest son, Larry. The friend, an actor, readily agrees to her scheme, and plays the part of a boring, obnoxious, self-centered, greasy fellow, who alienates the entire family – except for Mother! When Mother announces that they are going to move to Athens and live together (in sin!), and have made plans for the children to get “congenial jobs” and “stand on their own feet” (except for young Gerry, who must go to school), the family explodes in protest, until the trick is revealed.

[Eule Luftschloss · Rating 3 out of 5]

trigger warning
n-word, r-word, use of slurs against Sinti and Roma, mentions of suicide, jokes about suicide, mention of rape, alcoholism, gambling

Not as fun as the books about his travels for the purchase of animals for zoos. Heckton of triggers I did not expect. Would not really recommend, unless you really want to be a completionist about his works, lower three stars.

[Exina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories. I have mixed feelings: I loved the family stories, especially the title one!
As well as the lovely story of Miss Booth-Wycherly, and the facetious story of Ursula. But the rest of them are not for me. They are not as light as they would be expected by Durrell.

[Sreeram · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's another book of Gerry Durell that renders an unforgettable experience. His way with words is a class apart, and his humours breaks all conventional boundaries. Unputdownable

[Osmosisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely entertaining but so much more crafted-feeling than his stories that hew closer to the animal domain.

Also incredibly politically incorrect in several places.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

"For as long as he's been working to preserve the endangered species of the world, Gerald Durrell has also been busy entertaining his devoted following with uproarious tales about the improbable companions -- both human and animal -- that people his days. Marrying Off Mother, a collection of eight 'impossibly funny (not incompatible with impossibly tragic) stories' resoundingly proves that no one is better at observing absurdity in a person, pig, or parrot, and no one writes funnier dialogue, than Durrell.

" 'All of these stories are true,' Durrell states soberly in his 'A Word in Advance.' But he quickly amends, 'To be strictly accurate, some are true, some have a kernel of truth and a shell of embroidery.' Ranging from the Equator to the southern coast of England, the gallant and intrepid Durrell discovers a wonderfully eccentric cast of characters. He returns to his Corfu childhood and reintroduces the members of the Durrell clan familiar from the classic My Family and Other Animals: his brothers Leslie and Larry (as delightfully pompous as ever), the eternally romantic but scatterbrained sister, Margot, and his long-suffering mother, serene and dignified in the face of the trials devised by her offspring. He shares his picnic with a fragrant sow and prize truffler called Esmeralda in the Perigord; charms Magnolia Swite-Henderson, an aging belle, in Memphis, Tennessee; stays with an alcoholic hangman in Paraguay; passes an afternoon seeing the sights of London in the company of an attractive woman and her pornographic parrot; and dines with a gambling nun in Monte Carlo ... In short, he tells eight inimitable stories that beg to be retold."
~~front flap

I loved this book -- these are all great stories, told with the author's inimitable sense of humor and talent of choosing the exact best turn of phrase to describe the person or situation while bringing the reader to tears of laughter. I probably should have given it 5 stars.

[Christopher Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a moment halfway through this collection when I had to pause and check whose book I was reading. I got so lost in the delightful plot and characters of one of the stories that I was sure I was reading something by W. Somerset Maugham. But no - this is definitely Gerald Durrell, even if the animals have for the most part gone AWOL in this collection. Brilliant work, as always, although his merciless piss-take with the poor German in one of the stories did get to be a bit much.

[mayvira · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5

the title caught my eye from a 1-pound pile and it was quite a find, small, practical book to carry around.

this book is a short story collection where the writer takes us into his experiences and peculiar encounters in his life. thoroughly enjoyable but it was giving the kind of writing that is from middle-aged white male writers, i won’t say if it’s good or bad it’s just that.

stories i liked - esmeralda, marrying off mother, miss booth-wicherly’s clothes

[Felicity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally enjoyed reading more about the crazy Durrell family, I love them all! Not usually a fan of Short Stories, this won me over very quickly, and after thinking I had already read my favourite story, Gerald save the best one for last.

[Jannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As funny as his corfu trilogy but rather on the fruitier side, so a bit much in some cases.
Still very entertaining

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dated, and not PC however I had some good laughs.

And some of the descriptions are wonderful, "one of those splendid old houses like an upended shoebox, with two rooms to a floor".

[Anna Insenser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bueno definitivament uns relats una mica polèmics ...pero mantenint el to de la triologia de Corfú que es pel que havia vingut!

[Lucas Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful to return to Corfu, but could have done without the rest of the stories.

[Meghana Rajeshwar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It feels like it was only yesterday that I read an extract from Marrying Off Mother in my English Lit text book in school. The story had me in splits then, and still has the same effect. This collection is an interesting change from his usual - there’s more people than animals, but the few that do make a memorable impression - who can resist a pig called Esmeralda or a foul-mouthed parrot that drinks vodka? Will go back and read some of these again.

[Javier Sastre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una colección más de relatos cortos del siempre divertido Durrell. En este caso, se combinan algunas buenas historias (Un novio para mamá, Fred o un toque del cálido Sur, Esmeralda) con otras más flojas.
Como es habitual se lee rápido y fácil y resulta cuando menos entretenido. Hilarante en sus mejores momentos.

[Iona Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good collection of short stories by the late Gerald Durrell, who is the funniest author I know.

Durrell wrote his books in order to finance his Jersey zoo and his various animal collecting expeditions in Africa and such places.

He informs us that some of the stories in the book are true, while some have “a kernel of truth and a shell of embroidery”; I don´t really care whether the stories are completely true or not, since those that may be partly fictitious are not less funny for being so.

A few of the stories are, though still good, written in a different style than the author´s usual style, and are more dark and/or less funny.

The first is a tale about an enormous truffle-finding pig called Esmerelda. The author comes across her in a wood ; she smells of a particular perfume called Joy and loves the cheese he feeds her.

One of the funniest stories is a tale about one of Durrell´s experiences when on a lecture tour in the Southern USA, where he has an involuntary stay at the home of an American family (he would have preferred to spend the night at a hotel). The great-uncle in the family is under the impression that the South and North are still at war. The butler Fred does not approve of strong liquor (or fornication) so the lady of the family disguises the whisky and other strong drinks as Coca-Cola, only to be distinguished by their odour.

Another story tells the tale of one of Durrell´s lady friends who takes pity on a “reverend gentleman” thrown out of the Church owing to his having committed serious transgressions against a whole choir of choir-boys (this is of course not funny, but Durrell is not particularly politically correct, in fact not at all). She had decided to cheer up the reverend by presenting him with a parrot, addicted to vodka and tonic, which turned out to have a vocabulary like an extremely foul-mouthed docker.

You´ll appreciate the book if you´re a fan of the author or in need of something to make you laugh.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The publication of Gerald Durrell’s Marrying off Mother and other stories follows on from ITV’s brilliant drama The Durrells, celebrated as ‘tip top’ in a four star review from The Telegraph. The entertaining collection introduces an eccentric cast of characters and was first published in 1991.

It's been a long long time since I read My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, I really enjoyed it many years ago and the recent ITV drama, The Durrells resurrected my interest in his writing. I thought the TV adaptation was very well done, despite some of the changes to times and places. The Corfu setting was stunning - it's no secret that I adore Corfu, and anything that reminds me of that beautiful island is welcome!

This collection of short stories were written in Durrell's later years, and originally published in 1991. Whilst the beautiful cover shows a wonderful painting of Corfu, and the title story is set on the island, the majority of these stories are set elsewhere and are a very mixed, and at times, a little eccentric selection of Durrell's writing.

There is no doubt that the writing is dated and there were a couple of sharp intakes of breath at some of the language used. However, on the whole, I did enjoy revisiting Durrell's stories and the reader can certainly hear his voice throughout each of the tales in the book.

Marrying Off Mother and Other Stories is beautifully presented, the cover image is stunning. Fans of Durrell will appreciate these stories, but I'd urge new readers to start with his earlier works to experience the true beauty of his work.

http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...

[Anita Šteinberga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jāsaka, diezgan liels kokteilis – stāsti ir sarakstīti dažādā periodā un stāsta par pašu Džeraldu dažādos viņa vecumposmos – gan par zēnību (un mums tik ierasto Darelu ģimeni), gan brieduma gadiem.

“Esmeralda” – pieaugušā Džeralda satikšanās ar … neparastu cūku. Nevar neapbrīnot rakstnieka talantu, šo, mūsu ieskatā, sušķīgo dzīvnieku aprakstot patiešām satriecoši – karalienei nevarēti veltīt brīnišķīgākus vārdus!
“Viņa bija spīdīgi rožaina ar baltsārtiem sariem kā persiku ziedi un dažiem dekoratīviem melniem plankumiem, ko daba bija izvietojusi rūpīgi un pavedinoši, gluži kā skaistuma mušiņas, ar kādām sievietes mēdza izrotāt sevi septiņpadsmitajā gadsimtā. Viņai bija mazas, zeltainas acis, pilnas gudrības un viltības, ausis nokārušās abpus purnam kā mūķenes galvassega, un lepni izslietais šņukurs viegli uzrauts; tā gals atgādināja vienu no tiem lieliskajiem Viktorijas laikmeta instrumentiem, kādus lietoja nosprostojušos notekcauruļu tīrīšanai. Nagi bija eleganti un nospodrināti, aste – dzenskrūve virzībai pa dzīvi – izskatījās kā brīnišķīgi saslējusies jautājuma zīme. Ap viņu vēdīja īpatnēja aura – nevis cūkas smaka, kā varētu domāt, bet smalks, liegs aromāts, kas atsauca atmiņā pavasara pļavu ziedu pārpilnībā. Nekad agrāk es nebiju saodis cūku šādi smaržojam.”
Un te arī, manuprāt, visā grāmatā lieliskākais tēlojums – ceļa taujāšana vietējam zemniekam, kas pat Džeraldam, kurš “uzaudzis Grieķijā, kur attālumus mēdz noteikt cigaretēs”, liekt saraukt pieri:
“- Brauciet garām kara piemineklim, garām monsieur Peligo mājai un tad, kad nonāksiet pie koka, nogriezieties pa kreisi.
– Pie kāda koka?
– Pie koka tai pagriezienā, kur jūs nogriezīsieties pa kreisi.”

“Freds jeb dienvidu tveices pieskāriens”. Stāsts par Darelu, kurš sastop tik interesantus amerikāņus, ka viņu “sāk pārņemt tās Alises Brīnumzemē izjūtas, kādas vienmēr sajutis, atrazdamies Grieķijā. Tur nākas loģiku mest pār bortu un ļaut tai kādu laiku peldēt savā vaļļā – tiesa gan, sasniedzamā attālumā. Tas dara brīnumu lietas ar smadzeņu šūnām”.
Un iesmējiens par savas lekcijas neprātīgajiem panākumiem – ne tik daudz satura, cik akcenta pēc: “Jūsu akscents nudien ir kaut kas vienreizējs. Patiesi un neapšaubāmi, ser, kaut kas vienreizējs! Tas ir patiesi aizraujošs – kā tam puisim, nu, kā jel viņu sauca – ak jā, Viljamam Šekspīram”.

“Pelnīta atpūta” – traģikomisks stāsts par Darela ceļojumu ar tirdzniecības tvaikoni no Austrālijas uz Eiropu “tajās jaukajās, sen pagājušajās dienās, kad ceļojums ilga sešas nedēļas un kuģis uzņēma tikai astoņus vai varbūt divpadsmit pasažierus”. Par to, kāpēc Darels nonāk pie secinājuma, ka “pelnītā atpūta ir kaut kas tāds, kas jābauda pa drusciņai katru dienu, kā toniks, jo nekad nevar zināt, kas sagaida aiz nākamā stūra.”

“Mātes izprecināšana” – centrālais stāsts, šoreiz – no Džeralda bērnības. Jaukais vēstījums par vietu, kur Džeralds netraucēts nodevās saviem pētījumiem: “Katrā dobē auga mazs mandarīnkociņš, kas, saules apspīdēts, smaržoja gandrīz neizturami spēcīgi. Kociņiem pie kājām auga skaistas, vecmodīgas puķes – neaizmirstulītes, neļķes, lavandas, čemurneļķes, naktsvijoles, puķu tabaka un maijpuķītes. Vietējiem insektiem tas bija sava veida Pikadilli laukums un līdz ar to mana iecienīta medību vieta, jo te bija viss no tauriņiem līdz skudrulauvām, no mežģīņspārnainām mušām līdz rožu vabolēm, no lielām, resnām, dūcošām kamenēm līdz sīciņām lapsenēm.” Un neticamie “ģimenes un citu zvēru” piedzīvojumi: “Kādu dienu mana māsa Margo filantropijas uzplūdā tika izlaidusi vistas no aploka pastaigāties savā vaļā. Tās bija atradušas savvaļas ķiploku lauciņu un tur pamielojušās; tā nu nākamajā rītā brokastu kultenis bija pilnībā piesūcies ar ķiploku smaku. Mans brālis Leslijs žēlojās, ka tas garšo kā grieķu autobusa sēdekļu pol- sterējums.” Nē, nu interesanti – vai tā varētu būt patiesība?
Vai: “viņš nometa dažas meduskāres zemē, kur tās kļuva par brīnumainu, lipīgu slazdu visiem kukaiņiem, kam gadījās būt tuvumā. Par spīti mātes izmisīgajiem centieniem izkāst medu pirms likšanas galdā, tajā vienmēr slēpās maza, interesanta zooloģiska kolekcija. Tā nu ziest uz maizes pēc muskusa smaržojošo, zeltaini brūno kārumu bija tas pats, kas ziest šķidru dzintaru, kurā var atrast gandrīz jebko – no sīkām kodēm un kāpuriem līdz vabolēm un maziem simtkājiem. Reiz, sev par prieku, es atradu spīļastu sugu, kas man vēl nebija zināma. Brokastis vienmēr bija bioloģiski interesanta maltīte. Pārējie ģimenes locekļi, kuri, man par vilšanos, palika spītīgi nezooloģiski, nedalījās manā priekā par medus sagādāto bagātīgo guvumu.“

Ai, un tie apraksti … par jebko: “Dūmi, kas cēlās cauri olīvkokiem, bija kā spēcīgas smaržas, kurās mijās degošu kokogļu, ceptas jērgaļas un ķiploku pikances. Vīns, sarkans kā asinis no pūķkautuves, murrāja un noslēpumaini čaloja glāzēs – tik silti un draudzīgi, ka mudināt mudināja iedzert vēl.”

“Ludvigs” – atkal stāsts no pieaugušo dzīves, kurā Darels atrod “vienīgo vācieti ar humora izjūtu, tikpat retu parādību kā cilvēku ar sešām galvām.“

“Zvērinātie” – šoreiz diezgan netipisks (pat E.Po stilā) stāsts par to, kā Darels dodas ceļojumā ar upes tvaikoni un satiek …nāves profesoru.

“Mis Butas-Vaičerlijas drēbes” – mazticams stāsts par veiksmi azartspēlēs (gaidīju kādu “Pīķa dāmas” cienīgu atrinājumu, bet tā arī nesagaidīju).

“Papagailis Pāteram”. Neķītrs papagailis kā dāvana mācītājam – varat iedomāties paši.

Vēl kāds jauks šīs grāmatas citāts: “Vienmēr, kad jūs dodat altruistiskus zvērestus, iespēja rodas ātrāk, nekā spējat iedomāties.”

Vērtējums: 3+/5.
Bija lieliski atgriezties bērnu dienu noskaņās, taču kaut kas pietrūka…

[Debbie Young · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Gerald Durrell, both as a writer and as a pioneering conservationist, and admire him enormously, but his publisher and editor have let his reputation down by (a) not editing some of these pieces down which are far too rambling and (b) letting into the public domain some stories that are highly offensive in the 21st century, treating a vicar's repeated paedophilia against choirboys as if it is high comedy. Completely repellent. Avoid it if you want to retain your respect for him as a man and a writer. I feel like I now want to destroy my copy to suppress it. Very sad.

[Rekha Rajgopal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book and the man a 10 on 5, if possible.

A writer who makes you laugh out loud as often as he does deserves that and more.

Sparkling, witty prose and somehow his stories wrench my heart, too.

I love you Mr. Durrell. Eternally. I feel compelled, torn out of my body, to do this :)