It’s honestly hard to mourn over the unforeseen death of a Corfiot by a scorpion sting if Yani describes his head, swollen by the virulent venom as ‘a pregnant brain’. The perfect example of this are the words of Yani, the shepherd. This coupled with wacky dialogues coated by the most outlandish of punchlines all but embellish its refreshing and evergreen humour.

The author’s succinct and picturesque portrayal of the exotic paradise that is Corfu charms readers with a never ceasing ride of the island’s vividity. Besides this, Ulysses’ antics especially when riding on Roger’s wool-like black coat made for an especially fun read. Luckily though, by the time Ulysses had grown out of his baby down, the forgetful Roger had become a good hunting companion of the owl. Only after the owlet had proven itself to be an able fighter by burying his razor-sharp claws in a gullible Roger’s muzzle and scaring the daylights out of the poor black dog, was he satisfied being friends with Roger(unaware that this feeling wasn’t mutual). His first meeting with Roger, the family dog, highlighted the perils of being a sweet and amiable dog. First introduced as a tiny owlet still clad in his baby down, Ulysses was one haughty customer.

Of the various queer pets that the author keeps however, one in particular, a scops owl christened Ulysses, captured my interest greatly. What follows is a confused narration of a most intriguing family, interspersed with equally eccentric individuals and animals that befriend our cast. He grew up to be a renowned conservationist and naturalist who established the Jersey Zoo in 1959 for the preservation of endangered species and it was through his efforts that certain species like the Mallorcan Midwife evaded extinction.Īfflicted by a sundry collection of ills in the English weather, ‘Gerry’, as the author is fondly called, along with his family decides to migrate to Corfu at the suggestion of the eldest child, Larry. This five-year sojourn in Corfu is the first of a trilogy. A passionate zoologist, he provides a humorous, vivid yet lucid account of the island’s teeming wildlife juxtaposed with his own family’s idiosyncrasies. Gerald Durrell moved to the lively little Greek island of Corfu when he was eight. With the leaden August sky ushering in blowing away the wick of July, Gerald Durrell narrates a tale of such zany happenings with his articulate genius that surprisingly happens to be an account of his ‘eventful’ childhood.

My family and other animals review