Numerous individual animals of rare species born in captivity have been named "Gerry" or "Gerald" as homage to Durrell, among them the first Aldabra giant tortoise born in captivity. Pardon me, I never even realized that I might ruffle a few feathers by using it myself! That's beside the point. I laughed at so many of the personal anecdotes, savored the beautiful descriptions of the island, and was entertained by his interactions with many of the island locals. The encounter with the Rose-beetle Man (what a fantastic figure this man must have been!), a meeting with a convict let out for a temporary jaunt, and the appointments with various tutors (including one with quite the impressive bird collection) all pointed to the fact that Gerry lived quite an extraordinary young life. I expected to be amused by and pleased with this story, but what I found to be a pleasant surprise was that Gerald Durrell could really write! I didn’t just highlight the funny stuff (although there are loads of those bits marked up too), but passages like this one left me gaga over his choice of words: I also giggled as the ‘magenpies’ – the name Spiro gives to magpies - destroyed Larry’s manuscript; and again when a snake-filled bathtub sent Leslie streaking into the midst of a party with only a small towel for covering. In fact, I hooted aloud so often that my own dogs would watch me with rapt attention, perplexed by my sudden outbursts.

George, Gerry's first tutor who converts each lesson into a zoological adventure to keep his pupil interested, and practices his fencing as his charge is wrestling with arithmetic; Durrell was better known as a leading naturalist and conservationist, but it would be a huge mistake to disregard his skill as an author.

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Her father was one of the top race horse trainers in England, even had some of the Queen's horses, so she met a lot of interesting people in intimate detail & had a lot of great riding opportunities, not to mention a love for all things equestrian. Her story provides a great personal view of that life, although I was a bit lost with her education. Their grades & such are far different than ours. The book is full of humour and she tells amusing stories such as the time when the Queen joining the family for breakfast before going to see her horses in the stables (Claire managed to not only turn up in grubby clothes after being out with the horses but flung a sausage across the table!), to racing alongside Princess Anne (do you curtsey when you are in your underwear in the changing room?). However she doesn’t shy away from some of the more difficult parts of her childhood, from getting in with the “wrong crowd” at school in an attempt to be liked, to the pressures of being “overweight” for racing.

I remember finding a box of Gerald Durrell stories on the shelf as a twelve year old and reading them in luxury. They captivated me as Durrell told the story of his childhood in Corfu hunting animals. Not only was it full of interesting facts about the animals he caught but also about the people in his life. Told with wit, humour and the pure ability of a natural storyteller this is a sort of autobiography that you can read as a novel full to the brim with short stories. This is not just a novel for bookish school kids. I enjoyed it as a boy and I relished it even more as an adult. The way Gerald Durrell describes them is unbeatable. He casts a spell on you not only when he portrays quite spectacular species but also quite prosaic ones. I had spent most of my childhood thinking I was a dog, and I suspect I had aged in dog years. By the time I was ten I had discovered the pain of unbearable loss. I had felt joy and jealousy. Most important of all, I knew how to love and how to let myself be loved. All these things I learnt through animals. Horses and dogs were my family and my friends. This is their story as much as it is mine'Clare's personality is infectiously warm and endearing and this tome expertly reveals how this came to be. She describes her formidable grandmother's reaction to the birth of a girl as "It's a girl, nevermind, keep trying!" before dumping the basketed child on the floor. This constant debouching over her gender no doubt has spurred Balding on to become one of the UK's best known and well-loved broadcasters, all before her early forties. I must admit my favourite parts in the book were the interactions within the family. He is there with his widowed mother, his brothers Laurence(Larry) and Leslie and his sister Margot. The conflicts that arose thanks to Gerry’s finds were laugh out loud funny. All those family moments were just brilliant. A taxi driver, devoted friend of the Durrells who speaks unconventional English, adding 's' at random.