By Gerald Durrell
I’ve always known about the existence of Gerald Durrell and had the impression that there was much to recommend him, but never got around to reading one of his books. A lifelong animal freak, this book is about the zoo he set up on the grounds of an old manor house (Jersey Zoological Park) in the Channel Islands, with the help of his wife, his mum, his staff and many very tolerant neighbours.
While by no means a work that puts any strain on the old brain cells, the book is nonetheless very enjoyable and contains lots of cute animal stories – I liked the one about the fat skunk, and another one about a young lion who decided he needed to learn how to roar but had to practice quietly in the back of his cage for a long time before showing it off. I did feel sorry for all the mice that inevitably were fed to various reptiles, and occasionally wondered how good the living conditions for the animals really were (the book was written in the 1960s), but it is still a very “feel-good” book. When I finished, I even wondered whether I should reconsider my intense dislike for the entire monkey family, so charming did the author make them sound.
I’m not going to rush out and read another one of Durrell’s books as I suspect you could overdose very easily, but it’s nice to know there’s a group of books out there that will be enjoyable reading at some stage.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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