The Corfu Trilogy
- Downloads：2937
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-12 06:54:05
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Gerald Durrell
- ISBN：0141028416
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The Corfu Trilogy consists of the popular classic My Family and Other Animals and its delightful sequels， Birds， Beasts and Relatives and The Garden of the Gods。 All three books are set on the enchanted island of Corfu in the 1930s， and tell the story of the eccentric English family who moved there。 For Gerald， the budding zoologist， Corfu was a natural paradise， teeming with strange birds and beasts that he could collect， watch and care for。 But life was not without its problems - his family often objected to his animal-collecting activities， especially when the beasts wound up in the villa or - even worse - the fridge。 With hilarious yet endearing portraits of his family and their many unusual hangers-on， The Corfu Trilogy also captures the beginnings of the author's lifelong love of animals。 Recounted with immense humour and charm， this wonderful account of Corfu's natural history reveals a rare， magical childhood。
Reviews
Michael Parker
，
See， if Thoreau's naturalistic Journal was a bit more like this， I think more people would have read it。It's a balanced mix of Gerry's home life on Corfu and his experiences with the flora and fauna of the island。I think the only fault I can find with Gerry's writing is that it gets a bit purple at times。 But still， I'd rather have that than clinical descriptions of the nature he encountered。 If there's a fight between a praying mantis and a gecko， Durrell is engaged， and his writing style makes See， if Thoreau's naturalistic Journal was a bit more like this， I think more people would have read it。It's a balanced mix of Gerry's home life on Corfu and his experiences with the flora and fauna of the island。I think the only fault I can find with Gerry's writing is that it gets a bit purple at times。 But still， I'd rather have that than clinical descriptions of the nature he encountered。 If there's a fight between a praying mantis and a gecko， Durrell is engaged， and his writing style makes you care as well。 。。。more
Inge Hoeve
，
I first saw 'the Durrels' the series and only later discoverd it was based on the books of Gerald Durell。 So when preparing for the holidays I bought this 3-book omnibus for some easy reading。 Which is exactly what it is: lovely easy reading about life on Corfu for when you're stuck on a mountain in a tent in the rain all day in Italy， under a blanket with hot tea。 The sun gets in your head。 I first saw 'the Durrels' the series and only later discoverd it was based on the books of Gerald Durell。 So when preparing for the holidays I bought this 3-book omnibus for some easy reading。 Which is exactly what it is: lovely easy reading about life on Corfu for when you're stuck on a mountain in a tent in the rain all day in Italy， under a blanket with hot tea。 The sun gets in your head。 。。。more
Miruna
，
I laughed and Googled things and searched for photos of animals， birds， insects and the like。 And then， I laughed some more。 I very much enjoyed the three books， although two might have sufficed ;-）
Pat
，
What a good writer！ And such an interesting story！ I want to read more by this late author。 I watched the PBS series based on this book and was surprised to learn that several of the odder occurrences in the television show happened in real life。
Robyn
，
Loved this。
Lorna Dykstra
，
I absolutely enjoyed this wonderful memoir by Gerald Durrell。 The years the Durrell family spent on Corfu is presented to us like a idyllic time， a time of innocence and simple joys。I had read the first book in the trilogy， My Family and Other Animals， as a standalone book many years ago when I was studying biology and I remember being fascinated by Durrell' s descriptions and the minute details he notices in the world around him。 This time round， it took me a while to become so engrossed in the I absolutely enjoyed this wonderful memoir by Gerald Durrell。 The years the Durrell family spent on Corfu is presented to us like a idyllic time， a time of innocence and simple joys。I had read the first book in the trilogy， My Family and Other Animals， as a standalone book many years ago when I was studying biology and I remember being fascinated by Durrell' s descriptions and the minute details he notices in the world around him。 This time round， it took me a while to become so engrossed in the natural world。 However his sharp observations of his family and the often hilarious situations they ended up in often had me laughing out loud。Perhaps some of the words and phrases he uses will sound old-fashioned and mildly offensive but I always try to remember when a book was written before becoming too critical of the author。 I've always been of the opinion that books are a project of their times and tend to keep an open mind。4。5 stars for all the giggles Durrell's writing was able to elicit。 。。。more
Deepti
，
This was one of my grandmother's favourite books and she gave it to me a year or so before she passed away。 She told me that whenever she was sad， she would cover herself with a Durrell story and take a nap dreaming of him and his animals - and she didn't even like animals all that much - but she sure loved Durrell's writing。What's not to love？ Durrell's gentle humour while describing his family， his soaring， sweeping， rapturous descriptions of the countryside and the animals that inhabit it， th This was one of my grandmother's favourite books and she gave it to me a year or so before she passed away。 She told me that whenever she was sad， she would cover herself with a Durrell story and take a nap dreaming of him and his animals - and she didn't even like animals all that much - but she sure loved Durrell's writing。What's not to love？ Durrell's gentle humour while describing his family， his soaring， sweeping， rapturous descriptions of the countryside and the animals that inhabit it， the slow-moving yet absorbing nature of the minutae of his life as a small English boy living on a Greek island: the reader experiences every moment with him， and lives a utopic life they can only dream of through his eyes and words。 Durrell's family （animals included） have given my family hope for decades that no matter how much of a misfit you are in society's eyes， there will always be a place out there for you， even if only in the pages of a well-written memoir。 。。。more
Mr T & Mrs P Dawson
，
Live， love and laugh I've given this book collection five stars because it's a riotous room in Corfu， full of funny stories from a family of richly fascinating characters。 It's an easy read， you barely notice the move between books - the stories fit together well。Corfu shines - descriptions draw the island clearly。One of the best books I've read， perfect for summer reading， and a touch of escapism。 Live， love and laugh I've given this book collection five stars because it's a riotous room in Corfu， full of funny stories from a family of richly fascinating characters。 It's an easy read， you barely notice the move between books - the stories fit together well。Corfu shines - descriptions draw the island clearly。One of the best books I've read， perfect for summer reading， and a touch of escapism。 。。。more
Margie Hunter
，
A delightful book for the armchair travelerAt last I reached the end of book 3 of the trilogy， and I will miss young Gerald Durrell and Corfu。 All three books are informative and entertaining。 Durrell has a natural sense of humor， but I was really intrigued by his descriptions of the Corfu animals and environment， and I stopped often to look for images and maps of the creatures and Corfu。
Sandra
，
Delightful， entertaining， filled with humorous chaotic events and characters！ Durrell engages all five senses when describing life for him & his family during their 4-year residence in Corfu。 His vivid descriptions of the various characters （and they were “characters”） who came to visit the family made me laugh out loud， particularly Capt。 Creech。 I could feel the heat， see the water reflecting the brilliant blue sky， through Durrell’s details。 I thoroughly enjoyed this series; what a talented w Delightful， entertaining， filled with humorous chaotic events and characters！ Durrell engages all five senses when describing life for him & his family during their 4-year residence in Corfu。 His vivid descriptions of the various characters （and they were “characters”） who came to visit the family made me laugh out loud， particularly Capt。 Creech。 I could feel the heat， see the water reflecting the brilliant blue sky， through Durrell’s details。 I thoroughly enjoyed this series; what a talented writer Durrell was。 I enjoyed the series too， but enjoyed the books much more。 。。。more
Charlotte Knott
，
I watched and loved The Durrells so I was excited to read the source material。 There's no question that it's dated a little bit this is still a fantastic piece of writing。 The descriptive sections are breathtaking and really capture the beauty of Corfu and the natural world within， but they are very long and could get a bit repetitive。But the mastery in these books is the way Durrell described his family。 Every story about the Durrells' escapades would eclipse all the beauty and the wonderful an I watched and loved The Durrells so I was excited to read the source material。 There's no question that it's dated a little bit this is still a fantastic piece of writing。 The descriptive sections are breathtaking and really capture the beauty of Corfu and the natural world within， but they are very long and could get a bit repetitive。But the mastery in these books is the way Durrell described his family。 Every story about the Durrells' escapades would eclipse all the beauty and the wonderful animal stories。 I found myself skimming the nature stories in favour of another farcical anecdote because they were so utterly delightful。 Having watched the series I could see where all the character inspiration came from and it was wonderful to see how much love （and irritation） there was between the family and their Greek friends。 This may be a bit long-winded but it's also delightful and I'm so glad I read it; I may have to go back and watch the series again！ 。。。more
April D
，
I LOVE this show on PBS （Amazon Prime） and was so curious to read the books that inspired it。 I do wish that I had taken time between the 3 books。 But really liked the youngest Durrell son’s natural take on things after his family moved from England to Greece。 Now I’ve got to read something from the oldest son， Lawrence。
Deb
，
Started strong， but got boring。。。
Mr James H Denholm
，
EntertainingThe descriptions of the island and eccentric characters are wonderful， stories from a bygone world that will stretch your imagination。
Eugenia Melian
，
An enchanting trilogy。 I never wanted it to finish。。。all 750 pages of it。I fell in love with the PBS series The Durrells in Corfu。 Binge watched it， desperate to escape covid lockdowns and live， daily， the familly's adventures on this magical island in the 1930's。The books are just as charming。Naturalist Gerald Durrell has a wonderful style， where not only he expounds in great detail on the wonders of the bugs， fauna and flora of the island， but the same attention， warmth and precision is used o An enchanting trilogy。 I never wanted it to finish。。。all 750 pages of it。I fell in love with the PBS series The Durrells in Corfu。 Binge watched it， desperate to escape covid lockdowns and live， daily， the familly's adventures on this magical island in the 1930's。The books are just as charming。Naturalist Gerald Durrell has a wonderful style， where not only he expounds in great detail on the wonders of the bugs， fauna and flora of the island， but the same attention， warmth and precision is used on the humans around him， in particular his chaotic， dotty familly and their eccentric local friends。There are many laugh-aloud moments and I found myself always entertained and delighted。This is one of those moments:“Have you heard about the young Hindu virgin from Kutch， who kept two tame snakes in her crutch， she said when they wriggle， it’s a bit of a giggle， but my boyfriends don’t like my crutch much。 Ha ha ha！’ ‘Really， captain！’ said Mother， outraged， ‘I do wish you wouldn’t recite poetry in front of Gerry。” 。。。more
Dahlian Kirby
，
I have loved my family and animals since I was a teenage girl and went to Corfu on holiday。 I hadn't read the other two stories before last year。 I still adore My family and Other Animals but the other two stories seem rather like watered down versions of that one。 I have loved my family and animals since I was a teenage girl and went to Corfu on holiday。 I hadn't read the other two stories before last year。 I still adore My family and Other Animals but the other two stories seem rather like watered down versions of that one。 。。。more
Eileen Vernor
，
Having watched the PBS Masterpiece Theatre series “The Durrell’s of Corfu”， I was determined to read the books on which the series was based。 I was pleasantly surprised to realize these autobiographies were written by the youngest child Gerald who struggled academically while he amassed his zoo on Corfu。 Eventually Gerald Durrell became a world-renown naturalist with consultations all over the world。 His books are delightful！
SR
，
I enjoyed reading these books。
Minifig
，
"Mi familia y otros animales" es uno de mis libros favoritos。 Me encanta el humor con el que Durrell retrata a su familia y a los habitantes de la isla griega de Corfú， donde pasó buena parte de su infancia， con la mirada ingenua de sus recuerdos de niñez。 También me resulta maravilloso el amor y fascinación con que describe a los animales la naturaleza de su entorno。 A los ojos de Durrell un muro de piedra es un paraje lleno de selvas de musgo， desiertos de roca y peligrosos depredadores artróp "Mi familia y otros animales" es uno de mis libros favoritos。 Me encanta el humor con el que Durrell retrata a su familia y a los habitantes de la isla griega de Corfú， donde pasó buena parte de su infancia， con la mirada ingenua de sus recuerdos de niñez。 También me resulta maravilloso el amor y fascinación con que describe a los animales la naturaleza de su entorno。 A los ojos de Durrell un muro de piedra es un paraje lleno de selvas de musgo， desiertos de roca y peligrosos depredadores artrópodos。Este volumen incluye no sólo "Mi familia y otros animales"， sino también sus secuelas: "Bichos y demás parientes" y "El jardín de los dioses"。 En todos ellos el tono y la temática son similares， por lo que todo lo apuntado para el primero es válido para los otros。Lo he leído en inglés， pero el estilo de Durrell es tan claro y sencillo que no me ha dado mayor problema que el de los nombres de los animales。。。 lo que tampoco es para tanto， dado que muchos de ellos tampoco los hubiera conocido por sus nombres en castellano。 。。。more
Clare
，
A really entertaining autobiography， I’ve never laughed out loud reading one before and the natural history segments were fascinating。
Varshiny
，
One of his best works
Charity Miller
，
Must read for nature lovers。 Beautiful imagery and fascinating insights into the mosty unseen world of animals and insects。 The family may be mostly comic relief but the island is full of interesting characters。 Each chapter is fairly self contained- which makes it easy to set the book aside for a time and pick up again。
Paula Leal de matos
，
A delightful trilogy about life in Corfu in the 1930s， for the Durrels， the family of Lawrence Durrell。 Gerry， the youngest Durrell， a lover and collector of animals is the storyteller。 The stories are witty， hilarious and full of tenderness for people， animals and nature。
Melissa James
，
I enjoyed the fun stories about Gerry's animals and his eccentric family。 It is based on his actual family and experiences while they lived in Corfu。 I enjoyed the fun stories about Gerry's animals and his eccentric family。 It is based on his actual family and experiences while they lived in Corfu。 。。。more
Hannah
，
The perfect books for pandemic days。 They are beautifully written， steeped in the natural world， funny， insightful。 Highly， highly recommend。
RRG
，
Beautifully written and so funny
Mary
，
I read much of the first volume My Family and Other Animals。 But for the time being， I tired of the book。 Then I read more about the family in other book summaries and Wikipedia and am not sure I will return to the book。 Maybe need to be in the right mood to read about gecko and mantid battles or mating。
Les
，
Blast from the pastI read "My Family" when I was a kid several times and subsequently many other of Barry's books， but sadly， several house moves have meant I lost them all。 I must say I was pleased to get this ebook。 Having read it， I Realise that we only got the child friendly version in school， and I really enjoyed this version just as much， but with a much older head on。 I now really appreciate how Gerald paints a picture with his brilliant descriptions of scenes and builds his characters， f Blast from the pastI read "My Family" when I was a kid several times and subsequently many other of Barry's books， but sadly， several house moves have meant I lost them all。 I must say I was pleased to get this ebook。 Having read it， I Realise that we only got the child friendly version in school， and I really enjoyed this version just as much， but with a much older head on。 I now really appreciate how Gerald paints a picture with his brilliant descriptions of scenes and builds his characters， friends and family so that you can almost visualise them as you are reading。 I doubt that the books would be on published now without warnings so as not to offend the woke community。 However people must understand that these volumes are about pre WW2 life and words/characters are depicted as such。 I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this and would urge everybody to read and chuckle their way through it 。。。more
Laura
，
Although I came to this series of books by way of the BBC TV series （one I can watch over and over and never tire of）， I found Gerald Durrell's writing was like an exquisite love poem to his mother， who appears to have had amazing grace to "survive" her gregarious 4 children and all that they brought into her life。 The following is from Page 6 of Mr。 Durrell's foreword of The Corfu Trilogy:"I should like to pay a special tribute to my mother to whom this book is dedicated。 Like a gentle， enthusi Although I came to this series of books by way of the BBC TV series （one I can watch over and over and never tire of）， I found Gerald Durrell's writing was like an exquisite love poem to his mother， who appears to have had amazing grace to "survive" her gregarious 4 children and all that they brought into her life。 The following is from Page 6 of Mr。 Durrell's foreword of The Corfu Trilogy:"I should like to pay a special tribute to my mother to whom this book is dedicated。 Like a gentle， enthusiastic， and understanding Noah， she has steered her vessel full of strange progeny to the stormy seas of life with great skill， always faced with the possibility of mutiny， always surrounded by the dangerous shoals of overdraft and extravagance， never being sure that her navigation would be approved by the crew， but certain that she would be blamed for anything that went wrong。 That she survived the voyage is a miracle， but survived it she did， and， moreover， with her reason more or less intact。 As my brother Larry rightly points out， we can be proud of the way we have brought her up; she is a credit to us。 That she has reached that happy Nirvana where nothing shocks or startles is exemplified by the fact that one weekend recently， when all alone in the house， she was treated to the sudden arrival of a series of crates containing two pelicans， a scarlet ibis， a vulture， and eight monkeys。 A lesser mortal might have quailed at such a contingency， but not Mother。 On Monday morning， I found her in the garage being pursued round and round by an irate pelican which she was trying to feed with sardines from a tin。 “I'm glad you've come dear，” she panted。 “This Pelican is a little difficult to handle。” When I asked her how she knew the animals belonged to me， she replied， “Well， of course I knew they were yours， dear; who else would send pelicans to me？” Which goes to show how well she knows at least one of her family。"After reading this ode to Mrs。 Durrell， you just want to have had the chance to sit down to tea with her and soak in the many tales she could tell of her family's adventures！ （Sadly， she lived way before my time。 These stories take place in the 1930s。） Do yourself a favor and read this trilogy and allow it to take you to a beautiful place and time that is NOT NOW and thoroughly enjoy the many antics of the Durrell family！ Then do yourself another favor and watch the 4-season BBC series （currently on Amazon） and see a perfect cast bring these same stories to life。 You will not regret your time spent。 。。。more
Mike Clarke
，
Until they think warm days will never cease: Gerald Durrell’s accounts of his family’s sojourn on Corfu in the years leading up to World War II have dreamy， sun-soaked， hedonistic qualities that are just right for banishing the winter blues。 Sometimes， nothing’s better than a book that’s about as challenging as a hot bath， a glass of non-vintage champagne and a scented candle， and this is it。 There’s just enough astringent in his portrayal of his eccentric family and their associates to prevent Until they think warm days will never cease: Gerald Durrell’s accounts of his family’s sojourn on Corfu in the years leading up to World War II have dreamy， sun-soaked， hedonistic qualities that are just right for banishing the winter blues。 Sometimes， nothing’s better than a book that’s about as challenging as a hot bath， a glass of non-vintage champagne and a scented candle， and this is it。 There’s just enough astringent in his portrayal of his eccentric family and their associates to prevent a diabetic coma， and I owe My Family And Other Animals a debt of gratitude as it taught a 10-year-old me， reading it in Mrs Fleming’s class for English， that writing could be cool， sardonic and knowing as well as earnest and didactic， often within the same sentence。 And what perspicacity， verisimilitude and panegyric meant， so it was value for money too。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Corfu Trilogy
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Corfu Trilogy&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Corfu Trilogy&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0